Hey hey pretty friend!
One of life’s great pleasures is sharing a salad over lunch. You know… one of those leisurely lunches that involve pink wine and lots of bread baskets. The kind of lunch that lasts until at least 3:30 in the afternoon. The kind of lunch where you almost run out of things to talk about… but that never happens. I covet those lunches, especially on a Monday.
Let’s share a salad! I should tell you now that I put blueberries in it. Trust me on this one. Also… call me the salad whisperer.
We’re in the game! Meet our new friend Israeli Couscous… it’s actually a tiny pasta and boils up to be so satisfying and supremely fun to eat.
We’re going to combine our couscous with salty, lemony, and herby ingredients… then we’re going to add crunchy toasted pecans, and berries! Heck yes.
Every kind of cooked pasta benefits from lemon, salt, pepper and parmesan. You know it’s true.
Oh heeey new flavor friends! I love how capers and whole grain mustard taste together. Totally complimentary. Good olive oil is always the move. I love California Olive Ranch.
This is when things get interesting! Blueberries, pecans, and parsley and a big ol’ stir.
This salad feels like a surprise. What kind of salad also combines parsley and blueberries? What kind of salad mixes mustard and pecans? This kind of salad. Somewhere in this madness is delicious success. It’s actually pretty cool that all of these savory flavors so easily welcome sweet fruit.
This is one of those salads you should take to your friend’s end of summer barbecue. You’ll get weird looks, followed by high-fives. Who doesn’t like high-fives? I mean… total win!
Toasted Pecan and Fresh Blueberry Couscous Salad
makes about 2 cups
1 cup dried Israeli couscous
2 cups water
¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh cracked pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice on 1 lemon
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
small handful coarsely chopped fresh parsley
large handful salad greens
Bring water to a boil. Season water with a good pinch of salt and add dried couscous. Cook until couscous is tender through, about 12 minutes. Drain couscous from water (there may only be a bit of water remaining), and rinse couscous in cool water. Pour into a medium bowl.
Add cheese, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to the couscous. Stir to combine. Add mustard, capers, and lemon zest and stir to combine, making sure the mustard is evenly distributed. Finally, stir in the pecans, blueberries, and parsley. Season to taste.
Chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve, toss in a handful of salad greens and toss to combine.
Emily
I’ve tucked this recipe away for such a long time. I FINALLY made it and, as promised, got some high fives. SSooooo great!
Heather
This salad was simply divine and just simple!! It’s probably my new favorite salad, I ate it for half of a week, it was so good!! Thanks again for sharing!
katie
A little too lemony for me but my husband loved it. He kept asking me to figure out something else with the couscous. Love the blog, btw
The Queen of Dreaming
Yummy!!! Can’t wait to try it!!
https://justsem.wordpress.com/
Megan
Great salad for a fun day at the pool with friends! Absolutely delicious.
Annie @ Natural Sweet Recipes
This sounds divine!! I don’t have a lot of experience with couscous but I want to eat it more! Love finding new recipes that use it. I love the addition of blueberries.!
Lori m.
Made it, loved it, kids loved it (one of them just walked out the door with the leftovers for lunch, good for her, darn it for me!). One tiny change, added a few more capers.
Great recipe!
Miss Kim @ behgopa
Never tried blueberries in couscous before. You are awesome!
Jayne
I like that you’re serving this on a flat tray thing. It’s so pretty and family friendly. I have to try Israeli couscous. And blueberries are perfect for both savoury and sweet. I know it.
Coty and Mariah
Love this simple salad, it looks divine! The addition of blueberries makes this so colorful:)
Beth
This salad totally rocks, Joy! I made it tonight with vegetable kabobs, and what a delightful and delicious dinner it was. Thank you for your consistently knock-out recipes. I tell all my friends about your blog and how awesome it is! Keep the awesomeness coming! :)
fusilliamy
Joy, I LOVE being that person that brings something strange to a party, gets weird looks and then the big eyed OMG faces + high fives. People in NC look at you really weird when you talk about corn on pizza but then hug you after they try it… Fruit and little pearls pasta is exactly how I like my salads. I can’t wait to give this a go.
PS – keep working hard, I can’t wait to hear slash eat about your new recipes. I’m so proud to be a JTB reader!! :)
Arthur in the Garden!
Beautiful!
Christina @ Scaredy Cat Kitchen
Ooo I was just wondering what to do with the box of giant couscous in my cupboard! Problem solved!
meg
Hooray! What a great combo! Yummeh :)
kaira @ biscuitwallah.com
I’m definitely not a salad person but I honestly think I would inhale this !!(considering the fact that it has pasta and cheese??!– looks awesome!
Ellen
Nothing gets me going like toasting my nuts.
In all seriousness, I love that you came up with this combination of flavors-very unexpected…
DessertForTwo
Yum!
Ok, I have serious blogger question. That salad you have splayed out on your piece of slate for photographic purposes…do you eat it afterwards? I feel like the salvaged barn wood that I use for my photos renders the food inedible. What to do? Can we address this major life question?
You know I love this salad. And you :)
joythebaker
it’s an old cookie sheet that i have the salad splayed out on. it’s actually a cookie sheet that i still use, it’s just from my elderly aunt’s kitchen. i try not to use props that make my food inedible. it doesn’t seem worth it, you know?
Eileen
Israeli couscous really is the best, isn’t it? So good! This salad is a huge surprise–I can’t imagine how it tastes! But something so pretty has to be good, right? :)
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Crazy deliciousness!! And a great use of blueberries to savor the last of summer :)
Tracy | Pale Yellow
I love salads like this for lunch; hearty, flavorful, and healthful. This one looks unique and fantastic!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
weird looks followed by high fives = the best. what a fantastic salad!
Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog
I love Israeli couscous, but sadly I’ve never cooked it myself. I’m always buying the pre-made salad at Whole Foods. However, this salad sounds amazing and I now have a recipe to use the couscous.
Jen
We’re on the same couscousy wavelength! Just yesterday, I bought all the ingredients to make your green israeli couscous salad. I haven’t made it since last summer and was having a severe hankerin’ for it. Next time, there will definitely be blueberries cozying up with my couscous!
Ash-foodfashionparty
Hey, this is perfect and more perfect for a lunch box idea..
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This is such a fun salad! Loooove this idea!
Alexe @ Keys to the Cucina
I absolutely love cooking with Israeli cous cous- it’s like a blank canvas and can go either sweet or savory. I’m also really feeling fruit in salads lately, so this recipe is a must make for me!
Todd @ HonestlyYUM
Never pass up the chance to high-five a Salad Whisperer. Never.
Sini
Oh Joy, please don’t post any recipes with Israeli couscous! I’ve tried so hard to find it around here but I’ve had no success. It’s driving me crazy. Scandinavia needs some Israeli couscous! Seriously.
joythebaker
you could also make this recipe with any other pasta shape! i’d add pancetta too! just sayin’.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
Love blueberries in a salad….just awesome!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry
I wouldn’t call this is a salad. I would call it joy in every bite!
Rocky Mountain Woman
What a lovely way to use blueberries…
Bring on the pink wine!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet
Why is it that I have never had couscous? This looks wonderful!
Jamie
This is gorgeous, joy! perfect way to take advantage of the last few weeks of blueberry season!
kitchen afternoon
A nice transitional meal for this weather! Now for a transitional cardigan!
Andj
I am half moved (aka eating off of paper plates until next weekend) so I will have to wait at least a week to try this. and i have to try this because it looks deliciouss.
erin @hooleywithaz
yes please, and i’ll have two helpings!
The Bearfoot Baker
I need to go shopping now! I want to make this for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
Tieghan
This is my favorite new salad!! I love grain salad and am always game with anything that includes blueberries!
Anu
Who would’ve thought! This actually looks pretty good :)
Heather
Headed to the beach, and this salad will be perfect…..thanks joy joy.
joythebaker
live that beach life!!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Aw yeahhh blueberries up in my salad/pasta, WIN!
shelly @ohshellsbells
i just want to be at home making this!
Caz
I love fruits in my salads so why not blueberry? It sounds amazing. Long live leisurely lunches!
Casey @ Snip of Mint
Oh yum! Israeli cous cous is one of my favorite things! Here in Israel, it’s not actually as popular as it deserves to be.
I’m going to have to give this recipe a try in its homeland! :)
joythebaker
as popular as it deserves to be! i love that!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Blueberries in a salad makes it automatically awesome.
But the “leisurely lunches that involve pink wine and lots of bread baskets” sounds pretty amazing as well :)