• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Recipe Runner

Eat Well - Run Happy

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Running
    • Training Tip Tuesday
  • Travel
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Tools

Caprese Couscous Salad

September 1, 2014 by Danae 2 Comments

6shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend. As you are reading this post I’m either getting ready to start my 2nd half marathon of the summer, in the middle of running it, or if you’re sleeping in I’ll have completed it. How are you spending your Labor Day? Hopefully whatever your plans are they are fun and involve family, friends, and lots of delicious food! I know I’ll be craving lots of food when my race is over, including this fresh and super yummy Caprese Couscous Salad.

Caprese Couscous Salad | Recipe Runner | If you love caprese salads this version with couscous will become your new favorite! #salad #vegetarian #caprese

If you are a fan of caprese salads, then you will absolutely love this version with pearl couscous (also called Israeli couscous) in it. A few weeks ago, Bob’s Red Mill generously sent me a few of their products to try out and this Whole Wheat Pearl Couscous was one of them. I’ve always been a fan of couscous, especially the pearl kind. I love the texture and the size of it. Pearl couscous makes a delicious side dish on it’s own with some herbs tossed in for flavor or you can add it into a salad like I did with this one. Bob’s Red Mill makes a delicious and healthy whole wheat version which made me very happy. I loved the nutty flavor that the whole wheat gave the couscous, not to mention I felt better having that second serving of the Caprese Couscous Salad knowing I was eating whole grains.

Caprese Couscous Salad | Recipe Runner | If you love caprese salads this version with couscous will become your new favorite! #salad #vegetarian #caprese

The other components of this salad are of course the usual suspects, tomatoes, mini fresh mozzarella balls often referred to as bocconcini, and basil. I was extra excited about making this salad because I was able to use the cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden! One of my favorite parts about this salad was probably the dressing. I decided to make a basil vinaigrette since I have such an abundance of basil. The vinaigrette was a combination of fresh basil, rice wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, dijon mustard, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper. I blended it all together in my blender so it was nice and smooth. The smell of the vinaigrette when I lifted the lid was incredible! So sweet and fresh from the basil, I knew it would be the perfect dressing for this salad. I ended up only needing about half of the vinaigrette for the salad which worked out well because I used the leftovers throughout the week on top of sautéed vegetables. The vinaigrette is slightly sweet and a little tangy from the rice wine vinegar and dijon. It compliments the simple fresh flavors of the salad perfectly!

Caprese Couscous Salad | Recipe Runner | If you love caprese salads this version with couscous will become your new favorite! #salad #vegetarian #capreseThis salad is great as a side dish with some grilled chicken or burgers, but it is also hearty enough to be eaten on it’s own if you prefer a vegetarian meal. It comes together quickly and will make an excellent addition to one last BBQ or picnic before summer slips away and the cool temperatures of fall take it’s place.

Caprese Couscous Salad | Recipe Runner | If you love caprese salads this version with couscous will become your new favorite! #salad #vegetarian #caprese

Yields 4 servings

Caprese Couscous Salad

The addition of whole wheat pearl couscous and basil vinaigrette take this caprese salad to the next level!

10 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

Save RecipeSave Recipe
Print Recipe
Recipe Image
My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

    For the Salad
  • 1 cup whole wheat pearl couscous, uncooked
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup fresh mini mozzarella balls, halved
  • 1 T. fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/4 t. kosher salt
  • For the Basil Vinaigrette
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed tightly
  • 1/4 rice vinegar
  • 1 T. honey
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 t. dijon mustard
  • 1 T. grapeseed oil or other flavorless oil
  • 1/4 t. kosher salt
  • 1/8 t. fresh black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan cook the pearl couscous according to the package instructions.
  2. Drain and rinse the cooked couscous under cold water and put in a large bowl.
  3. Add the salt, halved tomatoes and mozzarella balls, and chopped basil to the couscous.
  4. Blend all of the ingredients for the Basil Vinaigrette together in a blender until smooth.
  5. Pour enough vinaigrette over the salad to coat everything (you will probably have extra).
  6. Toss the salad together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
7.8.1.2
623
https://reciperunner.com/caprese-couscous-salad/

6shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

You may also like:

  • Stone Fruit Quinoa Salad in white serving bowl with spoon. Plums and apricot on the side.
    Stone Fruit Quinoa Salad
  • half of an acorn squash on a white plate stuffed with a mixture of wild rice, lentil, herbs and dried cranberries.
    Lentil, Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffed Squash
  • Green Bean, Radish and Bacon Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing | Crisp, crunchy and topped with an amazing creamy feta dressing, this is the perfect summer salad!
    Green Bean, Radish and Bacon Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

Filed Under: Salad, Side Dishes Tagged With: Basil, caprese, couscous, mozzarella, Salad, side dish, Tomatoes, vegetarian, whole grain

Previous Post: « Revel Rockies Half Marathon Recap
Next Post: Whole Wheat Waffles with Bourbon Peaches »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kayley | The Kitchen McCabe

    September 2, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    oh, Yum! This looks perfect, Danae! I wish I had some last night at our bbq....this looks like a salad I probably wouldn't be able to stop eating ;)
    Reply
    • Danae

      September 2, 2014 at 10:23 pm

      Thanks Kayley! It was definitely hard not to eat the whole bowl!
      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Danae! Welcome to Recipe Runner. This blog is all about my love of food, cooking, baking, and running. I hope that I can tempt you with my recipes and inspire you with my running stories! Enjoy! Read More ↝

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of emails you receive.

Recipe Runner Favorites

chai ginger cookies drizzled with white glaze scattered on a countertop. A spoon of chai spice next to them and bowl of the glaze.
A slice of Crustless Vegetable Quiche on a white plate with a fork.
Overhead photo of ten Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. One is broken in half.
White bowl with Turkey Taco Soup in it. Topped with melted cheese, avocado and green onions.
Vegan Pumpkin Streusel Bread with three slices cut and lying in front of the loaf.
Creamy Chickpea Noodle Casserole with a breadcrumb topping in a metal skillet with a wooden spoon in the skillet.
Wild rice stuffing with butternut squash, apples, cranberries, pecans and pepitas in a metal skillet with a wooden spoon in it.
Bourbon Orange Cranberry Sauce in a white serving bowl with a spoon. Half of an orange and a shot of bourbon behind the bowl.

Footer

Reader Favorites

Mexican Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans topped with melted cheese in a cast iron Skillet with a wooden serving spoon in the skillet.

Mexican Chicken, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Skillet

Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce | Delicious and healthy Greek chicken skewers with a sauce you'll want to slather on everything!

Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce

Metal skillet filled with ground turkey, rice, zucchini, tomatoes and cheese. Wooden spoon scooping some out of the skillet.

Southwest Turkey, Vegetable and Rice Skillet

Cranberry Vanilla Energy Bites | These healthy energy bites are gluten-free, vegan, paleo and bursting with cranberry and vanilla flavors!

Cranberry Vanilla Energy Bites

Copyright © 2021 · Designed by Snixy Kitchen · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework

This site uses cookies to help provide the best user experience. Find out more.