Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Recipe
This Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is a fresh and vibrant dish perfect for springtime. Featuring fluffy couscous, sweet blanched peas, tangy feta, crunchy nuts, and a bright, herbaceous basil vinaigrette, this salad can be served warm or chilled. It’s a colorful, satisfying side or light main that beautifully balances textures and flavors with a hint of honey and a touch of red pepper flakes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- ½ cup uncooked couscous (not pearl couscous)
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 pound frozen peas
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 shallot, cut in half
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook couscous: In a medium saucepan, bring the water or chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the couscous, cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. Fluff with a fork to separate grains.
- Blanch peas: While the couscous is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath with ice and water in a medium bowl. Add the frozen peas to the boiling water and blanch for 1-2 minutes until they turn bright green. Drain the peas and immediately transfer them to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain again before adding to the salad.
- Combine salad ingredients: In a serving bowl, mix the fluffed couscous, blanched peas, chopped parsley, crumbled feta, and chopped walnuts or pecans evenly.
- Prepare basil vinaigrette: In a blender, combine basil leaves, olive oil, shallot halves, minced garlic, honey, white wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or honey if desired.
- Assemble and serve: To serve warm, immediately toss the salad with the desired amount of vinaigrette and serve. If serving cold, refrigerate the dressing and salad ingredients separately for 1-2 hours. Before serving, toss half of the dressing with the salad and adjust seasoning and amount of dressing to taste.
Notes
- Using chicken broth instead of water to cook the couscous adds extra flavor.
- Be sure to blanch peas briefly to maintain their bright green color and crisp texture.
- The vinaigrette can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Feel free to swap walnuts with pecans or other nuts of your choice.
- This salad can be a great side dish or a light vegetarian main course.
- Adjust the amount of honey in the dressing to your preferred level of sweetness.
Keywords: spring pea salad, feta couscous salad, basil vinaigrette, vegetarian salad, Mediterranean salad, healthy side dish
