Giant couscous salad with fresh herbs and crunchy nuts

A delicious summery couscous salad made with Israeli giant couscous, lots of fresh herbs, and a zesty lemony dressing. Salty roasted nuts add cruch and texture.

Pesach certainly seems like a long time ago – much more than a mere six weeks! But it continues to wield influence in my kitchen, by inspiring delicious dishes based on some of the things I made during the chag.

Looking back, our Pesach was surprisingly relaxed. We went to friends’ for seder, and made the most of simple, fresh ingredients for the rest of our meals. Lovely.

One evening I made a huge tray of roasted vegetables and served them with quinoa. We polished off all the veggies, but there was a small dish of cooked quinoa left. I hate to waste leftovers, so I looked for a way to repurpose it.

Herbs galore!

In previous years I’ve spent a fortune on kosher-for-Pesach dried herbs. Typically these then either a) get packed away for a year before being unearthed, dusty and tasteless, the following year.  Or b) are added to the year-round spice rack where they are unhelpful duplicates, taking up space without adding any value.

This year, I decided to spend the money on pots of fresh growing herbs instead. They are still on my counter, brightening the kitchen with their verdant leaves, and making our food taste delicious!

I combined the cooked quinoa with plenty of chopped fresh herbs, some zingy lemon juice and rich olive oil, and some tasty, toasty nuts. It was delicious!

Giant couscous salad

Now that Pesach is behind us, and Summer is on its way, my thoughts are turning to salads and cold side dishes in a more general way. Remembering the success of my quinoa salad, I decided to try to replicate it, only using Israeli couscous (giant couscous).

What is giant couscous?

Giant couscous – also known as Israeli couscous, pearl couscous, or ptitim in Hebrew – was developed in the 1950s at the behest of the Israeli government, as a more affordable alternative to rice for citizens living under austerity conditions.

Giant couscous is basically tiny pieces of pasta, similar to fregola or orzo. It caught on in Israel big time! It is still very popular there now, and comes in all manner of shapes such as rings, stars, flower and hearts as well as the traditional little balls.

How to cook giant couscous like an Israeli

You can simply boil the Israeli couscous in water, then drain it, as you would with pasta. But for a more authentic preparation, first fry the couscous in a little olive oil until starting to turn golden, then add the water and cook until it is absorbed.

Frying the giant couscous first gives it a lovely toasted flavour and also helps to prevent the couscous balls from sticking to one another.

Once your giant couscous is cooked you can eat it as a warm side dish, as a main course topped with a sauce, or you can make it into a delicious couscous salad! It’s also a great way to bulk up soups and stews to make them more filling.

Couscous salad ingredients

This giant couscous salad combines just a few basic ingredients to create something really delicious. To make it yourself, all you will need is:

• Giant couscous – also called Israeli couscous or ptitim. You can also use tiny pasta shapes such as orzo, fregola or teeny-tiny soup pasta as well.
• Fresh herbs – I used parsley, oregano, dill, basil and chives but you can use any combination of your favourites.
• Olive oil – to toast the couscous before boiling.
• Fresh lemon juice.
• Hazelnut oil – gives a wonderful nutty flavour, but you can also substitute olive oil with no ill effects.
• Roasted salted nuts – I used almonds but hazelnuts, cashews or even peanuts are crunchy and delicious.

Easy to make couscous salad

This giant couscous salad could hardly be easier to make.

Once the couscous is cooked and cooled, simply mix it with the other ingredients. Leave to stand for a few minutes to allow the flavours to combine and the giant couscous to absorb some of the dressing. Then tuck in!

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📖 Recipe

More fabulous salad recipes

If you’re after more salads, take a look at this classic French-style carrot salad, this zingy red cabbage slaw, this barley and roasted vegetable salad, or these delicious Asian-style sesame green beans. 

More Israeli recipes

For more Israeli-inspired dishes, how about tabbouleh salad with freekeh, chopped vegetable salad, aubergine shakshuka, or pickled green plums.