Summery Couscous Salad bursting with flavour! Fresh summer veggies, pesto, roast peaches, vegan yoghurt and feta all combine in this easy summer salad.

Oh lawdy I’m enjoying summer salads right now.  Possibly more so than any other year.  I think because summer came early here in the UK and has kind of fizzled a bit since and I’m trying to keep the summer vibes going by embracing as much seasonal fruits and veggies as possible.  And this couscous salad celebrates so much of what’s perfectly in season right now.  But with minimal effort and delicious results!

How to cook couscous:

If you can make a cup of tea you can make couscous.  Yep, it really is that simple.

Originating in West Africa (Morocco and Algeria to be specific) in the 11th century and natively means ‘well rolled’ or ‘well formed’.  There are three types – Moroccan, pearl and Lebanese and it’s the Moroccan style of couscous that I’m using here for this couscous salad.  It’s light, versatile and so easy to prepare and has numerous health benefits.

Cooking couscous is as simple as measuring the couscous into a heatproof jug or bowl and adding boiling water or stock.  Cover the bowl, leave for 5-10 minutes then simply fluff with a fork to separate the grains and you’ve got lovely, perfectly prepared couscous.

How to make this easy summer salad:

First thing to do is get the peaches roasting.  Cut in half, remove the stone and place on a baking tray.  Dot with butter, drizzle with syrup then roast for 30-40 minutes.  You want reasonably firm peaches as this makes cutting and removing the stone that much easier and they hold their shape well during cooking.

While they’re roasting, prepare the couscous.  Put the couscous in a heatproof jug or bowl and pour over the boiling stock.  Give a quick stir then cover (I just use a tea-towel) and leave for 5-10 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.  Fluff with a fork to separate the grains then set aside to cool.

If you’re making your own homemade vegan pesto (which I thoroughly recommend – shop bought pesto I find rather bland) get that whizzing while the peaches finish roasting.  The recipe I’ve linked makes more than you need but that just means you can make so many other things!  Like this pesto pasta, or this white bean soup, or how about this simply divine pizza tear and share bread.  Oh, and we mustn’t forget the best vegan lasagne!

Finishing the salad:

To serve, spoon the couscous into a serving bowl or onto plates then top with the tomatoes and diced cucumber.  Nestle in the roast peaches, drizzle over any of the juices left on the tray from cooking the peaches.

Dot over the yogurt and pesto then scatter over the feta.

Honestly, my mouth is watering as I type all this!  Fortunately I’ve got it for lunch again tomorrow 🙂  Serve this lovely lot straight away and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Looking for even more delicious vegan summer salad recipes?  Try these:

Roasted new potato salad with tzatziki and quick pickled red onions

Butterbean and arugula salad with balsamic dressing

Warm peach and sweet potato salad

Pear salad with red cabbage and homemade croutons

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