Abbie

Published on July 1, 2024

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Pesto cous cous salad is a delicious side dish that is perfect for this time of year! It’s packed with flavor and only requires 6 ingredients and comes together super fast with minimal prep-work.

Top view of pesto cous cous in a glass mixing bowl.

A few weeks ago I splurged and made Pumpkin Cous Cous Salad, which got me thinking that pesto would taste delicious, especially with the warmer weather!

What is Couscous?

Couscous is a type of pasta that consists of small, steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina. There are different types, all which are delicious, but with pesto I prefer the pearl variety. Here are the most common couscous types you will see.

Moroccan Couscous: The smallest and most commonly found.

Israeli Couscous: Also known as pearl couscous, it is larger and more round.

Lebanese Couscous: Known as Moghrabieh, it’s the biggest variety, around the size of peas and does take longer to cook.

What Kind of Pesto Should I Use?

To make things easy, you can totally go with store bought but I really love making pesto from scratch. Here are a few different versions, which would all work for this salad recipe.

Regular pesto – this is the most traditional and is a great basic recipe.

Pumpkin seed pesto – great for added nutrition and using up lots of pumpkin seeds if you have them.

Pistachio pesto – way cheaper to make compared to using traditional pine nuts. This recipe also uses mint which is a nice twist.

Almond Pesto – lacks the cheese found in regular pesto, so it’s dairy free and vegan friendly.

Ingredients Needed

pearl cous cous – the larger variety known as Israeli couscous soaks up more of the pesto sauce.
bell pepper – use red, green, orange, yellow or a mixture of all of them.
cherry tomatoes
cannellini beans – rinse and drain the beans before adding to the salad.
Mozzarella – fresh is the best, you could also use mozzarella balls.
store-bought or homemade pesto – see my recipes above for quick made from scratch pesto sauces.

How to Make Pesto Cous Cous

Cook the couscous according to the package instructions and dice the peppers and tomatoes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.

Substitutions and Variations

Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over top just before serving.
Garbanzo beans can be swapped for the cannellini if desired.
Shredded chicken would make a great addition and more like a main course meal.

How to Store

Keep leftover pesto cous cous in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If needed, add a little water to make it saucy again before serving.

More Delicious Pasta Recipes:

Pesto Cous Cous

Pesto cous cous salad is a delicious side dish that is perfect for this time of year! It’s packed with flavor and only requires 6 ingredients and comes together super fast with minimal prep-work.