Mint & Feta Israeli Couscous Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Tender and slightly chewy Israeli couscous with English peas, fresh asparagus, grape tomatoes, fresh mint, lemon zest, and feta cheese toss with a lemon vinaigrette.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Israeli Couscous Salad
- 1 cup Israeli couscous (also known as pearl couscous)
- 1 cup asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup shelled English peas
- 3/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp fresh mint julienned
- 4 oz feta cheese (1/2 a block)
- zest of lemon
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp grated garlic
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a medium pot.
- Add Israeli couscous and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Drain couscous, place into a large bowl and set aside.
- Fill a medium-sized bowl with ice water and line a baking sheet with clean towel. Set aside.
- Fill the same pot with water and bring to boil. Add English peas and cook until bright green and tender (about 3-5 minutes). Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, remove peas from the water and immediately place in the bowl filled with ice water.
- Cook the asparagus in the boiling water for approximately 2 minutes. While they are cooking, remove the peas from the ice water and drain on the towel lined baking sheet.
- Remove the asparagus from the pot to the iced water. After a minute of two, remove from the iced water and drain on the towel lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, grated garlic, and dried oregano. When emulsified, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add peas, asparagus, and tomatoes to the couscous. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and gently toss to combine ingredients.
- Mix in mint and lemon zest.
- Transfer to serving dish and top with feta cheese.
- Crumble feta cheese with serving utensils prior to serving.