Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
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A savory and sweet couscous salad with scallions, sliced almonds and a fruity apricot vinaigrette.
I love Moroccan food, especially the blending of savory and sweet, which is the idea behind this delicious salad. Made with couscous, scallions, fresh herbs, crunchy almonds, and a tangy-sweet apricot vinaigrette, it’s the perfect side dish for summer. By that I mean it’s wonderfully light, takes mere minutes to make, travels well to a picnic or BBQ, and can be served warm or room temperature. I recommend serving it with my Grilled Moroccan Chicken but it would be good with just about any chicken, pork or lamb dish.
Table of Contents
“Winner! Fast, easy, delicious, and pretty! New favorite! Thank you!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Warm Couscous Salad With Apricot Vinaigrette
- Low Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth: Adds depth of flavor to the couscous.
- Butter: Enhances the couscous’s richness and moisture.
- Couscous: Serves as the hearty base of the salad. Most people think of couscous as a grain, but it’s actually a form of pasta made from semolina flour.
- Apricot Preserves: Provides a sweet and tangy element to the vinaigrette.
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and smoothness to the dressing.
- White Wine Vinegar: Adds acidity to balance the sweetness of the apricot preserves.
- Scallions: Adds a mild onion flavor and freshness.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley or Mint: Adds a burst of fresh, herbal notes. This is optional but I love the pop of color and flavor it adds.
- Sliced Almonds: Adds crunch and a nutty flavor to the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Bring the broth, butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium pot.
Add the couscous and stir. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff the couscous immediately with a fork so it doesn’t clump together.
In a small bowl, whisk together the apricot preserves, olive oil, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
Add about three-quarters of the vinaigrette to the couscous.
Stir to combine. Taste and add the remaining vinaigrette, little by little, if necessary (you may not need it all). Be sure to add all the little chunks of apricot from the vinaigrette, as they tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl (just use a fork to fish them out).
Stir in the scallions, herbs, and sliced almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning (I usually add a good bit of salt).
Serve warm or at room temperature.
This recipe was adapted and modified from Real Simple magazine.
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Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
A savory and sweet couscous salad with scallions, sliced almonds and a fruity apricot vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt
- 1 10-ounce box couscous (1½ cups)
- 6 tablespoons apricot preserves, best quality such as Bonne Maman
- 4½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or mint (optional)
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Bring the broth, butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium pot. Add the couscous and stir. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff the couscous immediately with a fork so it doesn't clump together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the apricot preserves, olive oil, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Add about three-quarters of the vinaigrette to the couscous and stir to combine. Taste and add the remaining vinaigrette, little by little, if necessary (you may not need it all). Be sure to add all the little chunks of apricot from the vinaigrette, as they tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl (just use a fork to fish them out). Stir in the scallions, herbs, and sliced almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning (I usually add a good bit of salt) and serve warm or at room temperature.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salad can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator; add the almonds right before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 375
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Sugar: 9g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 9g
- Sodium: 227mg
- Cholesterol: 5mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Hi Jenn,
Would I be able to double this recipe? I want to make it for a dinner party and I will have 8 guests.
Thank you!
Kristen Berry
Yep, no problem :).
Yumm!! Warm or cold – yum. Substitute brown rice – yum. Serve with the Grilled Moroccan Chicken- yumm!!
Love this side with the grilled moroccan chicken. Wonderful blend of flavors and very easy to make. Another winner!
This was really good, I used whole wheat spelt couscous. I like a couple of other reviews felt it might be too sweet; so to maintain the apricot taste without adding the sweetness of preserves, I just cut up about 4 or 5 dried apricots and let them marinade in the oil for an hour or so. Then proceeded to make the recipe as directed. Used lemon juice instead of vinegar. Turned out great!
Honestly, I thought it would be way to sweet with the apricot jam, but it’s not, it’s very subtle. The other ingredients balance out. Also you only add about 3/4 of the dressing to the couscous to start with then add the rest to taste. I also added only a little of the mint.
Delicious!
I love this as a side dish with fish. I usually have any leftovers for lunch the next day. I absolutely love the flavours and texture of the dish.
I paired this with the middle eastern chicken kabobs and it was SO good. Great flavor combo. Also added grilled asparagus giving us a little more greens.
This couscous was so good! I didn’t have the apricot jam so I used my homemade peach jam- it turned out so nice! I used one less tbs to make sure it wasn’t too sweet. My husband loved it with the Moroccan chicken.
Can I use peach jam instead of the apricot? I made some home made jam and don’t have apricot.
Sure Daniella, that would be fine. Enjoy!
Easy, beautiful and delicious.
This was a perfect side dish with our grilled chicken kebabs. The adults loved it, but it was not a hit with the kids.