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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Quick question about the amount of couscous in this recipe. The recipe states 10 ounces. I bought a box of couscous that is the same brand as the one shown in your photo, but it is 5.6 ounces. So, should I use 2 boxes, or is the amount in the recipe an error? I noticed the recipe also says 1 1/2 cups – is this dry?
Hi Christelle, I’m sorry for any confusion – while I show that box in the picture, I used that but added more for the recipe, so you do need a total of 10 ounces. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
This couscous paired perfectly with the grilled morrocan chicken! I added a lot of salt at the end. Very tasty. Another great recipe!
Absolutely delicious!! And so quick to make.
Totally fabulous. I added a few chopped dried apricots. Great just as an addition to salad.
Hi Jenn:
Thank you for your time in order to bring us all fabulous easy recipes!—I used homemade peachy lavender jam in place of apricot and subbed apple juice for the wine. ?We really enjoyed it.
thank you again
yvonne
I have some homemade peach preserves. Can I use that in place of the apricot?
Yep 🙂
Hi Jenn could you use quinoa instead? Thanks so much
Sure!
I was a little unsure of the mint so I went half mint/parsley (1 tbs each) as either were recommended. I actually really liked the mint in it. And I bought toasted almond slices from reading other reviews. It was delicious.
I’ve made this twice in three days. Once with a whole wheat coucous and once with regular couscous. Both turned out good. I used a Bon Maman Intense Apricot jam. I didn’t toast the almonds as some suggested but I think that would be a nice addition next time. While I like the dish I feel like it is missing something. Like maybe some diced dried or diced dried rehydrated apricots. As I mentioned in another review I made a meal out of the couscous and the yogurt dip that accompanied the Moroccan meatball recipe.
Your website and book are my first stop when I plan meals each week. We had your Moroccan Grilled chicken for lunch and loved it so much I used the same spice blend on grilled salmon this evening with the apricot couscous salad and sautéed asparagus as a side. The couscous salad was heavenly – as was the Moroccan spice on the salmon!! I’m only sad I didn’t double the recipe. 😊 Thank you for sharing your gift of cooking with all of us!!!
OMG! What a delicious salad/side dish. Made it with homemade apricot jam and served it next to grilled pork chops.Absolutely divine!
Thanks Jenn!