Couscous, Craisin, and Pumpkin Seed Salad with Fresh Basil Dressing, aka Erin and Misty’s Basil Couscous Salad, is a salad for any occasion, any time of the year. It’s always a crowd pleaser and a recipe you’ll make again and again!
Fresh ingredients make great salads. This salad is loaded with fresh veggies, corn (when in season), and basil. I love this salad in the summer, but I also love making it out of frozen corn during the winter months.
My favorite salads are usually a combination of textures, colors, and flavors. This salad has it all! Creamy basil dressing, chewy sweet craisins, crunchy veggies and pumpkin seeds. And the couscous gives the salad its own unique texture!
A great salad recipe usually starts or ends with a homemade dressing. This dressing is so good you’ll want to drink it. I’m serious. It is so good! Tell me I’m wrong in the comments if you don’t LOVE it.
My friend Erin and her sister Misty gave me this recipe years ago. I’m not sure where the salad came from, but when they shared the recipe, they said, “This recipe gets us requests for recipes every time we make it!” I’ve found the same to be true.
Update on the original recipe
When I first shared this recipe, it called packaged “olive oil and garlic couscous.” It was often difficult to find (and expensive, especially when a large batch was being made). For a while I couldn’t find a packet of this specially flavored couscous anywhere. Which made me buy plain couscous and make an adjustment!
I now use plain couscous and cook the couscous in chicken broth. It’s so easy to make and cheaper than buying pre-packaged!
If you are wondering how to cook couscous? All you need are a few simple ingredients and a pan to boil the liquid. Here are simple instructions…
How to cook couscous:
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of couscous
- In a medium saucepan, bring broth or water, olive oil, and salt to a boil.
- Stir in the couscous, cover with a lid and remove from the heat source.
- Leave to rest for 5 minutes. Then fluff the couscous with a fork and break up any lumps.
Seriously, there’s nothing easier and quicker than making couscous! It’s an easy side dish for any meat, poultry or fish. You will find many uses for your couscous!
I’ve served this salad to hundreds of people for YEARS. Everyone loves this salad. Women, men, old, young. I know you will love it too!
Erin and Misty’s Basil Couscous Salad was originally posted in July 2010 and has been updated with new photos and recipe content.
Basil Couscous Salad
ingredients
-
1
Cup
chicken broth or water -
2
teaspoon
olive oil -
1/2
teaspoon
sea-salt -
1
Cup
Couscous, plain, not pearl -
12-15
cups
Romaine lettuce, chopped
approx. 1 large or two medium heads* -
1
Cup
Craisins -
1
Cup
grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese -
2
cups
or 3-4 medium ears of fresh white or yellow corn or frozen
cooked, chilled and trimmed cob* -
1/2
Cup
roasted pumpkin seeds
salted or unsalted
Dressing: (enough for a double serving of salad)
-
1
Cup
fresh basil leaves* -
1
Cup
Mayonnaise, I like plain, but you can use light -
1/2
shallot
chopped -
1
Cup
buttermilk, shaken
or replace in notes -
2
tablespoon
red wine vinegar
sold near vinegar and salad dressings - salt and pepper to taste
instructions
For best results – a day before, or at least a few hours before:
-
Bring chicken broth (or water), olive oil, and salt to a boil in a saucepan.
-
Cover with lid and remove from stove. Leave to rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and chop the couscous so there are no lumps.
-
Wash lettuce, dry and cut into small pieces, put in the fridge.
-
Boil corn, rinse with cold water. Cut the corn on the cob and place in the fridge to cool completely. If using frozen corn, do not thaw it. When you’re ready to assemble the salad, take the corn bag out of the freezer and use it in the salad.
-
Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in the blender or using an immersion blender. Refrigerate.
When it’s ready to serve:
-
Cut lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Add the lettuce and the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl. Just before serving, drizzle over the dressing (I only use about 1/2) and toss. You can serve the remaining dressing on top
recipe notes
- When I say “big” Romaine head, I’m not talking about a Costco Romaine head. These are Roman hearts. If you’re using Costco Romaine, about 4-5 heads will probably do the trick. I like to use supermarket romaine with dark green leaves for the best colour.
- It’s best to cook both the corn (if using fresh) and couscous for several hours (or the day before serving) and refrigerate. It is best to use cold salad and dressing as well.
- When fresh corn isn’t available, frozen corn works just fine! Don’t boil the corn. Do not Thaw corn before use. Just put it frozen in the salad. The corn thaws quickly and helps keep the lettuce cool.
- This salad is good for Make Ahead! If using fresh corn, boil and cut off the cob. Wash and chop the greens. Boil the couscous, let it cool, shred it so that there are no lumps. Rasp cheese. Store all parts of the salad in individual containers in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing and store in the refrigerator. To serve, mix everything except the dressing. I like to drizzle the salad with a dollop of dressing, or toss the salad with a small amount of dressing and serve the rest with it. Always save some couscous, raisins, corn and parmesan to decorate the salad for the best presentation!
- To make a buttermilk substitute: Pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a 1-cup measure. Top up with milk and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes before use. Alternatively, add 1/2 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt to a 1-cup measure. Top up with milk to equal one cup. Stir and use in place of one cup of buttermilk.