It’s finally warming up and we’ve been dreaming about summer picnics at the park over here. This is a great summer picnic salad filled with bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and fennel making the colors so bright and so fun. We used a tricolor pearled couscous here but you can certainly use a plain pearled variety or even a Moroccan-style couscous. Try this salad on its own for a light lunch or pair with some tasty kabobs and anything else you love to BBQ. Up to the dressing, you can prepare this salad a day ahead. Prior to eating, drizzle on the dressing and let marinade for about 15 minutes to make sure the couscous soaks in enough of the fresh lemony vinaigrette.
What you'll need
- 1 ½ cups tricolor or plain pearled couscous
- 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup quartered cucumber
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ¾ cup chopped mint (plus a few sprigs for garnish)
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Salt & pepper to taste
Prep + Cook
- Cook couscous according to package directions. Let cool.
- In a large serving bowl, gently toss together couscous, fennel, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parsley & mint.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Pour over salad and toss to coat (or set aside if storing for future meals).
- Chill before serving for about 15 minutes and top with a little extra mint for garnish. ENJOY!
Serves 6
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Author: Jennifer Kuhar
