Israeli Couscous Salad with Butternut Squash is one of my favorite fall salads. Made with sweet butternut squash, and healthy Swiss chard and zucchini. Even your kids will enjoy this!
I think I can find a recipe to make every day of the week with pumpkins and squash. Sweet or savory, they are happily welcomed in our kitchen in the cooler days of fall.
We make pasta almost every day. On some days I like to change things up a bit and make Israeli Couscous salads. I love to eat them at room temperature and the ingredients can be changed according to the season.
Healthy and delicious, this is a dish even my kids love. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you have to give this recipe a try.
What is difference between Israeli Couscous and regular couscous?
Regular Couscous is made from semolina and they steam it before they dry it. You’re probably like me and first learned about couscous by eating the convenient instant one. You just add the boiling water and in not even 5 minutes you have lovely couscous ready.
Israeli Couscous, also called Ptitum and pearl couscous was created in Israel. It was created at a time when rice was not so easy to find for everyone and the Osem food company created a hard wheat flour based small balls to replace rice. It was much larger than North African couscous and they even shaped it first to look like rice and then it became the small balls we know today. Very popular with children in Israel and very popular here in the States. Just look for it at your local market or even Middle Eastern specialty market.
You could serve this salad warm, or at room temperature, and it truly gets better as the flavors meld together.
Printable recipe below.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Butternut Squash
2 cups of Israeli couscous
boiled, until fully cooked, drained in a colander,
and rinsed with cold water.
4-6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch red Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped, sliced thin
1 small organic zucchini, sliced
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley (you can use basil, as well)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp of rice vinegar, or other mild vinegar
1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475°F.
Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and salt to taste in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Roast in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until squash is just tender, and transfer to a large bowl (don’t overcook).
Swiss chard: Rinse the leaves well in water. Then cut the last half-inch or so off from the ends of each stem. Add 2-3 inches of water into the bottom of a 4 or 5 quart sauce pan, and put on the stove on high heat. You can chop up the rinsed leaves and stems while the water comes to a boil. In a medium sauce pan, when the water is boiling well, pack the chopped greens into the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and let the greens steam for 10-11 minutes.
While the squash and chard is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the onions and zucchini over medium-high heat with a bit of salt until the onions are translucent.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the Israeli couscous until tender, about 10 minutes.
When the chard is tender, drain and add to a large serving dish. Add the onions and zucchini.
Scrape the butternut squash into the bowl.Drain but don’t rinse the Israeli couscous and add to the large serving dish.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Israeli couscous
- boiled until fully cooked, drained in a colander,
- and rinsed with cold water.
- 4-6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch red Swiss chard rinsed and chopped, sliced thin
- 1 small organic zucchini sliced
- 1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley you can use basil, as well
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tsp of rice vinegar or other mild vinegar
- 1 1/2 pound butternut squash peeled and seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and salt to taste in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Roast in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until squash is just tender, and transfer to a large bowl (don’t overcook).
- Swiss chard: Rinse the leaves well in water. Then cut the last half-inch or so off from the ends of each stem. Add 2-3 inches of water into the bottom of a 4 or 5 quart sauce pan, and put on the stove on high heat. You can chop up the rinsed leaves and stems while the water comes to a boil. In a medium sauce pan, when the water is boiling well, pack the chopped greens into the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and let the greens steam for 10-11 minutes.
- While the squash and chard is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the onions and zucchini over medium-high heat with a bit of salt until the onions are translucent.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the Israeli couscous until tender, about 10 minutes.
- When the chard is tender, drain and add to a large serving dish. Add the onions and zucchini.
- Scrape the butternut squash into the bowl.Drain but don’t rinse the Israeli couscous and add to the large serving dish.
- Mix together with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Mix together the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and fold in gently all the other ingredients.
- Can be served at room temperature.Refrigerate any leftovers.
This is such a colourful salad. Perfect for Fall!
Yay for squash…and for Israeli couscous! Both so very good. Thank you for sharing another heartfelt post and recipe, Lora. Many blessings this week!
Your squash dish is just gorgeous, with squash, Swiss chard and Israeli Cous Cous. Congrats on the Top 9 today.
I linked up my Squash recipe to your Linky party! Thank you!
ooooh this sounds divine!! and congrats on foodbuzz!!!
And I LOVE Squash!!! It's the best part of winter! Well one of the best parts! 😉
This looks great, how much onion (and what kind) do you use? I do not see onion listed in the ingredients, only in the pics and instructions. Thanks!
I love the colors!
That looks gorgeous – love the large couscous pearls 🙂 I'm definitely trying this one, I have all the ingredients at home already 🙂
Beautiful colors and perfect fall dish. Love squash and swiss chard, so this is a winner!
Isn't it amazing how such simple ingredients can be combined into a dish that is so much greater than the individual parts? This is definitely one of those dishes!! So colorful and so pretty – what more could we ask for??
We love Israeli couscous for family dinners, and this is a great new idea for me to make. Thanks! Glad to cook along with you on this event!
This dish looks sooooo pretty! I love the addition of swiss chard, gorgeous!!! Beauiful, Hugs, Terra
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