Couscous Salad with Sausages and Chickpeas
Ingredients
2 servings
For the salad
- Couscous 1 cup (170 g)
- Raw thin sausages 4-6
- Canned chickpeas 100 g
- Red onion 1
- Tomato 1
- Fresh cucumber 1
- Raisins to taste
- Parsley to taste (leaves only)
- Garlic 1 clove
- Ground black pepper to taste
For cooking and frying
- Water 2 cups (2 parts to 1 part couscous) (400 ml)
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil a little (for the couscous and for frying the sausages)
For the dressing
- Olive oil 1-2 tbsp
- Lemon juice 1 tsp
Step-by-step recipe
Couscous and sausages
A homemade couscous salad is hearty. Couscous is sold in any store; it is a convenient grain that is usually steamed. Although, in small amounts, you can simply pour hot water over it and cook briefly. The grain absorbs the water and becomes soft and fluffy. You can make the sausages yourself; casings and meat are easy to find, and it is quick and simple. Canned chickpeas are very handy here.
Soak the raisins in boiling water for 4-5 mins.
Cook the couscous. Pour water into a small pot; I usually take two parts liquid to one part couscous. Salt it, and you can add a little vegetable oil. When the water boils, add the couscous, stir and leave on the lowest heat. Stir from time to time so the couscous does not clump. After 5-6 mins it is ready: it absorbs the water and becomes soft and fluffy.
Fry the sausages on a grill or in a pan with a little fat over medium heat until browned on all sides. The cooked meat should cool but stay slightly warm so the fat does not set.
Salad
Put the cooked couscous in a salad bowl and add the raisins, squeezed of water. Cut the sausages into pieces and add them to the bowl too.
Cut the vegetables and add the chickpeas. If the cucumbers are young, you do not need to peel them; just cut them into large cubes. It is better to take a tomato that is not too ripe so it does not turn watery. Dice the tomato and add it to the salad. Drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas and add them to the bowl. Peel the sweet red onion, cut it into thin half rings and add to the rest.
Add the parsley, garlic and pepper. We add parsley to the couscous salad, leaves only. They can be roughly chopped or used whole. Also chop a clove of garlic with a knife and season the salad with ground black pepper.
Dress the salad. Mix 1-2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp lemon juice, whisk the dressing with a fork and pour it over the salad. Mix the couscous, sausages and vegetables thoroughly.
Serving
Serve the salad slightly warm. As the sausages cool they lose much of their flavor and aroma. But do not make it hot either, so the fresh vegetables do not “cook”.
As extra ingredients you can use some ready-to-eat bulgur, mint as in tabbouleh, or green onion. If you want the salad spicy, add ground cumin; it tastes great.
Calories and macros
1340 kcal
Serving ≈ 600 g
- Protein51 g16% of kcal
- Fat78 g54% of kcal
- Carbs96 g30% of kcal
100 g225 kcalProtein 8.6 gFat 13.2 gCarbs 16.2 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.