Couscous & Pear Salad with Goats Cheese

A couscous and pear salad with goat cheese and spinach. Sound’s fancy right? Well don’t be fooled – it’s actually surprisingly simple and, of course, super delicious!

We’re looking at an easy summer couscous salad recipe that takes about 20 minutes to prep and just a few ingredients.

A sweet maple – balsamic dressing is drizzled over spinach, pear and goat’s cheese, on a bed of fluffy couscous. YUM!

Couscous & Pear Salad with Goat Cheese: health breakdown

But is this a healthy couscous salad recipe? Yes! We only publish top notch healthy recipes here at Hurry The Food Up, so you can rest assured you’re in good hands.

Couscous provides the necessary base of carbohydrates that you need for a balanced meal. It is a whole grain source of carbs, so it is a lot healthier than refined options such as white pasta.

For a richer flavour, we recommend lightly toasting your couscous in the bottom of a pan before you add the water!

Pears contain many beneficial plant compounds as well as plenty of fibre, which aids digestion and helps you to feel full.

Spinach is packed full of iron, as well as vitamins and minerals that support your immune system. It also adds to the fibre content of this salad.

Finally, goat’s cheese adds a hit of protein and fat. Protein is great for weight loss because it can help you to feel more satisfied after a meal, while healthy fats help your body to absorb the nutrients from all the other ingredients!

I think that pretty much sums up why this goats cheese and pear salad recipe is a keeper! If you want more healthy recipes like this one, you should check out our weekly vegetarian weight loss meal plans.

How to make couscous salad for any diet (almost)!

Yes, the original recipe is for a vegetarian couscous salad, with gluten, but a few simple swaps can make it appropriate for vegan and gluten-free diets.

If you are avoiding dairy, then you could swap out goat’s cheese for a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. These vegan flakes are packed with nutrients and taste super cheesy!

If you are avoiding gluten, you could swap couscous for a different grain – maybe some brown rice or quinoa. Or if you don’t like the sound of that, why not check out our gluten-free egg salad recipe instead?

And finally – if you like you can lightly roast the couscous in a dry pan for a couple of minutes until it turns a light brown and releases its aroma. Feel free to completely skip this step to save time, it’s totally optional.

Don’t like goat’s cheese?

If goat’s cheese isn’t your jam, you can try this pear salad with feta, with blue cheese or with salad cheese. They all work!

But for now, enjoy tucking into a delicious bowl of couscous and pear salad with goat cheese!

Couscous and Pear Salad with Goat’s Cheese

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5 from 2 votes

After a salad recipe that actually fills you up? Try our Couscous & Pear Salad! It’s high protein, high fibre & low fat!

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Diet: egg-free

Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:12 minutes minutes

Total Time:22 minutes minutes

Servings:2 servings

Calories:413kcal

Author: Abril Macías

Ingredients

• ½ cup couscous
• ½ cup water
• Salt to taste
• 2 handful baby spinach (or torn kale leaves; around 2 oz)
• 1 pear (sliced)
• 4 oz goat cheese (diced or crumbled)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp olive oil
• Flaky or sea salt

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• Optional step: If you have the time and inclination, lightly roast the couscous in a dry pan for a couple of minutes until it turns a light brown and releases its aroma. Then move onto step 2. Feel free to completely skip this step to save time!
  
• In a medium sized salad bowl add the couscous. Add ½ cup of boiling water and salt to taste, mix and cover with a lid for 8-10 minutes.
  ½ cup couscous, ½ cup water, Salt to taste
• Add baby spinach, sliced pear and goat cheese to the salad bowl. Drizzle over the mixture of maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 2 tbsp water and a generous sprinkle of flaky or sea salt. Mix thoroughly and serve.
  2 handful baby spinach, 1 pear, 4 oz goat cheese, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, Flaky or sea salt, ½ tsp olive oil
  

NOTES

Tips: Use a different cheese if you don’t like goat’s cheese.

Make-ahead?Yes, prep the night before.

Looking for more healthy salad recipes?

• High Fibre Avocado Citrus Salad
• Vibrant & Crunchy Moroccan Couscous Salad
• Protein Packed Egg Salad with Beets & Quinoa
• Hearty & Healthy Lentil Quinoa Salad
• Filling & Vegan Lentil Potato Salad

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Couscous and Pear Salad with Goat's Cheese

Amount per Serving

Calories

413

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

13

g

20

%

Saturated Fat

 

8

g

50

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Cholesterol

 

26

mg

9

%

Sodium

 

534

mg

23

%

Potassium

 

389

mg

11

%

Carbohydrates

 

56

g

19

%

Fiber

 

6

g

25

%

Sugar

 

16

g

18

%

Protein

 

17

g

34

%

Vitamin A

 

3421

IU

68

%

Vitamin C

 

12

mg

15

%

Calcium

 

142

mg

14

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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