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Summer Celebration Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Creamy Basil Pesto

by | May 1, 2025 | Recipes

Nothing says summer like vibrant flavors, fresh herbs, and dishes that come together effortlessly. This salad is your new go-to for warm-weather gatherings, whether you’re headed to a backyard BBQ, packing a picnic, or just craving something light and satisfying.  Light, fluffy couscous meets hearty chickpeas, crisp seasonal veggies, and a dreamy basil pesto that’s creamy, herbaceous, and just the right amount of indulgent. It’s a colorful, crowd-pleasing dish that celebrates the best of summer—sunshine in every bite!

Summer Celebration Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Creamy Basil Pesto

Recipe adapted from “The Well Plated Cookbook” written by Erin Clarke
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Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for pesto:
  • ½ cup raw walnuts
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 10- ounce package frozen chopped spinach thawed
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about ½ medium lemon
  • 2/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Ingredients for salad:
  • 3 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash or a mix about 1 pound, diced
  • 3 ears of corn about 2 ½ pounds, husks and silks removed* (*Fresh corn can be substituted with frozen or canned corn)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup dry whole-wheat couscous
  • ¾ cup Creamy Basil Pesto
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 15- ounce can reduced-sodium chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups lightly packed baby arugula about 3 ounces
  • ½ cup crumbled feta divided
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 small lemon

Equipment

  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Measuring cups/spoons
  • Mesh sieve or colander
  • Food processor
  • Mixing spoon
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Medium saucepan
  • Large mixing bowl

Method
 

Directions for pesto:
  1. Place walnuts and garlic in food processor and blend for 10 seconds.
  2. Add basil, salt, and pepper to food processor. With the processor running, slowly pour the oil in through the feed tube. Purée until smooth, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add parmesan and puree for 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
  3. Place spinach in a mesh sieve or small colander and squeeze out as much water as possible. Place a double layer of paper towels on top and press it further so that the spinach is dry as possible.
  4. Add dried spinach to the processor along with the lemon juice. Purée until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Add the Greek yogurt and continue to purée, until the pesto is smooth, creamy, and becomes a beautiful green color, about 1 minute more.
Directions for salad:
  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place squash in the center of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer and bake for 10 minutes.
  3. While the squash bakes, stand corn on one end and carefully cut away the kernels. Once the squash has baked 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir in the corn kernels. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring once halfway through.
  4. While the vegetables bake, cook the couscous according to the package instructions. Drain, then add to a large mixing bowl. Immediately stir in the pesto while couscous is still warm.
  5. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, ½ cup of the feta, lemon juice, and cooked squash and corn to the couscous.
  6. Stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired and add more pesto if you’d like the salad to be creamier or have a stronger pesto flavor.
  7. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of feta over top.