Halloumi, Apricot, and Couscous Saladwith smoky paprika dressing
Sweet, smoky, and salty flavors combine in this easy summer salad. If couscous was made ahead, you'll just need one pan to cook a few warm elements.
Smarts: The time it takes to sear the halloumi will depend on how much moisture it releases during cooking, so be patient with that step. It will be best with a nice golden-brown sear on all sides.
Ingredients
- Stock, any type - 1 cup (sub water)
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Butter - 2 Tbsp
- Couscous, uncooked - 3/4 cup
- Green beans - 10 oz, trimmed and chopped
- Apricots - 2, sliced
- Cheese, Halloumi - 8 oz, 1/2" / 1.3 cm cubes
- Walnuts, halves or pieces - 1/2 cup
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- Salad greens, any type - 8 oz (we used a spring mix but crisp lettuce like butterhead would also be good)
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Paprika, smoked - 1/2 tsp
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 4 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make couscous - (Skip if made ahead for Monday.) Combine stock, salt, and butter in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in couscous and cover with lid. Let stand for ~5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make dressing - Whisk together mustard, honey, paprika, and yogurt. Add oil (portion for dressing) while whisking. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Green beans / Apricots / Halloumi - Prep as directed and store separately. (Note: Halloumi is usually stored in salt water, so rinse and pat it dry to prevent it from being overly salty.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. If you’d like the walnuts toasted (you can also serve them raw), add them to the dry skillet and toast, stirring constantly, for ~4 minutes. Set walnuts aside and return pan to heat.
- To heated pan, add first part of oil (portion for salad). Add green beans with a pinch of salt. Saute until green beans are bright green and tender, ~5 minutes. (Note: If the green beans are cooking slowly, add a splash of water and cover the pan to steam the beans.) Set green beans aside and return pan to heat.
- To heated pan, add second part of oil (portion for salad) and then halloumi cubes. Sear halloumi on all sides until golden brown. If the halloumi is dry, this should take 6 to 7 minutes. If the halloumi releases moisture while cooking, the cheese will start searing once the moisture steams off, so it may take 8 to 10 minutes.
- Combine salad greens, couscous, green beans, apricots, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl. Toss ingredients together, adding vinaigrette a little at a time until the salad is dressed to your liking. Top with halloumi. Enjoy!
Reviews
This meal has 16 reviews
Made this with tofu instead of halloumi (we found it way too salty and like.. oddly squeaky?... last time) Not bad! I think it was lacking something.
Easy and tasty light Summer meal. Used zucchini instead of green beans.
I thought this salad was fantastic! The halloumi was so tasty and everything just felt different than your standard salad. I used fresh okra from my farmer's market instead of green beans and thought that was a power move -- definitely the right call and would suggest that for future versions of this salad.
Not bad. Not one of the best salads. We did tempeh instead of halloumi.
My family really enjoyed this meal. Delicious! Loved the halloumi - my first time to use that ingredient. Yummy!! A favorite!
I love all of the ingredients in this recipe on their own, and I really wanted to love this. It tasted alright, but had a weird aftertaste, to the point where I have been avoiding eating the leftovers (they are taunting me from my fridge). This combination of flavours might just not be for me.