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Pearl couscous Salad with Butternut Squash is the epitome of fall! Warm roasted butternut bites, tons of sweet cranberries, nutty pecans, all tossed with pearl couscous, and a sweet, citrusy dijon vinaigrette.
Talk about the salad of the season.
The gangs all here in this gourmet-inspired, festive side dish.
I wanted to make a salad that had all your seasonal favorites. Tart cranberries, crunchy pecans, fresh orange juice, and of course, can’t forget the mighty butternut squash! Golden brown little bites of fall’s harvest.
This was meant to be a dish that my vegetarian friends can bring to your Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving table (add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas for fiber and protein!) a light lunch with shredded rotisserie chicken, but also a fall weeknight dinner paired with some crusty bread and dishes like, creamy peppercorn chicken.
I love discovering new ways of combining ingredients and dressings and pairing them with beautiful colors, textures, flavors, and um.. hello, nutrition!
What gets me the most about this autumn pearl couscous salad is the simple, citrus-spiked maple dijon vinaigrette dressing. It’s easy and it’s homemade with ingredients you keep in the pantry.
Plus, it’s way better than the store-bought stuff.
Holy god I love this recipe. I’ve made multiple times, fancy enough for entertaining but easy enough for week night. 10/10
Ingredients for autumn pearl couscous salad
- Butternut Squash: Here’s my shortcut: grab pre-cubed butternut squash to help get this out quicker. For best results, I like to use smaller cubes of butternut squash – and ½ – ¾ inches so that they roast up fairly quickly.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: you’ll need some to roast the butternut squash and then some more for the vinaigrette.
- Pearl couscous: This is giant couscous, not the Moroccan kind that looks like semolina. And it makes a great base for this salad. Sometimes for a little extra love, I’ll saute the couscous in a little olive oil before adding the water and letting it cook through. This gives it a wonderful nutty flavor that goes hand in hand with the pecans in this recipe! Feel free to swap the pearl couscous for orzo or another grain if you prefer!
- Baby spinach or shredded kale: I’ve been making this salad for close to 10 years. Occasionally I like to swap the greens in salads to see if they taste better. I’ve tried kale with this salad instead of baby spinach, arugula, and it all works equally well, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand!
- Seasonings: you’ll need kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. We’ll season the butternut squash before tossing it in the oven to bake and the garlic powder goes into the dressing.
- Red Onion: adds a little bite to the salad and balances out the sweeter ingredients. You can swap the red onion for shallots if you’d like.
- Toasted Pecans: brings nuttiness to the recipe. Pecans and cranberries are a dynamic duo! You can also use sunflower seeds or pepitas if you’re making this for someone with a pecan allergy.
- Dried Cranberries: add sweetness, color and texture.
- Orange Juice: I like to just grab a fresh orange and use the juice. Swap for lemon if you want this to be a bit more tart.
- Dijon Mustard: is the emulsifying ingredient in the apple cider vinaigrette. The mustard helps keep the oil and vinegar from separating.
- Honey or maple syrup: I typically use honey for this recipe but maple syrup would be a great substitute for my vegan friends.
- Apple Cider vinegar: adds a tart kick to the vinaigrette.
Recipe Tips
- Serve this salad kinda warm. Sometimes I like the play on warm and cold ingredients together on a plate and this would do nicely as a freshly made, warm salad.
- Serving this to gluten-free folks. You can swap pearl couscous for a wild rice mix or try this easy holiday salad instead.
- Butternut Squash details. For this recipe, I do suggest peeling and removing the ribs and seeds before dicing and roasting the squash.
- Adding what you like. this is just a springboard, you can easily swap cranberries for pomegranate arils, swap pecans for pumpkin seeds or walnuts, or use fresh herbs, add in a handful of chopped parsley, or crumble a little feta cheese or cubed parmesan on top before serving.
- How I suggest storing leftovers. Keep them an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3 days.
Other Pasta Salads to Try
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Quick Tuna Pasta Salad
- Lemon Basil Arugula Pasta Salad
Pearl Couscous Salad with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Autumn salad:
- 2 pounds butternut squash peeled and diced into ¾ inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups pearl couscous dry
- 3 cups kale or baby spinach loosely packed, shredded or chopped
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onions
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup toasted pecans
Citrus Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons orange juice I use freshly-squeezed
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- ROAST: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread squash out in a single layer. Roasted for 20-25 minutes total, tossing halfway through or as needed. Test with a fork for doneness.
- COUSCOUS: While the squash is roasting, prepare the couscous in a saucepan according to package directions. I toast the couscous in olive oil before cooking to give it a savory depth of flavor.
- DRESSING: Add the dressing ingredients to a mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- ASSEMBLE: In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients of the salad with the dressing and serve. Alternately, you can dress only portions of the salad and refrigerate the rest in an airtight container. Serve warm, room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.
Notes
- Gluten-free friends, swap pearl couscous for prepared wild rice mix.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
This was a lovely fall dinner salad! I added chickpeas to bulk it up and finished with goat cheese. I look forward to the leftovers!
Love your additions, Jackie! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂