Whole Wheat Couscous & Cranberry Salad

Types of Couscous

Let’s talk about couscous—the tiny grain that’s technically not a grain at all. 

Couscous is actually pasta—made from semolina flour. But while pasta dough is rolled, cut and molded into different shapes, couscous is made by rubbing or shaping the dough into small granules or bead-shaped pellets that are steamed, dried and packaged.

It cooks ridiculously fast, faster than you can microwave a frozen dinner, making it perfect for quick salads and weeknight miracles.

The most popular type is Moroccan couscous—it’s basically the instant couscous you’ve seen everywhere, the kind that fluffs up in five minutes flat. 

It’s super light, delicate and great for soaking up dressings.

Israeli couscous (sometimes called pearl couscous) is bigger, about the size of a peppercorn, with a chewy, bouncy texture that also holds up well in salads.

These tiny pasta pearls are toasted which gives them a slightly nutty flavor.

And then there’s whole wheat couscous, the slightly healthier cousin that brings a heartier, nuttier vibe to the mix. It’s perfect for grain salads when you want a little extra fiber and flavor. I use this type a lot.

So, whether you toss it with herbs and lemon, mix it into a Mediterranean salad or pile it high with roasted veggies and feta (you know I will!), couscous is the teeny-tiny toasty grain with huge salad potential. 

Except it’s not a gain. It’s pasta.