ANTIPASTO COUSCOUS SALAD

Vegan Antipasto Couscous Salad loaded with vegan sausage, vegan cheese, kale, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, fennel, herbs, olives and toasted almonds.

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ANTIPASTO COUSCOUS SALAD

When it comes to an antipasto salad, I want it all! The more delicious ingredients, the better in my opinion. The base of this antipasto couscous salad is refreshing, nutrient-loaded veggies. Toasted almonds bring a roasted flavor and crunch to the dish. Olives bring a nice salty bite and that unique olive flavor throughout the salad. I added fennel, basil, parsley and Italian spices to the mix to ensure that delicious Italian-inspired flavor came through. 

I wanted the antipasto to have a bit of weight to it so it could serve as a complete meal by itself. When I go to a gathering that may not have many options (or maybe no options) for me to eat, this is a salad I love to bring!  To bulk up the dish I added vegan sausage, two kinds of vegan cheese, and couscous.

With a little bit of everything in this salad, it is LOADED with flavor! It is the perfect salad to bring to a gathering. You can also prep it at the beginning of the week and conveniently enjoy this easy meal for days.

THE VEGAN SAUSAGE 

Gone are the days of tasteless meat substitutes and vegan alternatives that taste more like cardboard than food. Now the store shelves are loaded with amazing vegan meat substitutes that taste incredibly close to the animal proteins they are trying to mimic. 

The meat substitute I am most impressed by is vegan sausage. Companies have created some amazing options! I usually stick to unprocessed ingredients, but when I’m looking to indulge a little more, vegan sausage is towards the top of the list. 

For this recipe I used Beyond Brat Sausage. The texture and taste are fantastic. You can cook it on the grill, in the air-fryer, or in this case, on the stove top. When you chop it up and crisp it up in the skillet, it is the perfect complement to all of that delicious veg. 

If you are avoiding processed foods, you can substitute the sausage with mushrooms, eggplant, or chickpeas.

THE VEGAN CHEESE

For this antipasto couscous salad, I used not one, but TWO vegan cheeses. Honestly, I knew they would both pair nicely with the salad and I just didn’t want to decide. 

For both the parmigiana and feta, I went with the brand Follow Your Heart. They are both fantastic! 

You can choose just one if you don’t want to purchase both. But they each bring a unique flavor profile to the table, so I recommend both. 

If you are trying to avoid processed ingredients, nutritional yeast and macadamia nuts are an excellent alternative.

THE COUSCOUS

Couscous is one of my favorite carbs. Its tiny pearl shape makes it super fun to eat. It is also a little sponge when it comes to soaking up flavor. Couscous is a wonderful addition to salads because it can help make a salad feel more like a filling meal. It can also sit in the fridge for days without becoming too soggy.

There are many different options for couscous. For this recipe in particular I went with a tricolored couscous.

When preparing your couscous be sure to read the instructions on the packaging. For a general rule of thumb, one cup of dry couscous makes about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of cooked couscous.

Before adding water to couscous, you want to start the cooking process by toasting it a bit. You do this by adding a bit of butter or oil to the pan and cooking it over medium heat for a few minutes. You will see the couscous change color to a bit of a darker shade of tan.

You should always add flavor to your couscous during the cooking process. You can keep it simple by adding just a little bit of salt. But I prefer to add a bouillon cube. For this recipe I added one vegan Not Chick’n Bouillon Cube to add more flavor to the dish.

When I have finished cooking my couscous and have removed it from the heat, I always make sure to fluff up the couscous with a fork. By doing this, you can avoid having the couscous clump all together. I also toss a tiny bit of olive oil in a mix it around to help the couscous not clump.

PREP AHEAD AND ENJOY FOR DAYS

As mentioned above, this is a fantastic salad for gatherings and meal prep. It can be made in bulk and stored in the fridge for several days.