Cherry Couscous & Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
A delightful summer salad featuring fresh cherries, arugula, pistachios and goat cheese (optional) tossed in a simple balsamic vinaigrette.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 6, 2024
This summertime salad features ruby red Bing cherries. Itโs rounded out with spicy arugula and some of my favorite Middle Eastern ingredientsโcouscous and pistachios. I added celery for some complementary crunch and goat cheese for a creamy component.
Homemade balsamic vinaigrette brings these unlikely ingredients together. This green salad is light, filling and very refreshing.
Iโm stuck on the slow summer wavelength. You, too? Letโs embrace it. Letโs sit in the shade and watch the sun go down. Sip on cold drinks. Hop in the pool. Play board games on the porch. Stretch at yoga class. Maybe even do less work (and not feel bad about it). Letโs fill up on big, fresh salads, too. Salads like this cherry stunner you see here.
Iโve been eating big bowls of this salad for lunch over the past week. Itโs a flexible recipe. Use any sweet cherry, or try another stone fruit like sliced plum or peach. Feel free to substitute quinoa for the couscous, if youโd like (check the notes for details). Three cheers for summer salads!
Cherry Couscous & Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This delightful summer salad features fresh cherries, arugula, pistachios and goat cheese (optional) tossed in a simple balsamic vinaigrette. Feel free to substitute pearl couscous for the fine couscous shown here, or quinoa to make the salad gluten free (cook according to package directions and proceed to step 2).
Ingredients
Couscous
- ยพ cup whole wheat couscous
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ยผ teaspoon fine salt
- Several twists of freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic vinaigrette (this makes extra)
- ยผ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
- Generous amount freshly ground black pepper
- โ teaspoon fine salt
Salad
- 4 big handfuls arugula
- ยฝ pound cherries (about 2 big handfuls), pitted, halved and quartered
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (to yield about โ cup crumbled goat cheese)
- โ cup shelled pistachios or almonds (choose slivered or sliced almonds and you can skip the chopping step)
Instructions
- To make the couscous: Bring ยพ cup water to boil in a small saucepan. Once itโs boiling, remove the pan from heat and pour in the couscous, olive oil, sea salt and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the couscous with a fork and set it aside for later.
- To make the dressing: Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified.
- To toast the nuts: In a skillet over medium-low heat, toast the nuts, tossing frequently, until fragrant, about 3 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and use a chefโs knife to chop the nuts into small pieces.
- To compose the salad: In a large serving bowl, combine the arugula, cooled couscous, sliced cherries, chopped celery, crumbled goat cheese and chopped nuts. When youโre ready to serve, drizzle it with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens (you might only need half of the dressing) and toss to combine. Serve immediately. If you store the dressing separately from the rest, it will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Why buy organic? Conventionally grown celery, cherries and leafy greens are notoriously high in pesticide residues.
Make it vegan: Skip the goat cheese and substitute maple syrup or agave nectar for the honey in the dressing.
Make it gluten free: Substitute cooked quinoa for the couscous.
Change it up: Feel free to substitute sliced peaches, plums or nectarines for the cherries. You can also use spinach in place of the arugula.
Prepare in advance: You can cook the grains and whisk together the dressing. Store them in the refrigerator, covered, until youโre ready to serve.
Recommended equipment: A cherry pitter makes pitting cherries a much more pleasant experience. I love this cherry pitter by Oxo.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Love this post! I was looking for something delicious and light for a โdetoxโ dinner after guests were in town for the weekend! Awesome!
Thanks, Katie! Glad you enjoyed the salad!
I crave all summer fruit: cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, etc. MMmmmmโฆ. I love fruit! Too bad it is so expensive. Thank you for an opportunity to win a gift card to offset the cost of my fruit cravings. :)
Every morning I eat plain Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and homemade pumpkin granola. I crave it all day long. Iโm craving it right now!
What a great way to use cherries! (Though I have a hard time getting them past my mouth and into a recipe when I take them out of the bag!).
One of my favorite summer indulgences is vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes in all sizes and colors! Right off the plant or chilled, sliced, and drizzled with fresh basil pesto.
Those cherries look amazing! But I am craving really good local sweet corn. :)
I am craving a chicken and apricot curry hand pie from the best vendor at the port townsend Washington farmerโs marketโCRUST
canโt wait for Saturday to go get one
I am craving summer fruit.
I love blackberry season and Iโm craving blackberry pies.
I have been craving juicy strawberries all summer โ I canโt stop buying them. So good. (ps โ Iโve sometimes been baking those strawberries with your crisp topping from your strawberry rhubarb crisp โ even better!)
Oh yum!
Utah peaches! Always a treat at the end of a summer! Canโt wait!
Cherries are ridiculously expensive back home, so Iโve never really thought to experiment much with them. BUTโฆ here in the northern hemisphere, theyโre everywhere!! And cheap! I am rather excited to try this gorgeously wholesome, colourful combination Kate! I can imagine how good the juicy cherries would be with the goats cheese and pistachios. Yum! Another amazing recipe, salad queen! xxx
Thank you, sweet Laura! I hope you love the salad!
Oh how I love how you help me use my produce! I would like to praise the celery in this oneโperfect addition of crunch and that โgreenโ flavor. Everything else in it was great, too, but celery so rarely gets praised so I want to give it a shout out.
Thanks, Anne! Iโm glad you appreciated the celery. Itโs totally underrated!
Hey Kate!
We just made this with the very last of the local cherries (sob, sob!). I subbed tri-color quinoa for couscous, walnuts for almonds (we were out of almonds. How are we out of almonds?!), fresh corn for celery (nobody in my family appreciates celery, myself included), and agave for the honey. My mom hates goat cheese but my dad and I LOVE it- itโs the only non vegan thing other than honey that I will gladly make an exception for. So I set aside some for her and dumped a whole big bunch of goat cheese in for the rest of us :). It was awesome! Love how the tart balsamic played with the cherries and the corn! And, as always, when my dad asked who this recipe was from- โSlaw Lady.โ โAhah! Slaw Lady! She knows what sheโs doing.โ HAHA!
My mom wants to add that she thinks yellow bell peppers would be a nice addition as well. We will have to give that a go with next summerโs produce. Thanks for another stellar recipe!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
Thanks, Ella! Glad this salad got some thumbsโ up from your family! Your substitutions sound great. Bell pepper would make up for celeryโs crunch. I think veggie plates ruined celery for most people. I donโt particularly like it plain, but I really love it chopped up in salads!
Hi Kate! Iโd really like to try this, but Iโd have to adapt this for the fall season, since all the cherries are gone. I was thinking subbing kalamata olives for saltiness instead of sweetness, or a fall fruit like apples. What do you think?
By the way, Iโve been following your blog for a while now and have tried many of your recipesโall great! Iโm currently devouring your pumpkin muffins without moderationโฆ!
Thanks, Lorel! Good question! I bet apples would be nice, or kalamata olives for a simple Greek-flavored salad. Pears would be good, too! Glad to hear youโre enjoying my recipes!
Just had this for dinner and it was just as amazing as it looked!
Hooray! Thanks, Kate!
Firstly I love your blog! I actually learned to love to cook because of it! Your recipes are so easy to follow and they are so varied and filled with easy-to-find and tasty ingredients!
I have made this salad before and it was delicious!!
Cherries arenโt in season anymore, you think blueberries would be a good substitute?
Thank you so much, Talya! Thatโs fantastic to hear. :) I bet this salad would be awesome with peaches, blueberries or strawberries!
I got a big beautiful bag of cherries at the store this weekend and was wondering what to do with them. How great to see this recipe in your โWhat to cook this Juneโ round-up. The flavors are wonderful and itโs exactly what I was craving on this hot June evening.
Also, your cookbook also arrived in my mailbox this week. I love it! Iโve already made the mango yogurt with coconut muesli, as well as the Greek nachos. Thanks for writing such a gorgeous book!
So much goodness in this comment, Kelley! Iโm glad this recipe came right on time for you, and that you love the book!
So Iโm guessing, based off the pictures, that the couscous gets mixed in with everything else, too. ;) We used quinoa and substituted water chestnuts for the celery. Jicama would be good, too. This was delicious.
Thanks, Erin! Water chestnuts are a great substitute for the celeryโIโll keep that in mind next time the celery-averse ask for a swap-out!
Hello! I just made this salad for lunch today and it was delicious! I subbed plums for the cherries and bulgur for couscous because thatโs what I had on hand. I really loved the dressing with the sweetness of the plums. Even my brother, a self-confessed carnivore, really enjoyed it!
This was absolutely fantastic! I was too lazy to pit the cherries, so I just tossed them in, and I added avocado. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe. I always look forward to your posts.
Youโre welcome, Lisa!
Hey Kate!
Hugs to Cookie. Am making this salad as we speak and noticed that in the directions, when it comes to composing the salad, you donโt mention the couscous. Iโm guessing that you lay those down first and then add the rest and toss, then add the dressing? Or do you toss the rest with the dressing and then add the couscous? Maybe you serve the couscous separately and put the salad on top of them?
Actually, that all sounds good, but a little guidance from a wiser head would be helpful!
Best Regards,
Patricia
Hi yes! Iโm sorry about that. Add the couscous first, then add the other salad ingredients and toss.
Thanks Kate! What I wound up doing was putting a layer of the couscous first in individual salad bowls then piling the dressed salad ingredients on top. A forkful of more weighty couscous with fluffy salad topping was such an interesting texture mixture. Kind of like a pasta dish where the sauce is ladled on top of the pasta.
Thanks for such a great recipe for our hot weather.
Hi Kate, I have been following you for quite some time and LOVE your blog. I have an odd question, is there another leaf you would recommend for this salad? Hubby (an omni) thought this looked relish and wants to try it but I loath arugula as it tastes like soap to me. Normally I would try nasturtium leaves for their pepper flavour but they arenโt big enough to remove enough of the leaves for a salad yet. Maybe watercress? Or would any leafy veg work? Thanks!
Hi Sassy! You can use whatever green salad you prefer if you donโt like arugula. Maybe a spring mix or spinach could be nice!
I forgot the cheese, and it was still delicious.
Hi Kate,
This salad is amazing! We both loved it.
Judi
Delicious! I used cucumbers instead of celery and quinoa instead of couscous and it worked out great.
Delicious! Love it as I do all of your recipes!
Aw thank you, Ginny!
I love this salad! Is it in your cookbook? Just curious I just ordered your bookโค๏ธThanks!
Thank you for ordering my cookbook, Mary! I hope you love it.
Delicious! Iโm surprised at how wonderful this salad is; restaurant quality! <3
Thank you, Emily! Iโm glad you loved it.
In the instructions no. 4 doesnโt mention the couscous but presumably it gets tossed with the other ingredients.
Dear Kate, when I try to copy a recipe and click options to remove picture as well as calorie info to save on paper it doesnโt work. I still get the photo and other info I do not want. Can you tell me how to delete the above?
Hi, The image comes with it. But you can omit pages to print in your printer settings for your printer. I hope this helps!
Just great! I added some dried cherries to the fresh cherries for texture. Overall, a total keeper! Are there recipes you would serve with this to make a complete meal? Tonight I made a marinated pork tenderloin (marinade included lemon, garlic, oregano, oil) but wondering if you have any vegetarian options. Thanks!
Youโre welcome, Kathy!
Perfection. Omnivore husband was not a fan โ 2/5 from him โ but he is objectively wrong. This salad is a treat to the eyes as well as the mouth.
So, the recipe says to cook the couscous and then set it aside, but there are no further instructions about what to do with it. Do you just add the couscous at the end with the other ingredients?
Yes, you will want to add it in. Sorry about that!
When and how to you add the couscous to the salad? I am making it right now.
Hi! you add it when you add all the salad ingredients together. I hope you enjoyed it!
Being from Michigan, where Traverse City is known as the โCherry Capital of the Worldโ, I am always looking for ways to enjoy my favorite fruit. This delicious salad fits the bill! I used quinoa, roasted salted pistachios (no need to toast nuts), and maple syrup in the vinaigrette.
Next cherry venture will be your clafoutis recipe!
This was delicious. Subbed walnuts for pistachios as that is what I had. Everyone gobbled it up. The cherries are so different for a salad.