Turmeric Cous Cous Salad is for lunch today on Sweet Caramel Sunday!

Bright and vibrant turmeric, with chickpeas, shallots and crispy bacon make this salad a delight!

Well, hello folks. Yes, you read the topic correctly, this afternoon I have spent my time making a delicious Cous Cous salad and I am delighted to share the recipe and pics with you.

It dawned on me recently that I haven't yet done a salad post for my blog for no particular reason, other than maybe I love pizza and noodles a little too much (don't we all) .

So anyhoo, as I have been spending some time on pinterest lately, I have been getting inspired by all of the bright and colourful salads that other people are making in their kitchens which I have compiled into a salad and vegetable board. 

Obviously all of this inspiration led me to one conclusion - I had to make some salads stat.

I have noticed recently the trend of using turmeric in everything from salads to chai lattes so I decided that I wanted to make my cous cous using this spice.

Another trend that I have mentioned in an earlier post for my Minestrone soup is using streaky bacon. You don't have to tell me twice how good it is. It is a thin cut, gets super crispy in the oven and tastes all salty and delicious. Natural next step in my thinking was 'ohhhh bacon', 'ohhhh cous cous', 'oh boy, cous cous and bacon' and whola that is where this salad was born.

The most intensive part of the recipes is cooking both the cous cous and the bacon, but after that, it is a simple matter of throwing it all together and you are done. So on that note........the most important thing...the recipe of course!

Turmeric Cous Cous Salad with Crispy Bacon and Basil Drizzle

This delicious Turmeric Cous Cous Salad with crispy bacon and basil drizzle, is bright and the texture is sure to delight!

4.6 from 5 votes

Print Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side

Cuisine: Australian, International

Keyword: cous cous, Salad, turmeric, turmeric cous cous

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 466kcal

Author: Adrianne

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Ingredients

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Turmeric Cous Cous Salad with Crispy Bacon and a Basil Drizzle

• 250 grams pearl cous cous
• 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 100 grams streaky bacon
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 425g chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 3 shallots

Basil Drizzle

• ⅓ cup low fat greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp basil pesto
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

Turmeric Cous Cous Salad with Crispy Bacon and a Basil Drizzle

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
• Place a wire rack into the baking tray and place the bacon rashers onto the rack. Cook for 20 minutes or until crispy
• Add the stock, salt, pepper and cous cous to a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep cooking until all of the stock has absorbed
• Microwave the peas till defrosted, then drain the excess water from them
  
• Cut shallots and bacon (when cool)
• Add cous cous, bacon, peas and shallots to a salad bowl. Pour in drizzle and toss to combine 

Basil Pesto Drizzle

• Combine the yoghurt, pesto and lemon juice in the blender and blitz to combine
  

Notes

• Use kitchen scissors to cut the bacon into small pieces (when it is cool) 
• You will have some extra drizzle. Use this so that if you heat the salad, you can add a little bit more drizzle just before serving. 
• This salad serves 2 people as a 'lunch' option. Or if using with other main meal dishes, it would easily serve 4-6. 

Nutrition

Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 843mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 31.3mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Did you make this recipe? Share on Instagram!It makes my day when you make my recipes! Tag @sweetcaramelsunday

If you like this recipe another one you might be interested in checking out is this Spicy Satay Pork recipe which has a similar texture.  Or you might like to make Pad Thai instead of getting take out and this recipe is a fabulous go to for authentic tasting Thai at home. If you are not in the mood for a salad tonight, why not try something completely different and in that case, I would recommend this super awesome vegetarian Artichoke and Blue cheese pizza or if pasta is more your thing, you could try this Mushroom Spaghetti which sometimes has me dreaming about it, when I should (scratch that, could)  be doing more productive things.

There are a lot more Salad and vegetable ideas on my  Pinterest - Salad and vegetable ideas board, if you want to whet your appetite and gather some further food inspiration!

But hey, if you also just want to have a drool over some damn good looking pizzas, then check my Pizza and flatbread ideas board.

Let me know if you give this dish a whirl, I would love to know what you think. If you share a picture on instagram use the hashtag #sweetcaramelsunday I would love to check it out xx