Salads

Pearl Couscous Salad with Chorizo, Pumpkin and Haloumi

All the best things in a salad — golden chorizo, roasted pumpkin, crispy haloumi and fresh herbs tossed with warm pearl couscous.
Liz pairs this one with her favourite serveware for a feel-good meal that’s just as great for family lunches as it is for entertaining.
It’s hearty, customisable, and can easily be turned into a main with the right toppings.

Basic information

Serves:

4-6

Difficulty:

Easy

Prep time:

15 mins

Cook time:

25 mins

Ingredients

500g pumpkin, cut into 1cm cubes
150g haloumi, cut into small pieces
200g chorizo, diced
60g baby spinach, sliced
⅔ cup finely chopped fresh mint
1⅔ cups dry pearl couscous
~2.5L chicken or vegetable stock

Optional Additions:

Dried cranberries
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Pomegranate seeds
Feta (instead of haloumi)
Fresh parsley or other soft herbs

Dressing:

2½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

01.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pumpkin on a lined tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes or until golden and tender.

02.

Pan-fry chorizo in a dry pan for about 5 minutes until browned. Set aside.

03.

Cook haloumi in a non-stick pan until golden on both sides.

04.

In a saucepan, bring stock to a boil. Add pearl couscous and cook for 5–6 minutes until tender. Drain well.

05.

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

06.

Add warm couscous and stir through the dressing to absorb flavour.

07.

Toss in the roasted pumpkin, cooked chorizo, haloumi, mint and baby spinach.

08.

Add any extras (cranberries, seeds, herbs) and mix well.

09.

Taste and adjust with more lemon or olive oil if needed. Serve warm or chilled.