Name: Sun-dried Tomato and Chickpea Maftoul Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp lemon juice; 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 tsp za’atar; Salt & pepper to taste; 315 gms – 2 cups uncooked maftoul (pearl couscous); 70 gms – ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes; 130 gms – ½ cup black olives (pitted); 2 tbsp fresh mint (chopped); 2 to matoes (chooped); 130 gm – ½ cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

A few months ago, I shared with you the recipe for Maftoul with Chicken, a traditional Palestinian dish. As you know I am part of the Daring Cooks and one of the challenges was to make Maftoul from scratch! So, what is Maftoul? I have seen it many times on the shelves of my local supermarket and it is often sold as “pearl couscous” or “Israeli couscous”. The thing is, it is not couscous and it is not Israeli. Maftoul is actually a traditional Palestinian dish. Unlike couscous, it is made with bulgur and it is much bigger in size (thus the name “pearl couscous”). If you are curious to learn how to make it from scratch (from the bulgur grains!), check out my previous post. For the purpose of today’s recipe though, you can also use store bought pearl couscous. This is a very simple salad that is bursting with flavour. It has a very Mediterranean feel to it, as it uses olives and sun-dried tomatoes, but it also has a Middle Eastern touch with the use of chickpeas and za’atar. It makes for a great side dish or a light and tasty lunch. Enjoy!

Sun-dried Tomato and Chickpea Maftoul Salad

The recipe for a healthy and delicious Sun-dried Tomato and Chickpea Maftoul Salad!

Course Salad

Cuisine Middle-Eastern

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp za’atar
Salt & pepper to taste

Salad

315 gms – 2 cups uncooked maftoul pearl couscous
70 gms – ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
130 gms – ½ cup black olives pitted
2 tbsp fresh mint chopped
2 to matoes chooped
130 gm – ½ cup chickpeas drained and rinsed

Instructions

Vinaigrette

Put the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, za’atar, salt and pepper in a small mason jar. Close the mason jar tightly with the lid and shake until well combined.