Goat Cheese & Kale Salad with Couscous

This is a cozy make-ahead kale salad with couscous, goat cheese and apricots. This salad is creamy, a bit sweet, a little crunchy, nourishing and filling. I like to take this kale and couscous salad for a packed lunch during the week. Kale is the perfect make-ahead salad base. But this salad is also great for entertaining. Make it the day before or hours ahead of your meal, guests will love the combination of creamy goat cheese, sweet apricots and crunchy almonds.

I eat salads all year, and when the weather gets colder I gravitate towards heartier greens and sweeter flavours, which is where this kale and couscous salad comes in.

You might also like this apple and kale salad with feta or even my make-ahead kale salad. Both are perfect when things get a little bit colder and you want a salad that fills you. For extra protein and to make this salad a meal, top with smoked salmon, baked tofu or crunchy, curry-spiced toasted chickpeas.

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• Ingredients
• How to make my kale and couscouse salad
• Substitutions
• Make-ahead
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• Fresh Salads
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

• Kale - is hearty and filling. For meal prep - it's it my go-to salad base. Kale does not wilt and get soggy like other more delicate greens or lettuce. You can toss this whole salad together, dressing and all and it will be just as good on Day 2 as it was on freshly made. This salad, dressing and all other components work well with other greens like arugula, but you won't be able to assemble ahead as you can with kale.
• Couscous - cooks quickly and adds texture and volume to the salad. Because it is so quick-cook, couscous is perfect for meal prep situations. Just boil some water, stir in the couscous and let it sit, covered, off the heat for about 15 minutes. It will be perfectly done. Use whole wheat or regular couscous.
• Jam - the salad dressing has a bit of jam to add sweetness. I used my Spicy Peach Jam here. A good apricot preserve or peach jam will work - whatever you have on hand. If you don't have either use honey or maple syrup.
• Goat Cheese - I used low-fat goat cheese. Creamy and soft. Use your favourite variety. I small block or about 4 oz for this size salad.
• Almonds - add crunch, feel free to substitute pumpkin seeds or other nuts of your choice
• Apricots - for sweetness and are a classic pairing with goat cheese.

How to make my kale and couscouse salad

This salad is simple to throw together once you have assembled the components.

First, make the couscous. Boil about 1 cup of salted water in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Once the water has come to a boil, add one cup of couscous (not the larger pearl couscous), stir, cover, and set aside for about 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork and it is ready to go.

While the couscous is sitting, make the dressing.

TIP: Make the dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl (so you can toss the salad in the same bowl and save yourself some cleanup).

To make the dressing, combine olive oil, lemon juice, jam or preserves, Dijon mustard, 1 clove of garlic pressed or mashed, and a pinch of salt.

I used my homemade spicy peach jam for this recipe. It adds only a slight bit of heat. Any store-bought peach or apricot jam will work just fine. Use honey or maple syrup if you don't have either on hand. Fruity jam highlights the apricots in the salad, though, so I do recommend it.

Wash and dry the kale and tear it into bite-sized pieces.

Toast the almonds if they are not already toasted.

Slice up green onions and chop the apricots.

Toss the salad. To the large bowl with the dressing, add the kale and toss well. The kale should be evenly covered with dressing. Don't be afraid to use your hands and massage the kale to soften it slightly. Once the kale is evenly covered, add all the remaining ingredients except the goat cheese and toss to combine. Crumble the goat cheese on top and serve.

Hint: save a little bit of the dressing or some fresh lemon juice on the side for drizzling over the finished salad.

Substitutions

• Don't have kale - kale is really the only green that will stand up to make-ahead treatment. If you use arugula or spinach instead, both are great from a flavour perspective, DO NOT toss the salad ahead of time. Assemble and toss the salad just before serving. And be gentle.
• Goat Cheese - I used reduced-fat goat cheese. Use your favourite. Feta would also work well.
• Gluten-free - for a gluten-free salad, substitute quinoa for the couscous. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
• Apricot Jam - the original recipe called for apricot jam. So go for it! It is easy to find in most supermarkets. I used my homemade spicy peach jam because I had it on hand and the flavour is similar to apricot. Use honey or maple syrup if you don't have apricot or peach jam.

Make-ahead

I've already mentioned that this salad is perfect for making ahead.

Make ahead for lunches during the week

This salad makes 4 meal sized servings. Follow recipe as directed and divide evently between 4 meal prep bowls with tight fitting lids. I like to pack a wedge or lemon in each bowl to squeeze over my salad just before eating. The salad will keep for about 4 days packed like this.

I use 4-cup glass meal prep bowls for salads this size. These plastic meal prep containers also work and are less expensive.

Each serving is about 400 calories and 13 grams of protein. To round out your meal, add cooked chicken breast, smoked salmon, baked tofu or chickpeas to the salad and it is easily a meal!

Make ahead for dinner or entertaining.

Goat cheese and apricots elevate this salad to something fancy and guest worthy!

To make ahead for entertaining, toss the kale with the dressing as directed and toss all ingredients into the salad except the goat cheese and almonds. Just before serving sprinkle the juice of a half of lemon over salad, crumble goat cheese and sprinkle over the toasted almonds. Give the salad a good toss. The lemon juice freshens the salad a bit. I like to add the goat cheese at the end so that it does not get lost in the salad. Adding the almonds just before serving ensures they are ultimately crunchy. The salad, with goat cheese and almonds kept to the side, can be prepped up to 3 days ahead with the final toss just before serving in a large salad bowl.

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