Sometimes, you just need something simple and flavorful on the table. Deep & bright flavors make this pantry dish a hit. This Simple Chipotle Lime Couscous Salad is a hit no matter whether you serve it as a side to grilled meats, or as a main dish itself.
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Ah, weekends. The days of the week when you can take it easy and not have to plan every meal down to the last minute. Until it IS the last minute and you realize all you have is a rack of ribs your husband had on the grill. No veggies. No side dish. No bueno.
Whoops.
So that’s where my trusty pantry came into play. Lucky for us, I am obsessive about keeping a well-stocked pantry. Canned goods galore allow me to make dishes like this one on the fly. And because I also generally have a few fresh items on hand in the fridge, I can always grab items that brighten up those pantry staples.
In this case, I was able to pull this simple side dish together in the time it took for the pork ribs to rest and the grill to cool down. A can of black beans here. A cup of cherry tomatoes there. Add an easy flavor boost of Wildtree’s Chipotle Lime Rub & Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil, and dinner was served.
We loved the flavors of the chipotle paired with the smoky grilled ribs. But we quickly realized that this on-the-fly pantry dish would be a great accompaniment to just about anything we were serving.
The best part of this dish? The leftovers for lunch the next day were even better as the flavors melded further. Let’s hear it for the well-stocked pantry, and a double meal score with this Chipotle Lime Couscous Salad!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 10 minutes |
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Gotta love pantry recipes when you're in a pinch. A can of beans, some grilled corn, fresh tomatoes, and a punch from a Chipotle Lime blend, and BAM! A super side dish to the rescue on a busy night!
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- 1 cup couscous, cooked
- 1-12 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup grilled corn, off the cob (or canned corn, rinsed & drained)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. Chipotle Lime Spice Blend
- 1/4 cup Garlic Grapeseed Oil
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Prepare couscous according to package directions. Rinse the beans, and set aside. If using corn on the cob, cut grilled corn off each cob. If using canned corn, rinse & drain. Dice the tomatoes & onion. Mix ingredients through onion in a medium bowl.
- Mix Chipotle Lime Blend with Garlic Grapeseed Oil. Whisk to combine. Pour over couscous mixture and toss to coat. Top salad with chopped cilantro & crumbled feta. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
It's almost (almost!) embarrassing how simple this dish is. But like so many pantry meals, they are made up on the fly and use what I have on hand. This means that the variations in dishes like this are only limited by what your pantry and refrigerator may have in them. In this case, some easy substitutes could include:
- Green onions (scallions) in place of the red onion
- Pinto beans swapped out for black beans
- Fresh peas instead of the corn
- Italian parsley substituted for cilantro
- Red bell peppers as an alternative to cherry tomatoes
- Orzo instead of couscous
What substitutes would you use based on what your pantry has in stock?
