Recipes Dinner Meat Dishes Sausage Dishes Tunisian Couscous Salad with Grilled Sausages 1 Review Smoky grilled sausages top a zesty couscous salad studded with tomatoes and dressed in a simple lemon vinaigrette. By Molly McArdle Molly McArdle Molly McArdle is Food & Wine's Updates Editor. She has written and edited stories about food, wine, culture, place, and technology for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, GQ, Esquire, Oxford American, The Believer, Bookforum, and many more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 3, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Linda Pugliese Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Toasting the couscous with garlic and spices before adding the liquid builds rich, nutty flavor.Tomato juice cooks directly into the couscous, adding savory depth and subtle sweetness.Grilled Italian sausage turns the couscous salad into a hearty main dish. We like to use a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausages here for alternating bites of mild and spicy, but don't feel limited by our preferences. Use your own favorite, and grill, broil, or even sauté it — whatever feels easiest to you. What is couscous? Couscous originated in North Africa and is technically a small pasta made from crushed durum wheat semolina. Available in a variety of sizes from fine to coarse, it cooks up light and fluffy, with a mild, nutty flavor. When cooked, it serves as the national dish of Tunisia, where it's called kosksi; it's warmly spiced and paired with vegetables and meat, just like the recipe here. Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Cooking the couscous in savory tomato juice instead of water alone ensures an incredibly flavorful salad base, as the grains soak up every bit of tangy liquid. Suggested pairing Australian Shiraz is an all-purpose red that marries particularly well with anything from the grill. It offers lots of ripe blackberry flavor, pepper nuances, and a soft, lush texture. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/3 cups couscous 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 cup tomato juice 1 cup water 1 pound mild or hot Italian sausages, or a combination 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tomato, diced 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional) Directions In a large skillet with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, couscous, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the couscous starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato juice and water. Bring to a simmer. Cover, remove from the heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer the couscous to a platter or a large glass or stainless steel bowl to cool. Meanwhile, light the grill or heat the broiler. Coat the sausages with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Grill or broil the sausages, turning occasionally, until completely cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them into thin slices. Toss the cooled couscous with the lemon juice, the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the tomato. Top with the sliced sausages and the cilantro, if using. This recipe was first published in Food & Wine's 1998 cookbook, Quick From Scratch Soups & Salads; the text was written in part by Molly McArdle. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.