Warm Bacon and Mushroom Giant Couscous Salad

by Fliss Freeborn

"Perfect for bridging the gap between light summer dishes and heavy winter fare, this warm, hearty salad has everything: salty bacon, crunchy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, bouncy couscous and a subtle warming smokiness from the paprika. It’s customisable too - replace the bacon with crumbled smoked tofu for a vegan version, swap out the tomatoes for beetroot, and chop in a few hard-boiled eggs for extra protein". - Fliss Freeborn

Method

Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.

Step 1

Very finely dice the red onion, then soak in cold water until you come to assemble the salad. This alleviates it of some of the sulphurous bite, making sure it’s too not overpowering. Roughly quarter the mushrooms.

Step 2

Heat a frying pan on medium with half of the veg oil, then fry the bacon lardons until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, and add the mushrooms to the bacon-y pan, adding more oil if needed. Add the smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often until the water has evaporated off, and the mushrooms are turning golden brown. This will take about 6-8 minutes on a high heat. Add the bacon back into the pan, and switch the heat off.

Step 3

Meanwhile, cook the giant couscous in salted water for 6-8 minutes, or according to packet instructions. When cooked, drain and rinse under cold water for about 30 seconds, to take away some of the heat and the starch, which prevents clumping.

Step 4

Chop up the baby plum tomatoes into quarters and the romaine lettuce into small, bite-sized chunks. Finely chop the parsley.

Step 5

Mix together the extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar with some salt and pepper to make a light dressing.

Step 6

Drain the onions of the water and assemble everything together, including the torn lettuce leaves in a large salad bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve while it still has a little of the warmth from the bacon and mushrooms.

  • Ingredients
  • Based on 4 servings
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1x Sainsbury's Vegetable Oil 1L
  • 1 head Romaine Lettuce, or Cos 1x Sainsbury's Romaine Lettuce Hearts, Twin Pack x2
  • 30g Fresh Parsley, finely chopped 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Flat Leaf Parsley 30g
  • 250g Smoked Bacon Lardons, or chopped smoky bacon 1x Sainsbury's Smoked Bacon Lardons 250g
  • 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar 1x Sainsbury's Wine Vinegar, Red Wine 500ml
  • 1 Red Onion, finely diced 1x Sainsbury's Red Onions Loose
  • 500g Mushrooms, washed and roughly quatered 1x Sainsbury's Closed Cup White Mushrooms 500g
  • 1 heaped tsp Smoked Paprika 1x Sainsbury's Smoked Paprika 44g
  • 180g Giant Couscous 1x Sainsbury's Giant Couscous 300g
  • 250g Baby Plum Tomatoes, quatered 1x Sainsbury's Baby Plum Tomatoes 325g
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 1x Sainsbury's Dijon Mustard 185g
  • 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil, Extra Virgin 500ml
  • Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g
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