Side Dishes
Israeli Couscous
Looking to add a splash of Mediterranean savor to your dining table? This succulent Israeli couscous is the answer! With its whiffy tousle of olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, and fresh parsley, you won’t be worldly-wise to get enough. It’s the perfect side dish for summer!
Israeli couscous is a light and succulent side dish thats perfect for twin your favorite meals this summer. A few increasingly unconfined recipes to try next are yellow rice, lemon rice, and maybe some baba ganoush to dip your favorite veggies in!
Israeli Pearl Couscous
This little pearl-shaped pasta made from semolina flour is a wonderful ingredient. It makes any dinner a bit increasingly special! Cooked in a vegetable broth, mixed with lemon juice and olive oil, it becomes a side dish thats supercharged with flavor. The garlic powder, salt, and pepper add a savory note to the mix, while the fresh parsley and lemon zest bring freshness and a hint of bitterness. All in all, its a ramified and tasty combination that will make your stomach happy!
But what to serve with it? Well, thats up to you, really. Israeli couscous is a versatile side dish that pairs well with scrutinizingly anything. If youre feeling fancy, you can serve it with a rack of lamb or roasted chicken. If youre in the mood for something lighter, pair it with a green salad or some sautéed veggies. And if youre feeling lazy, its succulent all on its own! Whatever you choose, Israeli couscous is a unconfined wing to any meal. Its easy to prepare, succulent to eat, and unchangingly leaves you wanting more. Its so nonflexible to resist with its wondrous texture and savory flavor!
Ingredients Needed
To make this flavorful Israeli couscous, all you need is some vegetable goop to melt it in, a splash of olive oil and lemon juice for widow flavor, then some spices and herbs from your spice rack! The end result is filling and flavorful but still light and perfect for summer!
- Olive Oil: Used to toast the couscous in. It helps to make it tender and moreover adds a tasty, earthy flavor.
- Pearl Couscous: Next up we have Israeli pearl couscous, which is the star of the show! This pasta (also sometimes considered a grain) has a unique texture that’s firm and chewy, and it’s perfect for soaking up all the flavors of the goop and seasonings.
- Vegetable Broth: Speaking of broth, we need a few cups of vegetable stock to melt the couscous in. It provides a savory wiring for the dish and infuses the couscous with uneaten flavor. If you don’t have vegetable broth, you moreover can substitute with yellow or whinge broth, or plane water in a pinch.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a splash of unexceptionable and tangy flavor!
- Seasonings: I used garlic powder, salt, and woebegone pepper. These three ingredients work together to bring out the weightier in the couscous and make it veritably delicious. You can moreover use fresh garlic if you want a little increasingly garlicky goodness.
- Fresh Parsley: You can never go wrong with fresh herbs! Parsley adds an uneaten layer of savor and wondrous aromatics. Fresh mint leaves are flipside unconfined option to use.
- Lemon Zest: If youre using fresh lemon juice, dont let the rind go to waste! The zest gives the couscous a tangy flavor.
How to Make Israeli Couscous
It takes less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish, and most of that time is spent with the couscous simmering on the stove. Its extremely easy to make. Be prepared for this to wilt one of your new favorite side dishes!
- Toast Couscous: Heat your olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium upper heat. Then add in your couscous and toast it in the oil for well-nigh 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add In Remaining Ingredients: Once your couscous is toasted, add in your vegetable broth, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper and, over upper heat, bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, then imbricate and simmer the couscous for 13-15 minutes.
- Check Consistency: Uncover the couscous and fluff with a fork, all of the liquid should be absorbed, if there is some remaining liquid, protract to simmer for a few increasingly minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Once the couscous is fully cooked and tender, remove from heat, transfer to a serving bowl, then add in your chopped parsley and lemon zest. Stir to mix and serve fresh.
Cooking Tips
Preparing Israeli couscous is super easy, plane if you’re a beginner cook! Here are a few simple tips to help you get the perfect fluffy and flavorful couscous.
- Toast Your Couscous: Surpassing cooking the couscous in the vegetable broth, it’s a good idea to toast it for a few minutes. This gives the couscous a nutty savor that makes it plane increasingly delicious!
- Don’t Overcook: Israeli couscous should be cooked until it’s tender but still has a bit of bite. Overcooking the couscous can make it mushy, so be sure to alimony an eye on it and trammels for doneness.
- Let it Rest: Once the couscous is cooked, it’s a good idea to let it rest for a few minutes surpassing serving. This gives it time to swizzle any remaining liquid so it’s perfectly fluffy and tender.
- Add Mix-Ins: Make an Israeli couscous salad by subtracting in things like chopped cucumbers, pistachios, cherry tomatoes, raisins, feta cheese crumbles, artichokes, or victual spinach.
Storing Leftover Israeli Couscous
Couscous makes unconfined leftovers! You can just pop it in an snapped container and stick it in the fridge until youre ready for some nutty, savory, lemony goodness.
- In the Refrigerator: Store leftover Israeli couscous in an snapped container for up to a week.
Other Tasty Side Dishes
If you’re looking for increasingly succulent carby side dishes, you’re in the right place. These other recipes are the perfect way to add a little increasingly substance your favorite meals! They have the most wondrous savor too, so you may plane like them increasingly than your entrée!
Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups Israeli couscous pearl couscous
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- Zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Heat your olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium upper heat. Add in your couscous and toast it in the oil for well-nigh 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once your couscous is toasted, add in your vegetable broth, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper and, over upper heat, bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, imbricate and simmer the couscous for 13-15 minutes.
- Uncover the couscous and fluff with a fork, all of the liquid should be absorbed, if there is some remaining liquid, protract to simmer for a few increasingly minutes. Once the couscous is fully cooked and tender, remove from heat, add in your chopped parsley and lemon zest. Stir to mix and serve fresh.
- Leftovers can be kept in an snapped container in the fridge for up to a week.