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Lemon Infused Israeli Couscous Recipe

Israeli couscous recipe - Girl and the Kitchen

Did you know couscous is a pasta?  No it is not an ancient grain as many have come to believe.  But it is super easy.  And ridiculously delicious!

Couscous is made from semolina wheat and comes in multiple forms.  There is organic, Moroccan, whole wheat, multicolored, and my personal favorite…whole wheat Israeli couscous.

Israeli couscous tends to have a nuttier flavor because it is actually toasted before it is packaged.  Which results in a deeper and earthier flavor that is more reminiscent of a grain than a pasta.

Personally, the idea of couscous to me always sounded great but the end result always ended up being just blah.  I always used to get Moroccan couscous.  Which is small and round and can be dry and…blah.

It was not until we are at a friend’s wedding many years ago that I tasted Israeli couscous that actually was AMAZING.

It was creamy, yet each individual grain still fell away.  And it was delectably cheesy.

What’s the secret I wondered as I shoveled spoon after spoon of the delicious little, edible marbles into my mouth.

Parmesan cheese of course.  And butter. Perfect.

So naturally I had to come home and re-create it.  And lighten it up a bit.  I decided to add in a bit more flavor components into it to really make the flavors pop.

It was a ridiculously simple recipe and I served  it with anything from my plank salmon, to my lemony chicken.  Personally, I never needed a side dish for it.  I could eat it right out of the pot as a meal.

The best part was it can be frozen easily and also used in salads, soups or even as a binder in crab cakes or fish cakes.

It starts out with a tablespoon of butter, 1 shallot and the zest of half a lemon.
Israeli couscous recipe - Girl and the Kitchen

Over medium heat, we are going to melt the butter and let the butter get infused with the flavors of the shallot and the lemon zest. Give this about 3 minutes.  Again, you are sweating the aromatics not browning them.

Israeli couscous recipe - Girl and the Kitchen

Throw  in a cup of your Israel couscous and toss everything together, ensuring your couscous is covered by the shallot and butter mixture.  Essentially you are toasting them a bit.  Do this for about 2 minutes.

Israeli couscous recipe - Girl and the Kitchen

Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups of chicken broth, stock or water.  I find the chicken stocks and broths give it a more savory flavor.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes.

Israeli couscous recipe - Girl and the Kitchen

Fluff with a fork.  This will ensure you have light and fluffy individual grains.  Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix with a fork.  Taste for seasoning.

Serve in a bowl with some more lemon zest, chopped parsley and nice shredding of Parmesan cheese on top.

Israeli couscous recipe - Girl and the Kitchen

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Lemon Infused Pearl Cous Cous from the Girl and the Kitchen

Lemon Infused Couscous Pearls


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup Israeli couscous
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • 1 small shallot (finely diced)
  • zest of half a lemon (plus more for garnish)
  • 1 1/4 cup chicken stock or water
  • 1/4 Parmesan (shredded plus more for garnish)
  • 1 tbsp of parsley finely chopped as a garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat small pot with a tablespoon of butter, 1 shallot and the zest of half a lemon.
  2. Over medium heat, we are going to melt the butter and let the butter get infused with the flavors of the shallot and the lemon zest. Give this about 3 minutes. Again, you are sweating the aromatics not browning them.
  3. Throw in a cup of your Israel couscous and toss everything together, ensuring your couscous is covered by the shallot and butter mixture. Essentially you are toasting them a bit. Do this for about 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups of chicken broth, stock or water. I find the chicken stocks and broths give it a more savory flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes.
  5. Fluff with a fork. This will ensure you have light and fluffy individual grains. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix with a fork. Taste for seasoning.
  6. Serve in a bowl with some more lemon zest, chopped parsley and nice shredding of Parmesan cheese on top.

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70 Comments

  1. This was AMAZING. I didn’t even add the Parmesan because I used it as a side to a Moroccan beef stew and didn’t need a ton of flavour.
    Thanks so much for my new go-to side dish for entertaining 🙂

  2. Making this for dinner tonight! How many would this recipe serve? I assume 4? I’m thinking of tripling it for about 10 people. Thanks!

  3. This looks delicious .i need to make my entire meal ahead of the holiday. Do I make the entire recipe a day ahead ? Then do I serve at room temperature or heat?

    1. Laurie, my apologies for getting back to you so late! Your comment went to junk and I am just now discovering it! I do hope everything turned out alright!!! You can eat this room temp or warm!!!

    2. This is so delicious! Such a great example of a dish that shines using simple, fresh ingredients. I always double the recipe because my family devours it. Thank you!

  4. So good and so easy! This was perfect! I needed a super easy dinner to make tonight and concocted a train wreck last time I made pearl couscous. I was hoping I could find something with minimal ingredients and effort to make my couscous tasty. This was great! Used 1/4 onion instead of a shallot.

    1. I’ve made this about a dozen times now and I never ceases to impress me and my husband! I sun out 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic for the shallots, and it is soooooo good. Thank you for this recipe!!

  5. OMG! I just made the lemon infused Coucous and it was easy and absolutely delicious! I made it exactly as recipe instructed because I wanted to try it before making it as a side dish for company. Ate the whole bowl as my dinner and loved every mouthful! Will definitely make it for company and many times again. Thanks so much!

  6. Made this recipe but used lime instead of lemon. WOW, love this!!!! It’s easy, quick & extremely clean tasting. Goes with any time of main dish in my book. So glad that I came across this recipe.

  7. I am pretty sure this is my new favorite! I made it with sautéed asparagus mixed in the first time and just whipped up a batch for a side with dinner tonight. The only problem is that I can’t buy it as is…. I have to buy a boxed product with a flavor packet that I discard. Where do you purchase your large bags?

  8. This is my go to Israeli couscous recipe. its fail safe every time and is a perfect base to play on flavors, different stocks and more. thank you so much for such a solid recipe.

    1. Awww thank you Nicolette!!! It is truly a classic and so so easy! I love serving it at all my occasions because people are ALWAYS impressed 🙂

  9. Hi – This looks awesome – I love Israeli couscous. I need to make a group dinner so I’m looking for dishes I can make the day before. Have you ever done that? Does it taste as good the next day? Thanks so much!.

  10. This was so simple and so delicious! I love that it tastes good warm or the next day as a cold salad.

  11. I had to double the amount of water, and it still wasn’t quite enough. I love lemon, but I also found it too lemony.

    1. So delicious! Since it is lemon zest and not juice, it is very versatile and very easy to adjust the lemon to your liking. I added less Parm and a little fresh chives at the end too, just because I can! YUM! Will definitely eat using this as my staple and then adjust if wanted based on what else I’m serving…and have on hand. Thanks for this recipe!!

        1. I made this last night, sans cheese, as a side with pan -fried salmon. Outstanding! I will definitely make this again….and again.

  12. Love this recipe. I have been using Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains blend instead of straight cous cous, as it also has orzo, baby garbanzo, and red Quinoa, which gives and extra layer of texture! I also add minced garlic, a big hit every time its served

    1. That’s the best part of cooking! Making the changes on your own and discovering that you can still play around with recipes!

    1. Hi Carol…sadly I am not sure about the time, but I know that you have to increase the amount of water by 1/3. try that and let me know how it comes up!

  13. Made this a few nights ago and it was so awesome we are serving it for Christmas Eve dinner with Halibut and Scallops.

  14. I think this is the recipe I have made the most during lockdown in London. Totally addicted! Very happy to have discovered this absolute favourite! Thank you.

  15. Very good recipe. I used vegan Parmesan and veggie broth to make this vegetarian. A great side dish that doesn’t compete with the main course. I think next time I would add some fresh lemon juice at the end. We are lemon lovers in our house and I think this would go over well. Thanks for the recipe!

  16. I’ve never made couscous before so I followed this recipe exactly. The flavor was good but the texture was slimy, like boba/tapioca pearls. Should I have let it simmer longer?

  17. This is the BEST couscous recipe EVER. However, I do have one complaint – it only makes 1 serving! Seriously – my son thinks the entire serving is his alone. I always make a double batch, just so I can have some. Thanks for the awesome recipe.

  18. Made this last night. Nice alternative to rice. Great flavor. My family loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe!

  19. I’m trying to print your recipe but it looks like those ads are going to appear in my printed recipe. How can I get them off at the page?

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