Lemon Infused Israeli Couscous Recipe
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Print
Lemon Infused Couscous Pearls
Ingredients
- 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
- Heat small pot with a tablespoon of butter, 1 shallot and the zest of half a lemon.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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 🙂
Ohhhh yay!!!! I’m so happy you liked I️t!!!!
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!
Yup about 4. Triple it 🙂 i rarely have leftovers 😉
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?
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!!!
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!
Ahh I am sooo sooo glad!
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.
So glad you loved it! It’s such an awesome stPle!
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!!
Sorry for the delay this went to junk! I am go glad you guys enjoyed!
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!
Hahaha i have had that happen one too many times myself 🙂
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.
Yay!!! It’s such an easy and yummy recipe right?!
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?
Amy, A. That sounds so delish!
I buy mine at Trade Joe’s! It’s totally inexpensive and a great size!
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.
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 🙂
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!.
It tastes great!!! When you reheat just add in a little extra cream or chicken stock and mix it through 🙂
This was so simple and so delicious! I love that it tastes good warm or the next day as a cold salad.
Awwww so very glad you enjoyed!!! It definitely is good both days 🙂
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.
Sorry to hear that! At least for next time you will know the amount for your taste!
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!!
Oh I am so happy you enjoyed!!!
I made this last night, sans cheese, as a side with pan -fried salmon. Outstanding! I will definitely make this again….and again.
So glad you enjoyed!!!
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
That’s the best part of cooking! Making the changes on your own and discovering that you can still play around with recipes!
Love this recipe!!! So easy and flavorful.
I love that!!! So glad you enjoyed it! It always is such a hit for the family!
We live at 6,400 feet. Regular pasta takes 30 minutes. How much more liquidated time would you recommend adding?
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!
Made this a few nights ago and it was so awesome we are serving it for Christmas Eve dinner with Halibut and Scallops.
Oh wow! Now that is a Xmas dinner! Merry Xmas and a very happy new year!
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.
OMG Kate! You made my day!!! What an awesome comment!
this was delicious!! I added a clove of garlic with the shallot and it came out beautifully.
Love garlic in here as well!
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!
I love lemon juice in everything I use!
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?
Interesting… maybe there was just too much starch in your couscous. That would contribute to the texture.
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.
Made this last night. Nice alternative to rice. Great flavor. My family loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh I am so glad you enjoyed it! I love the cheesiness of it!
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?
There should be a little button that says no ads.
This is absolutely FANTASTIC!! SOOOO flavorful!!
Omg ty so much!!! I am so glad you enjoyed!!!
This looks like such a simple and easy salad that could be changed up in so many ways. Love this staple recipes!
Thanks Karen!!!!
I’m making this tonight with roasted Salmon. I will let you know how it is.
How did it go!!!!