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.
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.
Jen says
November 5, 2017 at 7:57 pmThis 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 🙂
Mila says
November 6, 2017 at 9:12 pmOhhhh yay!!!! I’m so happy you liked I️t!!!!
Cassie says
November 8, 2017 at 3:23 pmMaking this for dinner tonight! How many would this recipe serve? I assume 4? I’m thinking of tripling it for about 10 people. Thanks!
Mila says
November 8, 2017 at 3:30 pmYup about 4. Triple it 🙂 i rarely have leftovers 😉
Laurie says
September 3, 2018 at 8:54 amThis 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?
Mila says
October 2, 2018 at 11:19 pmLaurie, 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!!!
Layla says
September 10, 2018 at 2:09 amSo 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.
Mila says
September 17, 2018 at 7:13 pmSo glad you loved it! It’s such an awesome stPle!
Helen says
February 13, 2019 at 7:55 pmOMG! 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!
Mila says
February 28, 2019 at 5:40 pmHahaha i have had that happen one too many times myself 🙂
Lisa says
March 27, 2019 at 2:18 pmMade 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.
Mila says
April 15, 2019 at 12:08 amYay!!! It’s such an easy and yummy recipe right?!
Amy says
June 16, 2019 at 6:40 pmI 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?
Mila says
June 18, 2019 at 12:00 amAmy, A. That sounds so delish!
I buy mine at Trade Joe’s! It’s totally inexpensive and a great size!
Nicolette says
August 9, 2019 at 7:28 pmThis 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.
Mila says
August 16, 2019 at 12:13 pmAwww 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 🙂
JulieS says
August 14, 2019 at 4:15 pmHi – 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!.
Mila says
August 16, 2019 at 12:08 pmIt tastes great!!! When you reheat just add in a little extra cream or chicken stock and mix it through 🙂