Israeli Couscous are these delicious tiny balls of goodness. I don’t know how else to describe them. They have a chewy texture that is similar to pasta and are larger than regular couscous, but add more nutritional value and belong to the grain group. I love this salad as an easy side dish with grilled meat. Since you’re grilling meat, just throw some vegetables on the grill. If you are making this without the grill, you can always roast the vegetables in the oven. The best method is to chop them before hand.
I’ve always bought my Israeli Couscous from Trader Joe’s, but have seen it sold in many different stores. Alternatively, you can use regular couscous (just follow the instructions on the packaging for preparation). There are several options for vegetables here, feel free to mix it up. In the middle of summer I like to use summer squash and eggplant. In this particular batch, I added an extra bell pepper and omitted the eggplant. Enjoy!
- 1 small eggplant, sliced vertically into 1/4 inch thick pieces
- 1 zucchini, sliced vertically
- 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, cut into thick strips
- 1 red onion, cut into large slices
- 8 oz Israeli Couscous
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (or water)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- Parmesan Cheese for garnish (optional)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- Dressing: Mix 1/4 cup oil, mustard, vinegar, and set aside.
- Brush the remaining oil on the veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Grill veggies, cool, and chop into small pieces
- Bring broth and couscous to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 8 minutes or until the couscous has completely absorbed the liquid.
- Cool and toss with veggies and dressing.
- Add Parmesan and pine nuts if using.
[…] I marinaded this chicken in the morning to have with dinner. It’s certainly not necessary to marinade all day; in fact, just a few hours is plenty! I love to serve this with any salad, but the best way is with my Confetti Couscous. As you can tell in the above picture, I threw on vegetables to be added to the Confetti Couscous salad. […]