Israeli or pearl couscous is a small whole grain pasta made from semolina or wheat flour. If you haven't tried it before, it has a slight toasty and nutty flavor and chewy texture.
The reason I love pearl couscous for my pasta dish is that it gives me a lot better carbs control. Since the pasta pieces are tiny, I can add disproportionately more vegetables to it and still get some pasta in every bite! Less carbs, more nutrients and full flavor.
One simple recipe I make regularly is pearl couscous with vegetables and garlic scapes. You can easily replace with vegetables of your choice and garlic instead of scapes.
#momtip: The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can have it warm as pasta for dinner and have the leftovers as a cold salad next day for lunch!
Recipe
Prep Time
10-15min
Cook Time
20 min
Servings
2
Ingredients
- ½ cup couscous
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ¼ cup onions
- ¼ cup carrots
- ½ cup thinly sliced kale
- ¼ cup mushrooms
- ¼ cup sliced garlic scapes
- ¼ cup walnut
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 2 tbsp minced mint leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a deep sauté pan, add couscous and 1 cup water and cook it for 20 min. Add a drop of oil to it. Fluff it using the fork.
- In a separate pan, warm the oil and add vegetables to it and sauté at a high flame. Do not overcook the vegetables.
- Add the boiled couscous, walnuts, salt, pepper and vinegar to the pan. Garnish with mint leaves.
- Serve hot or refrigerate to have as a salad!
Kids love this dish too! If you like it, share it with your friends and moms who may be looking for some quick nutritious recipes.
Posted by Shruti Mishra
Shruti is the founder of Freshly Moms. She is a graduate from Natural Gourmet Institute, NY and a certified IIN Nutritionist. She has been working with food & nutrition since 8 years and is also a fresh mom herself.
