Lemony Israeli Couscous with Romanesco and Broccoli

Anastasia

5 years ago

When I bought a head of gorgeous romanesco I thought of a pasta dish right away. But I already have a lot of pasta recipes on this blog. So I used Israeli couscous this time which is basically the same but it requires an extra step to make the dish different.

Toasting couscous in olive oil before cooking takes it to a whole new level. Not only it gives an appealing golden color, but also a subtle toasted aroma that works perfectly with tender mild-flavored vegetables. Bright it up with fresh lemon juice and briny capers and you have a delicious yet super easy dinner.

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add Israeli couscous and stir for few minutes until it’s browned a little bit and smells lightly toasted. Then pour water, add a bit of salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cut romanesco and broccoli into florets and parboil them. Drain and put in ice bath to preserve the bright green color.

Again heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté garlic for a minute, then add cooked couscous, drained romanesco and broccoli, capers, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute and switch off the heat.

Serve with chopped fresh basil leaves.

Lemony Israeli Couscous with Romanesco and Broccoli

This lemony Israeli couscous with romanesco and broccoli makes delicious yet very easy vegan meal.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2
Category: Main course
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

1 C Israeli couscous
1 3/4 C water
1 C romanesco florets
1 C broccoli florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp capers
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful of basil leaves, chopped
olive oil for cooking
salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add Israeli couscous and stir for few minutes until it’s browned a little bit and smells lightly toasted. Then pour water, add a bit of salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cut romanesco and broccoli into florets and parboil them. Drain and put in ice bath to preserve the bright green color.
Again heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté garlic for a minute, then add cooked couscous, drained romanesco and broccoli, capers, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute and switch off the heat.
Serve with chopped fresh basil leaves.