Citrus Israeli Couscous Salad Recipe

Looking for a quick and easy lunch? This delicious Israeli couscous recipe is the answer. It takes just 15 minutes to make from scratch and you can take with you to work for a super easy (and healthy) meal. Our Israeli couscous recipe is super tasty thanks to the citrus and fresh additional herbs. It's also super versatile as you can add more ingredients to it to make it your own. For example, I love adding thin slices of chillies to my couscous salad, whereas my husband prefers to just add a little cracked pepper.

What is Israeli couscous?

The first time you've heard of Israeli couscous? Israeli couscous, also called "ptitim", Jerusalem couscous, Giant couscous or pearl couscous, is a type of toasted pasta shaped like little balls. This was developed in Israel during the 1950s when there was a shortage of rice.

The idea is to imitate the rice grain. It was developed in 1953 when the prime minister of Israel asked a food company to create a wheat-based replacement for rice.

Here's something super interesting about Israeli couscous recipes: they are mainly popular with children in Israel as they love to it eat either plain or with onion and tomato paste. However, outside of Israel, pearl couscous is considered a trendy food, sometimes on the menu of gourmet restaurants.

Israeli couscous is super versatile as it can be eaten hot or cold, with onions, garlic and toppings of your own choice. What we love about it is that it's easy to make, super filling and because it's basically tiny bits of pasta, you can enjoy it as a salad with added citrus and fresh herbs.

How to make Israeli couscous

While each packaging of Israeli couscous will come with its own instructions, the general idea is that you boil it in salted hot water for about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to add a splash of olive oil in the boiling water so the Israeli couscous doesn't stick together. You drain it and you add it to your own choices of foods. We love eating it as part of really quick salads for lunch.

As a tip, you can create an array of Israeli couscous recipe. Simply made a large batch of Israeli couscous, add it in different airtight containers and store it in the fridge. When ready to eat, take it out and add the toppings of your choice. This will save a lot of time when working on intensive projects for work.

Our quick and easy Israeli couscous salad recipe

We love citruses and fresh herbs and that's what we wanted to do with Israeli couscous and showcase a super easy salad for lunch.

Simply make the Israeli couscous as instructed on the packaging. In the meantime, cut two oranges into wheels. When the couscous is ready, drain it and transfer to a bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and parsley and toss until well mixed. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Transfer onto two different plates then decorate with fresh orange wheels, lamb's lettuce, oregano and sage. You can add a little chilli if you like it spicy as I do.

We normally eat it with oranges, blood oranges, grapefruits and fresh herbs. We rarely add anything else to the Israeli couscous recipe but you are free to improvise. Also, you can eat it alongside mains during a summer bbq like vegan sausages, vegan chicken, vegan steak or vegan brisket. This salad is so versatile and quick to make, it just works with pretty much anything.

This recipe has been developed entirely by Yuzu Bakes. Any resemblance with other recipes is purely coincidental.

Israeli Couscous Recipe

5

Average: 5 (2 votes)

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total: 15 mins
• Serves 2 people

Categories: Lunch, Sides Cusine: East European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Description

Our Israeli Couscous recipe is a quick and easy way of making a fast vegan lunch. Learn how to make citrus flavoured Israeli couscous salad with fresh herbs. Our pearl couscous salad recipe takes just 15 minutes to complete.

Ingredients

(USA / Metric)

• 1 cup pearl couscous
• 2 large orange, cut into wheels
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup lambs lettuce
• 1 pepper chillies, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

• 1. Make the pearl couscous according to package instructions. It usually takes up to 10 minutes of cooking time for it to be ready.
  2. Drain the pearl couscous and transfer to a bowl. Add the salt, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  3. Cut the oranges into orange wheels.
     Transfer the pearl couscous onto two plates. Add the orange wheels and the lamb's lettuce. Add the chilli pepper if using. Scatter with fresh oregano and serve.

Nutritional Information

Total Nutrition Facts

Serves 2 people

Amount Per Serving
Calories 277
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8 g			10%
	Saturated Fat 1 g		6%
	Trans Fat 0 g		0%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat 5 g
Cholesterol 0 mg			0%
Sodium 593 mg			26%
Total Carbs 49 g			18%
	Dietary Fiber 6 g		23%
	Sugar 18 g		35%
Protein 7 g			13%
Vitamin A 11% Vitamin C 194% Calcium 9% Iron 13% Vitamin D 0% Magnesium 12% Potassium 11% Zinc 7% Phosphorus 15% Thiamin (B1) 29% Riboflavin (B2) 18% Niacin (B3) 15% Vitamin B6 23% Folic Acid (B9) 11% Vitamin B12 0% Vitamin E 12% Vitamin K 40%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice

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