Israeli Couscous with pesto, watercress, peas, broccoli

Israeli Couscous Recipe with Pesto and Spring Vegetables

Written by Becky

Greens scream spring to me.  English peas, watercress, broccoli and homemade pesto make this dish the brightest green dish you’ve ever laid eyes on.  As Josh and I prepare to hit the pain au chocolat in France in a weeks, this month we’ve been doing are best to eat well. I’ve made fresh vegetable soup, veggie stir fry, and veggies sandwiches.   Lots of greens, lots of bright colors.

Israeli Couscous, pesto, watercress, english peas, broccoli

Israeli Couscous with Pesto

Besides hitting the vegetables hard this month, we’ve been preparing to travel by downloading good tunes, movies, and tv shows to enjoy during the transit to Europe. We’ve heard great things about Downton Abbey, so that jumped to the top of our list.  We also plan to watch the new season of Mad Men.  And if we still need some entertainment, I’m excited to catch up on some of my favorite food podcasts.

couscous with pesto and watercress

Our trip is less than a week away now, and I’m so excited to share with you all of our adventures when we return.  I’ll have some recipes posting while I’m gone, but when I get back you’ll be seeing posts on Paris and Rome as well as several small towns around Europe! Arrivederci.

Israeli Couscous with Spring Greens

Israeli Couscous with Pesto and Spring Vegetables

Serving Size: 2-3

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Israeli Couscous
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup English peas
  • handful of watercress
  • 3-4 tablespoons of pesto, or 2 ice cube squares of frozen pesto
  • 2 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

    For the Couscous
  1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the couscous and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly browned and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer the couscous for 10 to 12 minutes or until most the liquid has evaporated and the couscous is tender. Transfer the cooked couscous to a large bowl and toss with 3-4 tablespoons of pesto.
  2. For the vegetables
  3. While couscous is cooking remove peas from their shells and chop one small bunch of broccoli. Steam the broccoli and peas for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Assembling the dish
  5. In a shallow bowl layer couscous, watercress, then green vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and top with Parmesan Cheese.
https://www.thevintagemixer.com/israeli-couscous-recipe-with-pesto-and-spring-vegetables/

Comments (6)

  1. Delicious. Pesto isn’t on the ingredient list. Do you recommend any particular kind? Just regular homemade basil pesto? If I’m running short of time, do you have a favorite store bought version?

    • so sorry about that oversight. I have updated the recipe. Also, my tip for quick pesto is to make it in a large quantity then freeze it in ice cube trays. Then you can put the cubes into a ziplock bag in the freezer and use them as needed throughout the next few months. I have bought it a few times but I don’t remember the brand I purchased. You can’t really go wrong with pesto, even store bought! As long as the ingredients say- olive oil, garlic, basil, parmesan, and pine nuts, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

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