Make this easy and tasty Lemon Basil Couscous for a great side dish. This cooks in 10 minutes and requires only 5 minutes of prep time. A versatile dish that you can add alongside any weeknight dinner.
Okay, so we’re taking a tiny break from seasonal fall and Halloween recipes to bring something fresh and light. I know how much we all love quick Side Dishes, and it doesn’t get a whole lot easier than this Lemon Basil Couscous. Although, it’s a lighter dish, you can serve it with more hearty main courses to make it seasonal for fall and winter.
What is This Couscous Dish Like
- Difficulty – This is a super easy couscous dish. It requires only six ingredients and takes about 10 minutes to make. Just make sure to follow the instructions carefully for cooking the couscous.
- Taste – The couscous is light and fluffy with a taste of lemon and fresh basil.
- Serving – This salad makes six good sized servings as a side dish. In the recipe card at the end of the post you can easily adjust the serving size.
Ingredients
- Couscous – This recipe uses uncooked small grain couscous. You can find it in the supermarket usually when you can find other grains.
- Lemon zest – Lemon zest is added to give a lemon flavour to the couscous.
- Vegetable broth – I cooked the couscous in vegetable broth to give it more flavour.
- Lemon juice – A small amount of fresh lemon juice is added to the couscous for lemon flavour.
- Salt – Regular table salt was the only seasoning I used for this dish.
- Basil – This dish was finished off with fresh chopped basil
NOTE, The full recipe and ingredient list can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Cook couscous – Add the dry couscous and lemon zest to a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat. Stir well to combine the zest into the couscous. Dry fry the couscous for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and immediately add the boiling vegetable broth and lemon juice. Cover the saucepan in plastic wrap and then place the lid on top. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Fluff couscous and add basil – When the couscous is cooked, remove the lid and plastic wrap and fluff with a fork. Add the fresh chopped basil and season with salt.
- Serve – Serve warm or even at room temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking couscous – It’m important not to cook couscous over heat. The boiling stock will cook the couscous off the heat. If you cook couscous over heat, it will likely become soggy and mushy.
- Fluffing couscous – When the couscous is cooked, start fluffing with a fork from the top down. This will give you very light and fluffy couscous.
Substitutions
- Vegetable broth – For a different flavour you could use chicken broth or even beef broth for a richer flavour.
- Herbs – I used fresh basil but fresh mint, cilantro or parsley would also work.
- Additions – For extra flavour and texture, toasted pine nuts would go really well.
Serving
- Serving
- This couscous would go wonderful with the Green Olive Chicken or the Roasted Spatchcock Chicken. I also love it with the Lemon Garlic Shirmp or the Moroccan Spiced Pork Kebabs.
- Storage
- This couscous will keep for about two days covered in the fridge. It’s best to take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is couscous made of?
Couscous is a traditional North African dish of small steamed granules of rolled semolina.
Is couscous healthier than pasta or rice?
Calorie wise, couscous contains less calories than rice or pasta. It also contains a relatively high protein of 6 grams per one cup serving.
What’s the difference between Moroccan Couscous and Middle Eastern Couscous?
Moroccan couscous is very small grains of semolina. Middle Eastern couscous, is toasted pasta in tiny balls.
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Lemon Basil Couscous
Make this easy and tasty Lemon Basil Couscous for a great side dish. This cooks in 10 minutes and requires only 5 minutes of prep time. A versatile dish that you can add alongside any weeknight dinner.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 171kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- small bunch fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Add the dry couscous and lemon zest to a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat. Stir well to combine the zest into the couscous. Dry fry the couscous for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and immediately add the boiling vegetable broth and lemon juice. Cover the saucepan in plastic wrap and then place the lid on top. Leave for 10 minutes.
- When the couscous is cooked, remove the lid and plastic wrap and fluff with a fork. Add the fresh chopped basil and season with salt.
- Serve warm or even at room temperature.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Basil Couscous
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 171
Calories from Fat 3
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.3g0%
Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.04g
Sodium 938mg41%
Potassium 88mg3%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 190IU4%
Vitamin C 8mg10%
Calcium 15mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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