Lemon Garlic Israeli Couscous with Whipped Feta
Published 1/21/2022
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This lemon garlic Israeli couscous recipe will be a new one pot staple in your house. It is packed with vegetables, protein, and topping wit a salty whipped feta.
Veggie-Packed Couscous Dish
Hellloooooo, veggie lovers! This lemon garlic Israeli couscous is as healthy as it is delicious. And did we mention it’s veggie-packed?! You’ll find a rainbow of vegetables in this one pot dish tossed together with chickpeas, lemon, garlic, couscous (of course!), and a delicious whipped feta sauce.
why you’ll love it
One Pot: you only need one single pot to whip this meal up.
High Protein: this Israeli couscous dish will get you 9g protein/serving.
Veggie Packed: craving more veggies? This meal is made with chickpeas, onion, bell pepper, carrots and tons of fresh herbs.
Lemon Garlic Israeli Couscous Ingredients
This recipe has 4 easy to make elements. You’ll make a quick pickled veggie mix, the cooked couscous itself, a delicious whipped feta dressing, all topped with chopped fresh herbs.
For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card for a list of ingredients and instructions.
Pickled Veggies
This recipe calls for a quick pickled veggie mix. You’ll need:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Honey
- Red jalapeno
- Red onion
- Matchstick carrots
Couscous mix
- Ground turmeric
- Dried thyme
- Salt
- Ground coriander
- Olive oil
- Israeli couscous
- Canned chickpeas
- Red bell pepper
- Lemon juice
- Broth (any kind will work! We used chicken broth)
Whipped Feta
This feta yogurt topping comes together in just 4 ingredients. Don’t skip it! You’ll absolutely love the flavor.
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Feta cheese crumbles
- Garlic
- Lemon zest
For Garnish
You’ll garnish this dish with the following chopped fresh herbs:
- Chopped parsley
- Chopped mint
All Things Couscous
No need to be intimidated to make the couscous in this recipe! It’s quick and easy to whip up. Looking to learn a bit more about this delicious ingredient?
Couscous is a small round pasta typically made from barley or wheat (semolina).
Israeli couscous (sometimes referred to as pearl couscous) is a much larger ball shape than couscous, which is made from smaller and much more irregularly shaped balls of semolina flour and water. You can typically find Israeli couscous in white, wheat and tri-color varieties.
Yes! It may look like a grain, but is technically a pasta often made from semolina flour.
A good alternative for the couscous in this salad is orzo pasta. Quinoa or non-pearl couscous would also work well.
Substitutions for Israeli Couscous
Don’t have Israeli couscous on hand, or can’t find it at your go-to grocery store? Simply sub any of the following:
- Couscous
- Quinoa
- Orzo
- Rice
How to Make Lemon Garlic Israeli Couscous
For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card for a list of ingredients and instructions.
Prepare the pickled vegetables
Add the apple cider vinegar, salt, and honey to a mason jar. Cover the mason jar and shake the ingredients until the honey is dissolved. Open the jar, and add the jalapeno, onion, and carrots. Place the jar in the refrigerator to pickle.
Prepare the spice mix for the couscous
Add the turmeric, dried thyme, salt, and coriander to a small bowl and mix.
toast couscous
Add the Israeli couscous to the dutch oven and stir. Then, sprinkle the spices over the couscous, and let the couscous toast in the dutch oven for 2-3 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients & Let simmer
Add the chickpeas and red pepper chunks to the dutch oven and mix everything together. Finally, add the lemon juice and broth to the dutch oven and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and cover the dutch oven. Let the mixture simmer for 12-14 minutes.
Make Whipped Feta
Meanwhile, add the Greek yogurt, feta, garlic, and lemon zest to a bowl and mix to combine.
Serve & enjoy
Remove the dutch oven from the heat and add the fresh herbs to the pot and mix. Top with the feta sauce and pickled vegetables, and enjoy.
Storage
Store this lemon garlic Israeli couscous in an air-tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. We recommend keeping the pickled veggies and whipped feta separate and then pairing when ready to serve.
Lemon Garlic Israeli Couscous with Whipped Feta
Ingredients
Pickled Veggies
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 red jalapeno, seeded and sliced
- ¼ medium red onion, sliced
- ¼ cup matchstick carrots
Couscous
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¾ cup uncooked Israeli couscous
- 1 15- oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped into ½ inch chunks
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ¼ cup broth, any kind (we used chicken broth)
Feta Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Other
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
Instructions
- Prepare the pickled vegetables. Add the apple cider vinegar, salt, and honey to a mason jar. Cover the mason jar and shake the ingredients until the honey is dissolved.
- Open the jar and add the jalapeno, onion, and carrots to the jar. Be sure the vegetables are covered in apple cider vinegar. Place the jar in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the spice mix for the couscous. Add the turmeric, dried thyme, salt, and coriander to a small bowl and mix. Set aside.
- Next toast couscous. Heat a large dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is fragrant, add the Israeli couscous to the dutch oven and stir. Sprinkle the spices over the couscous. Let the couscous toast in the dutch oven for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and red pepper chunks to the dutch oven and mix everything together.
- Finally, add the lemon juice and broth to the dutch oven. Stir the ingredients together and bring to a boil.
- Let simmer. Turn the heat to low and cover the dutch oven. Let the mixture simmer for 12-14 minutes. The couscous will absorb the liquid at this time.
- Meanwhile, add the Greek yogurt, feta, garlic, and lemon zest to a bowl and mix to combine.
- Uncover the dutch oven and fluff the couscous with a fork. All the liquid should be gone.
- Remove the dutch oven from the heat and add the fresh herbs to the pot and mix.
- Top with the feta sauce and pickled vegetables.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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