As a graduate student, any food that I can eat straight out of the fridge is a win in my book. So far, classes and research haven’t ramped up to full intensity so I still have time to cook, but more and more often I’ve found myself turning to quick meals that I can make large batches of and enjoy all week long.
Enter: this tabbouleh couscous salad. With parsley, couscous, and cucumber, it has the perfect mix of contrasting soft and crunchy textures. It’s also filled with greens, lightly spiced, and slightly tangy from a generous dash of lemon juice. Aka, it’s almost impossible to get sick of, which is really my main criteria for food prepping.
It’s also an incredibly forgiving recipe, and can withstand a missing ingredient or two. If you’re looking for a delicious side for lunch or dinner, give this tabbouleh couscous salad a try and do let me know what you think!
Tabbouleh Couscous Salad
- 2 plum tomatoes (I used 1 because I’m not a huge fan of raw tomato)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup quick-cook couscous
- 1 tsp vegetable boullion
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 bunch parsley (~2 cups finely chopped) [I’ve added anywhere from 1/2 to a full bunch; all ways taste great]
- 1 handful mint leaves (~2 tbs finely chopped)
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- pinch cinnamon optional
- 1/2 an english cucumber
- lemon juice to taste (I added ~1 tbs)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Finely dice the tomatoes and place in a mesh strainer over a bowl to collect the juices. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and allow to sit and drain for 30 minutes. To save time, skip this step and seed the tomatoes instead.
- Combine the tomato juice with the dried couscous and vegetable boullion.
- Pour the boiling water on the tomato couscous mixture and cover with a plate. After 5 minutes, use a fork to fluff up the couscous.
- To chop the parsley and mint, you have 2 options: 1) if you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the herbs until rice-sized 2) or, add the parsley and mint to a food processor and pulse until rice-sized.
- Transfer the chopped herbs to a bowl and add the diced tomatoes, olive oil, coriander, and cinnamon.
- Seed and finely dice 1/2 of an english cucumber. Fold into the herb mixture.
- Lastly, add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. I normally add 1 tbs of lemon juice, a pinch of pepper, and 1/2 tsp of salt.
- Cover the bowl and let the tabbouleh rest in the refrigerator for several hours before serving. While technically an optional step, I find it really helps the flavors meld and that the tabbouleh tastes even better the second day.
- Enjoy and eat leftovers within a week (though I doubt that will be a problem!).
Chomps of Life 