One Pot Israeli Couscous with Leek & Tomato
Israeli Couscous, leeks, tomatoes, chickpeas, greens, and toasted almonds make this plant-based dish a 30 Minute, one pot meal.
Servings: 3
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Ingredients
For the leek and garlic:
- 1 leek, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
For the couscous:
- 1 ½ cups Israeli Couscous
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp butter, (substitute with olive oil or Earth Balance Buttery Sticks to keep this dish vegan)
- ½ tsp sea salt
Everything else:
- ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups fresh spinach or chopped kale
- ⅓ cup almonds, toasted
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan, freshly ground (optional, omit to keep this dish vegan)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsely, minced
Instructions
Toast the almonds
- Toast the almonds in whatever pan you will cook the rest of the dish in. Choose a large skillet or a soup pot.
- Add the almonds to your pan, and toast them over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the almonds start to brown. Shake the pan occasionally to ensure that the almonds toast on more than one side.
- Turn the heat off, and keep the almonds in the pan for 1-2 additional minutes, tossing every so often. The almonds are done, set them aside.
Cook the leek and garlic
- To the large skillet or soup pot that you just toasted your almonds in, add the olive oil, leek, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for two minutes, then add ½ tsp sea salt and ⅛ tsp pepper.
- Now turn the heat down to medium low and cook for another 3 minutes, until the leek turns bright green.
Add the tomatoes
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, and stir to incorporate.
Add the Israeli couscous
- Keeping the pan on medium low heat, add the Israeli couscous, butter, and remaining ½ tsp of sea salt. Stir to incorporate. Toast the couscous for five minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add the water and vegetable broth
- Now add the water and vegetable broth to the pan. Stir everything together with your spatula. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for 12-14 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is cooked through, but still has a little bit of a bite to it.
- Stir the couscous every so often to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add the chickpeas and spinach (or kale)
- Keeping the heat on low, add the drained chickpeas and the spinach or kale. Use your spatula to gently fold the chickpeas and greens into the couscous mixture. Once the greens have just cooked through--about three minutes, turn the heat off.
Put it all together and serve
- Last, add in the almonds, lemon juice, parsley, and Parmesan (if using). Taste, and add more lemon juice and salt, if desired.
- Serve with additional Parmesan or parsley on each serving, if desired. This is a filling meal by itself, but you could also serve it with a side of Gardein and a salad, like this one.
Notes
This meal is vegetarian.
This meal is vegan if you substitute olive oil or Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for the butter, and omit the Parmesan.