With most barbecues revolving around meat, I think it's important to have a flavorful, summery vegetarian side dish in your back pocket for any non-meat-eaters you might be hosting. Thinking along those lines, while glancing through my "Pastas and Such" Pinterest board, I saw a light, bright-flavored quinoa dish with corn and scallions. Using that as my inspiration, I came up with an Israeli couscous version and threw in some zucchini too -- just because I had it on hand and some extra vegetables never hurt anyone, right?
This salad can hold its own alongside grilled meats. The couscous pearls are just the right texture and size to match the corn kernels. And the finished dish is buttery and lemony, with a balancing oniony flavor from the scallions and a touch of sweetness from the summer corn (make sure you use good, fresh corn for the best flavor).
Serve this at your next summer picnic or barbecue.
A lemony summer side dish with Israeli couscous, sweet corn, scallions, and zucchini
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup Israeli couscous
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup diced zucchini
Kernels from 2 large ears of corn
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 scallions, sliced thin
Preparation
Bring water to boil in medium pot. Add couscous and pinch of salt. Cover and simmer, stirring often, until couscous is tender and water is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
In small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add zucchini and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add corn. Continue to cook, stirring, until corn is warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir olive oil into couscous. Then stir in zucchini-corn mixture, followed by lemon zest and juice. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons scallions and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer couscous mixture to serving bowl, and scatter remaining scallions on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
What's your go-to vegetarian side dish for a summer barbecue?