Preparation
5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Serves
4
Cooking Level
Easy

Ingredients

  • For the couscous:
  • 1 dry pint Pure Flavor® Cloud 9® Bite-Sized Fruity Tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup pearl couscous
  • ½ cup fire roasted red peppers (jarred), chopped
  • ½ cup mozzarella pearls
  • ¼ cup whole pitted black olives
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • ½ tsp crush red pepper
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • whole pepperoncini peppers, optional for garnish
  • fresh basil, optional for garnish
  • For the vinaigrette:
  • 2 tbsp juice from jarred red peppers
  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3-4 garlic cloves (from couscous)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tbsp of olive oil, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to a shallow baking pan. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Heat the remaining olive oil in a shallow pan over medium heat. Add the couscous and gently toast for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Add chicken broth and salt. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove couscous from heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, place couscous in a serving bowl and allow to cool slightly. Gently fluff with a fork.

Step 3

Remove tomatoes from the oven and remove the garlic cloves.

Step 4

Put garlic cloves and vinaigrette ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over couscous and toss to combine. Add roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, chopped peppers and olives and gently mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with pepperoncini peppers and basil leaves if desired and serve immediately.

Recipe created by Amber Cardosi