Couscous-stuffed tomatoes are an easy and quick vegetarian summer dish, made with few ingredients and customizable according to your taste and what you have in the fridge. It’s a very flavorful, colorful, fresh dish, perfect as a cold lunch on the go. The tomatoes are enhanced with a cheese and basil cream (parsley can be used instead of basil) that makes the preparation very tasty and fragrant with a refreshing note that pairs well with the other ingredients. Couscous-stuffed tomatoes are also perfect for a cold buffet.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 1 cup pre-cooked couscous
- 7 oz water
- 4 red tomatoes (large and not too ripe)
- 7 oz spreadable cheese (or ricotta)
- 10 leaves fresh basil
- to taste green olives
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- to taste grated lemon zest
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
Steps
1) Let’s start by preparing the couscous. Boil the water in a pot. As soon as it boils, pour in the couscous, stir with a fork, cover, turn off the heat, and wait five minutes for it to absorb all the water.
2) Then, let it cool for about ten minutes. After the time has passed, fluff it well with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl to season with pitted and chopped olives, salt, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a bit of its grated zest (which I think adds an extra note to the couscous). Let it rest in the fridge while we prepare the tomatoes and the cream.
3) Wash the tomatoes, cut off the top, and with the help of a teaspoon, scoop out and remove the pulp. Salt the empty interior and place them upside down to remove the excess liquid (half an hour is more than enough).
4) Prepare the cream. In a mixer, place the cheese, a pinch of salt, and 20 washed and dried basil leaves. Blend until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
5) Now let’s assemble the tomatoes. Spread some of the cheese and basil cream inside and finally stuff them with couscous. Place the stuffed tomatoes in a container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For an extra idea. Instead of just spreading the inside of the tomatoes with cream, you can mix it directly with the couscous, making the preparation even richer.
The tomatoes can also be prepared well in advance and stored in the fridge in a well-sealed container.
We can also add grilled vegetables to the couscous, perhaps leftovers from previous dishes, appropriately chopped.
