Israeli Couscous and Lentils

By: Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook By Nisha Vora

There are many reasons why I love this recipe and think you will, too. For starters, it’s a dump-everything-in recipe that requires no hands-on cooking. I think that’s reason enough, but I have more reasons to share. Second, it’s hearty enough to feel like a main dish thanks to the protein-packed lentils, but still feels light and refreshing, in part due to the grassy flavor of fresh dill. And finally, this recipe yields a lot of food, so it’s an ideal weekly-meal-prep-with-individual-containers situation. Or if you’re feeling generous, you can bring it to a potluck, summer picnic, or barbecue.

I use French green lentils in this salad (and most lentil-based salads) because they hold their shape during cooking. Typically, there is no need to soak lentils, but soaking them here reduces the cook time to just 3 minutes, allowing you to cook the lentils at the same time as the Israeli couscous.

This is one of those dishes that gets better the next day, as the lentils and couscous will have had a chance to thoroughly absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette and herbs.

Cuisine

Israeli

Course

Main Course, Salad

Difficulty

Medium

Duration

30-60 min

Diet

Plant-Based, Vegan, Vegetarian

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook

Keywords

30-60 min, 4 servings, bay, carrots, cherry tomatoes, contributed, cook 15 min, couscous, extra-virgin olive oil, french green lentils, fresh dill, fresh italian flat-leaf parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic cloves, handful of fresh thyme sprigs, instant pot recipe, instant pot vegan recipe, instant pot vegetables, israeli, israeli couscous, israeli or pearl couscous, kosher salt, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, low sodium vegetable broth, main course, medium, medium yellow onion, pitted green olives, plant-based, prep 10 min, pressure cook, pressure cooker recipes, red, red wine vinegar, salad, vegan, Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook By Nisha Vora, vegan recipes, vegetarian

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup French green lentils
1 medium yellow onion
2 red
2 carrots
6 garlic cloves
1 cup Israeli or pearl couscous
3 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 leaves bay
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup fresh dill
1 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
15 pitted green olives
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Soak the lentils in water to cover for 8 hours or overnight. Drain the lentils.
Place the soaked and drained lentils, onion, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, couscous, vegetable broth, salt, pepper to taste, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs in the Instant Pot and stir well to combine.
Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 3 minutes.
Once the 3-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow an natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
Open the pot and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
Transfer the couscous-lentil mixture to a large bowl and allow to come to room temperature.
To the couscous-lentil mixture, add the extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, dill, parsley, olives, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and taste for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed, or a splash more vinegar for acidity.