pasta

Israeli Couscous Recipe for Pasta Salad

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pasta salad

This Israeli couscous recipe, also called pearl couscous or ptitim, makes a great pasta salad. It’s called “couscous”, but isn’t what I think of when I think of couscous, because it boils up into tiny pasta balls about the size of a blueberry. Toss pearl couscous into a salad with your favorite dressing and some fresh veggies and it makes a quick and healthy side dish, or even a full meal if you throw it on a bed of greens.

Israeli Couscous Pasta Salad Ingredients

1 pkg ISRAELI COUSCOUS (8.8 oz)
1 lg ENGLISH CUCUMBER (sliced)
1 CARROT (strings?…whatever, man)
2 cups PARSLEY (chopped)
TOMATO (sliced)
….and whatever’s in the fridge you need to get rid of.
dressing:
¼ cup OLIVE OIL
3 Tbsp LEMON JUICE (or vinegar)
2 tsp LEMON ZEST
2 tsp GARLIC (minced)
2 tsp GINGER (minced)
SALT and PEPPER to taste
(plus whatever you want)

pasta salad
Israeli couscous is also called pearl couscous or ptimim.

Israeli Couscous Recipe

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add in the Israeli couscous. Check current prices for Israeli Couscous on Amazon. Salt and oil are not needed. Reduce heat down to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and strain the couscous. Rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process and to keep the pasta from becoming too soft.

Slice fresh veggies. Use the ones I have listed above or use your favorites; and especially use whatever veggies you have in the fridge that you need to get rid of. Whenever I make a big salad, it’s almost always to utilize ingredients that are gonna go bad if I don’t do something with them soon–it’s a win-win, I end up not wasting food and getting something healthy to eat.

pasta salad
uncooked Israeli couscous

In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. I like to use fresh lemon juice because it’s awesome. but it’s also great to keep lemons on hand for the fresh zest–lemon zest adds a nice zing to salads and dressings. If you don’t have fresh lemon on hand, substitute vinegar.

In a bowl, toss together the couscous, veggies, and dressing. If you’re going to be serving and eating it all right away, go ahead and add tomato, but if you’re going to refrigerate some or all of the salad for later, just wait and add the tomato when you’re serving (refrigerated tomatoes are no fun).

Israeli (pearl) couscous is great in these kinda salads. I often use quinoa in these types of dishes, but this couscous makes a nice change of pace, so give it a go if you’re regularly eating salads and need to mix things up a bit.

Give this Israeli couscous recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!

And for another tasty salad idea, try this Southwestern-Style Quinoa Salad Recipe.

southwestern quinoa salad
a southwestern quinoa salad makes a tasty and healthy dinner choice.

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Easy Shrimp Linguine Recipe

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shrimp linguine

A quick and tasty shrimp pasta dinner recipe for two!

Shrimp LinguineIngredients:

1 pound SHRIMP (20-30, peeled and deveined)
8oz LINGUINE (about ½ box)
1-2 cups BROCCOLI florets (or substitute ½ cup PARSLEY if you’re not into broccoli)
6-8 GARLIC cloves (minced)
½ large ONION (finely chopped)
½ stick BUTTER
3-5 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
SALT to taste
(add OREGANO or ITALIAN HERBS if desired–I like just the extra garlicky taste)
serve with PARMESAN CHEESE

Shrimp Linguine Directions

Prep your ingredients first, then get your pasta cooking.  I like to add a Tbsp of olive oil to my pasta water as well as a 2-4 tsp salt.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions and whatever firmness you desire.  I’m using whole grain wheat linguine for this recipe, which takes about 12 minutes to cook–a bit longer than most linguine.  The cooking time for the skillet ingredients should be around 7-9 minutes, so try to time your pasta to finish with the shrimp–overcooked shrimp is rubbery and overcooked pasta is mushy, so timing is everything!!!

In your skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 butter on medium heat.  When hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add onions and continue to cook a couple more minutes.  Add broccoli florets, and add more butter and oil as needed.  If you don’t want to add broccoli, substitute 1/2 cup chopped parsley instead.  Sauté  florets, garlic, and onions another 2 minutes and then add shrimp.  Throw in some Italian herbs if you want to get all herby.

The shrimp will be done when they turn pink–don’t overcook or they’ll turn rubbery!!  Remove the cooked pasta from water and add directly to the skillet.  Don’t drain or strain the pasta!!–you’re just throwing away good flavor.  Add the remainder of your original 1/2 stick butter.  Mix pasta and ingredients.  Add some pasta water to the mix (about 1/2 cup or so).  I find that the salt in the water and butter is plenty for me, but salt a little more if desired.  Remove the skillet from the heat and serve.  Fresh Parmesan cheese and toasted garlic bread are nice accompaniments!!  Maybe some wine?
Bon appétit!

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Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe w/ Chef Buck

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spaghetti carbonara

A delicious super-simple spaghetti carbonara recipe.

Ingredients for Spaghetti Carbonara

13 oz SPAGHETTI
8 oz PANCETTA or thick cut BACON
1 EGG
3 EGG YOLKS
1/2 cup PECORINO ROMANO (grated)
(or just romano, what’s the big deal?)
(even a little parmesan won’t hurt)
PEPPER (as much as you can handle)
SALT (very little)
PARSLEY (optional)

How to Make a Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Combine 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg into a bowl and mix well. Stir in ½ to ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese—a Romano cheese is “pecorino” if it is made from sheep milk—but if you use Romano made from the milk of a cow or a goat, it won’t be the end of the world (and parmesan wouldn’t kill you either—although the pecorino is nice). Set this mixture aside.
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add a pinch of salt to the water, but sparingly—there will be plenty of salt in the other ingredients. While pasta cooks, prepare the meat.
Cut 8oz of pancetta or thick-cut bacon into small squares. Pancetta is Italian bacon that is not smoked—most other bacon you find at the market will be smoked; again, it’s not the end of the world choosing one over the other, the main difference will be in the “smokiness” of the dish. In a large skillet, prepare the bacon. Add a generous helping of fresh cracked pepper (generous is whatever amount you like). Make sure the bacon is cooked through, but do not cook it to a crisp! Remove skillet from the heat and pour off the excess bacon grease. When spaghetti is ready, remove directly from the water (do not rinse!) and mix the pasta with the bacon in the skillet. Add the cheese/egg mixture to the hot pasta and continue mixing thoroughly. Initially it will not look like a lot of sauce, but as you stir the mixture into the pasta, it will become quite creamy (and delicious). Add a splash of pasta water if needed. Throw in a little chopped parsley for color and serve immediately.
Give this spaghetti carbonara recipe a try and let me know what you think, and…
Bon appétit!

Want to try another fantastic pasta dish? Watch Chef Buck cook this Linguine w/ Clam Sauce Recipe.
linguine with clam sauce

Thanks for Watching our Videos!

Thanks for checking out this spaghetti carbonara recipe, and all of our recipes. Sign up for our mailing list so you’ll never miss a new recipe. Also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. You can also follow Chef Buck on Youtube. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!

If you like what CG and I do, support us on Patreon, or throw us a tip in our Paypal Tip Jar. We’ll happily enjoy a coffee on the road – Thanks! We appreciate all the support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!

We include affiliate links for products on our website. Making a purchase after clicking on our links and we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. It provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.

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