Couscous Caprese

A roasted tomato stuffed with couscous, fresh mozzarella, and basil makes a wonderful side dish. It’s very pleasing to the eye and the mouth.

Step: 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.

Step: 2

Pour boiling water over couscous in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let couscous soak until the water is completely absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Step: 3

Slice the tops from tomatoes and take a very small slice of the bottoms so they will be stable upright. Use a spoon to remove and discard the tomato innards. Put tomatoes in the prepared baking dish.

Step: 4

Bake tomatoes in the preheated oven until lightly charred at the edges, about 20 minutes.

Step: 5

Line the inner walls of each tomato with 4 basil leaves.

Step: 6

Toss mozzarella cheese with the couscous; stuff into tomatoes. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top of the stuffed tomatoes.

Per Serving: 292 calories; protein 18.8g; carbohydrates 32.6g; fat 9.4g; cholesterol 36.3mg; sodium 366.6mg.

The most clear way to pick a side dish is to caught at your main dish (pasta, chicken, seared tofu) and pick something different. If you’re making pasta, go for a simple healthy dish . Made steak? Go for more light. If you’re making stir-fry with rice, it must not a good idea to also make a rice salad.

This also can apply to cooking method . You don’t want to overcommit your oven by scheduling three dishes at once in there, or be rounding four pans on the cooking items . But sometimes you can make a dish do double-duty .