Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Couscous Salad
The classic trio gets tossed into a fresh dinner salad that tastes even better the next day.
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 cup couscous
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and diced small
- 1 (14½-ounce) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup basil leaves, snipped with scissors
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set in refrigerator to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Add the couscous to the mozzarella, tomato and basil mixture, stirring well to mix. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- This recipe calls for canned diced tomatoes, so you can enjoy the flavors of summer year round (and to eliminate the manual labor of chopping). But by all means, feel free to use fresh, ripe tomatoes (dicing two large tomatoes with a sharp serrated knife will be just enough).
- Fresh mozzarella can be found—usually in a container of whey or water—in the international cheese section of your market. The fresh mozzarella has a very mild, delicate flavor compared with processed mozzarella cheese. A knife slides through it like butter, making it very easy to dice. Look for part skim for less fat or buffalo mozzarella for more flavor.
- Stack about 24 medium-sized basil leaves on top of one another, and cut through the layers into thin strips with scissors directly into the measuring cup.
© Cynthia Stevens Graubart & Catherine Fliegel, R.N. 2005
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