Israeli Couscous with Mushrooms and Thyme

4.67 from 3 votes

A hearty one-skillet dish that can be served as a main dish or alongside beef, chicken, and seafood.

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Total Time1 5

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: - 6

Calories: 592kcal

Add the dried mushrooms to a bowl. Cover with approx. 3 cups of boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes to reconstitute. Strain the mushrooms and reserve the mushroom broth for cooking the couscous.
In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium-medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and the thyme and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate. Set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Add the onion and cook 4-5 minutes until translucent.
Meanwhile, add the broth to a saucepan to heat over low heat. (Use the reserved mushroom broth and add enough chicken broth to total 4 ½ cups. If not using mushroom broth from soaking the dried mushrooms, use 4 ½ cups of chicken or vegetable broth.)
To the onions in the skillet, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the couscous and stir to coat with the butter and toast for 1-2 minutes. Add the thyme. Add 1-2 ladles of the broth to the skillet. Stirring frequently, cook the couscous until the liquid is absorbed before adding another ladle of broth. Continue adding the broth, one ladle at a time, as needed until the couscous is cooked through, approx. 10-15 minutes.
Season the couscous with salt, pepper, and Umami seasoning (ground thyme can be used also). Serve couscous with mushrooms on top or fold the mushrooms into the couscous.

(1) 6-8 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms can be substituted for dried mushrooms.