Mediterranean Kabobs with Fresh Pesto and Fluffy Couscous (Just 10 Ingredients)

Need a dish that cooks up quick, tastes amazing, and looks super impressive on the plate? These mediterranean inspired kabobs with fresh pesto, served over fluffy couscous are it! And, no...you don’t need a grill to make a great kabob! These cooked up, quick and easy, in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes...the whole meal is on the table in less than 30 minutes!

I love couscous…that is no secret! If you are a long-time reader you know that I make it all the time! It cooks up in the same amount of time as most rice or noodles, is so versatile that you can serve it with almost any style of food, and it’s super affordable! Plus: If you are trying to impress someone (wink, wink) it looks and sounds way more fancy than it really is!

What you are going to need to buy:

Couscous - (Here’s my secret! I typically buy the boxed stuff and my favorite brand happens to be THESE from from the brand Near East)

Butter - (I love this plant based butter from Earth Balance)

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Vegetables for the Kabobs - (This recipe is simple, tomatoes and mushrooms, but really you can use whatever veg you like!)

Feta - (the block Feta from Violife is amazing and great for this recipe because you can cut it into big chunks!)

Basil - (about 1 cup of leaves)

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper, to taste

What you are going to need to do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

If you are using wood kabob sticks, make sure to soak them in water…you can do this while you make the pesto.

For this small amount of pesto I don’t bother getting out the blender but if you have a little food chopper, that could be handy! Chop your basil into very small pieces! This might take a few passes, if you are doing it by hand.

To the chopped basil, add olive oil, minced garlic, pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice. You can adjust to your own taste. I like mine a little more on the lemon-forward side. Make as much or as little as you like. If you make too much, it will keep in the fridge and you can put it on…almost everything. Moral: there is never too much pesto!

Assemble the Kabobs

This isn’t hard…as long as your kabob sticks have been soaking for 5 minutes or so…

Arrange your veg onto the kabob sticks and try not to overcrowd or some things might not cook evenly. Try to think about the kinds of veg you have and how slow or how quickly they cook! This mushroom and tomato combo is great because they are both done at about the same time. Onions would also have been good! Something like potatoes are going to take more time…

Place on a baking sheet or straight on the grates of your oven, your preference! If you do go straight onto the oven rack, place the baking sheet below to catch drips!

These are going to cook fir about 15 minutes at 400…and will need to be gently turned every 4-5 minutes so nothing sticks.

In the meantime…let’s make some couscous.

It’s pretty straight forward and I would say that you can prepare per your box’s instructions with TWO EXCEPTIONS! The trick to really flavorful couscous is to toast it before cooking! If you’ve been here awhile you’ll be familiar with this but if not…(See Below)

PRO TIP: In a non-oiled, medium saucepan, on medium/low heat measure out the desired amount of couscous, according to the boxed directions, for the number of serving you need to make. Let the couscous toast in the warm pan, stirring or agitating the pan often so that the contents do not burn. After about 90 seconds you should see the couscous pearls begin to turn from blond to light brown. When this happens take the saucepan off the heat. It will continue to toast, from the residual heat but you don’t want it to burn.

I also always add about a tablespoon of butter, at the very end and stir into the cooked couscous.

Serving!

The service of this dish is really what takes these humble ingredients and turns them into something special.

After the kabobs come out of the oven, slide a piece of feta onto each end of the kabob stick and place on top of a bed of the couscous.

Brush the kabobs with the pesto mixture and enjoy!