Tomato Couscous Bake

Following on from my post about our visit from La Cuisine Imaginaire cookery school, today I am attempting to recreate a version of the dish which Roselyne showed us how to make. The dish is a Tomato Couscous bake. I have never been very good at cooking with couscous, mainly because I am not amazingly good at coming up with ideas of what to make with it. However, it is a super ingredient to use if you are a vegetarian as it is full of protein, fibre and B vitamins. It also adds bulk to dishes to help them to fill you up and go further. This Couscous bake was really easy to make, quick to assemble and was also really delicious. I will definitely be making it again! I think it would be especially great to eat in the summer.

For the tomato base, I used onion, pepper, tomatoes and courgettes, but you could use any vegetables you would like. Mushrooms and sweetcorn might be a good addition, or you could maybe use some root vegetables for a really hearty meal in the cold winter months.

Tomato Couscous Bake Ingredients 1 Onion, peeled and sliced 1 Red Pepper, chopped and sliced 1 Yellow Pepper, chopped and sliced 2 Courgettes, chopped and sliced 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed Olive Oil for frying 1 x 400ml tin of Tomatoes 1tsp Oregano 1tsp Mixed Herbs 2 tbsp Tomato Puree 100g Cherry Tomatoes 8 oz Couscous 14oz Hot Water 150g Cheddar Cheese plus 50g to decorate 500g Greek Yoghurt Salt and Pepper to taste Method Chop the onion, pepper and courgettes into small pieces and crush the garlic. Gently fry the onion and crushed garlic in olive oil for around 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn golden. Add the courgettes and peppers to the pan and continue to fry for a further 5 minutes Once the vegetables have started to soften, add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, cherry tomatoes, oregano and mixed herbs to the pan and continue to cook on a low heat for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the kettle and measure out the couscous.  Once the kettle has boiled, place the couscous in a large heatproof bowl and add the hot water. The hot water should cover the couscous. If it does not then add a little more water so that it is covered to start off with but will be eventually absorbed. Cover the bowl with a large dinner plate and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix the greek yoghurt and cheese together and season with salt and pepper. Once the tomato mixture is cooked, Take an oven proof casserole dish and place the mixture in the bottom. Smooth over the top. Once the couscous is cooked, layer the couscous over the tomato mixture, covering completely. Finally, layer the yoghurt and cheese mixture over the top of the couscous and top with the reserved cheese. Cook in the oven at 200 degrees for  about 20 minutes. Serve Immediately,

 I am entering this into the Family Friendly Friday Link Up over at Fabulicious Food