Tabbouleh is a vegetarian salad that hails from Lebanon. It is typically prepared using bulgur, tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, and a selection of other straightforward ingredients.
Traditionally, tabbouleh is enjoyed as part of a meze platter. This parsley-centric dish is widely popular across the Middle East and is increasingly embraced in Western cuisines. In Turkish, it is known as kisir, while in Armenian, it is referred to as eetch or itch.
Tabbouleh complements a variety of dishes exceptionally well. It is commonly served alongside grilled meats, hummus, falafel, pita bread, stuffed grape leaves, baba ghanoush, and halloumi cheese.
Quinoa Tabbouleh
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
This gluten-free variation of Tabbouleh Salad (also spelled tabouli) is a healthy, easy, and versatile herb salad that pairs perfectly with a wide variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. Takes just 25 minutes to prepare!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup quinoa
- 2 cups curly parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1–2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch Kosher salt and pepper each (or to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa: Bring quinoa and 2/3 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.
- Prepare the parsley: Rinse parsley under cold water and shake to get rid of excess water. If the parsley still seems fairly wet, blot them a bit with a towel. Cut off the thick stems and then finely chop the parsley and remaining stems. Add parsley to a large serving bowl.
- Toss the salad ingredients together: Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the parsley including the cooled quinoa. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust lemon, salt, and pepper as needed or go wild and add in one of the tabbouleh variations mentioned in the post! Serve!
Notes
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Storage: Tabbouleh will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days but it’s best eaten fresh.
Substitutions, Variations, and Recipe Tips: Curious if you can swap out certain ingredients? Be sure to check out the full post above for all kinds of suggestions (See Recipe Ingredients section), ideas (See Recipe Variations section), and tips (See Recipe Tips & FAQs sections) for making this salad perfectly tasty every time (there are too many to list here!).