This fresh Tabbouleh Salad is a Middle Eastern classic made up of parsley, veggies, and bulgur. Easy to prepare and keeps great in the fridge it is the perfect accompaniment to a mezze platter or a healthy side dish option.
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Easy Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)
Of Middle Eastern origin this fresh salad is easy and delicious. With many regional variations this version is as basic as it gets.
I find it works well with almost any Middle Eastern meal you chose to serve. You can include it with a mezze platter, hummus & pita, along side falafel, or with a chicken dish like shawarma.
I decided to share the basic version of this dish but include some ideas to spruce it up how you would like it!
Ingredients
- Uncooked Bulgur – Bulgur is a whole grain made usually from durum wheat. Bulgur doesn’t need to be cooked but soaked. It is a highly nutritious whole grain being high in fiber, protein, and magnesium. In grocery stores it is often found near the rice and grains but I have also found it in the ‘ethnic’ food sections as well.
- Parsley – I prefer curly parsley over flat parsley. It will seem like the recipe will call for too much but once you chop it down and aadd it with the other ingredients you will see that it won’t be!
- Tomatoes – To keep the salad from getting slimy (gross) make sure you remove the seeds before you dice up the tomatoes to add to the salad.
- Lemon– I highly recommend using a fresh lemon for the lemon juice and not bottled juice, in a salad like this with just a few ingredients it makes a big difference on the flavor.
- Olive Oil – Like above with the lemon make sure you are using a nice olive oil in this salad since so much of the salad will depend on the taste of the olive oil. I highly recommend using California Olive Ranch, not an ad I am just a huge fan of their oils, especially the 100% California variety!
- Kosher Salt – Kosher or sea salt, not table salt!
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.
Instructions
Add the uncooked bulgur to a large bowl. Boil 4 cups water and add over top the bulgur. Let the bulgur soak for 30 minutes. Drain the water with a colander and run the bulgur under cold water to cool down. Set aside.
While the bulgur is soaking prep the parsley. Remove the parsley from the stems and chop the parsley down.
Next cut the tomato into wedges and carefully remove the seeds and wet insides, dice the deseeded tomatoes.
Add parsley, tomatoes, and bulgur to a large bowl. Cut the lemon in half and then juice all of it into the bowl. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt to the bowl and toss everything together. Make sure to taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice, or salt if needed. Serve immediately or the tabbouleh is best when left to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Tips, Tricks, and Questions
Tabbouleh keeps really well in the fridge overnight although sometimes it might dry out in which case you just need to add another dash of olive oil.
Some Variations to add to your Tabbouleh Salad:
- Fresh mint leaves chopped with the parsley
- Deseeded and chopped cucumber
- Pomegranate seeds in place of the tomato
- Some diced onion
- For a Gluten-Free option sub out the bulgur for quinoa
- Sliced olives for a bit of saltiness
Meal Idea: In the summer I like to serve this Tabbouleh Salad along side my Grilled Greek Chicken Drumsticks as well as a side of Tzatziki Sauce. All three elements of the meal can be prepped ahead of time, either in the morning or the night before so it works perfectly for a beautiful summer evening when you don’t want to be in the kitchen. If we are feeling really hungry I will make a side of my Rice Pilaf with Cranberries too!
If you like this Tabbouleh Salad Recipe you might also like:
- Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers on the Grill
- Greek Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Easy Antipasto Salad
- Simple Spinach Salad
- Grilled Chickpea Salad with Feta
Yield: Serves 8
Tabbouleh Salad
Fresh & healthy Middle Eastern salad full of fresh veggies, herbs, and bulgur. Easy to make and saves great in the fridge this salad is great as part of a mezze platter or a side dish!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked bulgur (course)
- 3 bunches parsley
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Add uncooked bulgur to a large bowl. Boil 4 cups water and add over top the bulgur. Let the bulgur soak for 30 minutes. Drain the water with a colander and run the bulgur under cold water to cool down. Set aside.
- Remove the parsely from the stems and chop the parsely down. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and carefully remove the wet seeds, dice the deseeded tomatoes.
- Add parsley, tomatoes, and bulgur to a large bowl. Cut the lemon in half and juice all of it into the bowl. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt to the bowl and toss everything together. Make sure to taste and add more olive oil or lemon juice if needed. Serve immediately or the tabbouleh is best when left to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Notes
Tabbouleh keeps really well in the fridge overnight although sometimes it might dry out in which case you just need to add another dash of olive oil and/or lemon juice.
I prefer curly parsley but flat leaf parsley works just as well.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 88Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
