Julie Clark
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Tabbouleh Recipe
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Discover the freshness of tabbouleh, a parsley salad, with hints of refreshing mint and earthy bulgur. Pomegranate adds a touch of sweet.
When I visited Israel in Februrary 2023, one of my favorite parts was cooking with a woman named Doris in her home in Jaffa. I’ve already shared her mujadara and hummus recipes. Today I’m sharing her Tabbouleh Salad recipe.
Her version of this parsley salad is not just any Tabbouleh, but is a unique fusion of tradition and innovation. Taking inspiration from the classic recipe, she added a twist – pomegranate. The juicy, sweet pomegranate seeds blend perfectly with the fresh, vibrant parsley, creating a salad that is delightfully refreshing. It’s perfect for a light lunch or a flavorful vegan side salad.
About this Tabbouleh Recipe:
- Flavor: Tabbouleh has a distinct herby flavor, tartness of lemon and tomatoes, earthy bulgur wheat and lightly sweet pomegranate. In every bite!
- Texture: This recipe is loaded with a variety of textures, from crunchy and chewy, to juicy and tender.
- Method: This recipe takes lots of dicing of fresh herbs and veggies, but once that is done you throw it in a bowl and refrigerate. That’s it!
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh or Tabouli is a popular Levantine salad that originates in Lebanon and Syria.
One thing I love about Israel and the Mediterranean is that it is a melting pot of different cultures. You can walk into a fresh air market and get cuisine from Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Greece and Hungary. Doris has a rich heritage with so much to share, and I’m honored that she shared some of her best recipes with us. I have videos of her teaching us to make this fresh salad and I’ll treasure them forever.
Ingredients in Tabbouleh
The key ingredients in a classic tabbouleh salad include:
- Freshly chopped parsley: This is the primary ingredient. You can use flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley. Curly parsley will allow the salad to have more bulk, but flat-leaf parsley salad is smoother. I’ve used both types of parsley. You’ll need 5 ounces of parsley.
- Bulgur wheat: Bulgur is cracked wheat. You’ll soak it in lemon juice. It adds texture to the salad.
- Fresh mint: A little goes a long way with fresh mint. I bought a package that was ½ an ounce. After I pulled the leaves off, the mint leaves measured ⅓ an ounce.
- Roma tomatoes: Roma tomatoes don’t have a lot of juice and seeds, so they are perfect for this salad.
- Green onion. Thinly sliced.
- Lemon juice: Buy about 3 pounds of fresh lemons for this recipe to ensure you have enough.
- Olive oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is best.
- Salt: Added for flavor.
- Pomegranate. This was Doris’s special ingredient. I loved the slight sweet this adds.
Be sure to wash all of the herbs and veggies well. A salad spinner comes in handy for drying them quickly.
How do you make Tabbouleh?
Making Tabbouleh involves a lot of chopping and dicing. You’ll want all of the veggies diced very finely, so have a sharp knife and cutting board at hand.
Juice the lemons. You’ll need about 5 lemons. Because lemon is a key flavor of the salad, use fresh lemons! Don’t be tempted to take a shortcut here.
Soak the bulgur. Place the bulgur in a small bowl. Pour lemon juice over the top until it completely covers the bulgur wheat. It will soak up the lemon juice while you are prepping the veggies, making it tender.
Cut the parsley. What part of the parsley do you use? Cut off the thicker, woody stalks, but don’t worry about cutting off the little stems. You won’t notice them. Then dice it all up finely. Place the parsley in a large bowl.
Cut the mint. Pull the leaves off the stems, then finely dice the fresh mint leaves.
Dice the veggies. Finely dice the tomatoes and green onion.
Add in the remaining ingredients: Bulgur with lemon juice, pomegranate, olive oil, salt and a little more lemon juice, to taste. Toss it all together and you’re done.
Other Additions
This salad has a lot of flavor as is, but you can add some of the following:
- Add finely diced cucumber. This is a great way to add bulk to the salad without changing the flavor too much.
- Add black pepper for flavor.
- Love feta? Sprinkle the top with feta cheese.
- Try adding olives!
- Make it a meal by adding protein. Tofu or diced chicken would be great options.
Substitutions
- If you can’t find bulgur, you could try using quinoa or couscous instead.
- Cherry tomatoes would be an alternate for Roma tomatoes.
- Red onion has a strong flavor, but would be really good in this salad.
Storage Instructions
Parsley salad is good in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Store it in an airtight container.
Tabbouleh Recipe
Discover the freshness of tabbouleh, a parsley salad, with hints of refreshing mint and earthy bulgur. Pomegranate adds a touch of sweet.
Servings 8
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 lemons
- 1/4 cup bulgur wheat
- 5 ounces fresh parsley (about 2 bunches of parsley)
- 1/3 ounce fresh mint leaves
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 3 green onions
- 2/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Squeeze the juice out of the lemons.
- Place the bulgur in a small bowl. Pour lemon juice over the top until it completely covers the bulgur wheat. It will soak up the lemon juice while you are prepping the veggies, making it tender. Set the remaining lemon juice aside.
- Cut off the thicker, woody stems of the parsley, but don't worry about cutting off the little stems. Using a sharp knife, dice the fresh parsley finely. Place the parsley in a large bowl.
- Pull the mint leaves off the stems, then finely dice the fresh mint leaves and add them to the bowl.
- Finely dice the tomatoes and green onion and add to the bowl.
- Add the bulgur (with lemon juice), pomegranate, olive oil, salt and a little more lemon juice, to taste. Toss it all together.
- Refrigerate until serving.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
- Freshly chopped parsley: This is the primary ingredient. You can use flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley. Curly parsley will allow the salad to have more bulk, but flat-leaf parsley salad is smoother. I’ve used both types of parsley. You’ll need 5 ounces of parsley.
- Fresh mint: A little goes a long way with fresh mint. I bought a package that was ½ an ounce. After I pulled the leaves off, the mint leaves measured ⅓ an ounce.
Nutrition
Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1732IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
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