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Tabbouleh — Mediterranean Diet Hub

tabbouleh

Tabbouleh recipe with fresh parsley, bulgur, and tomatoes. This Mediterranean salad is bright, filling, and ready in under 25 minutes for a fresh meal.
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Total Time 26 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Calories: 170
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Tabbouleh salad
  • 0.5 cup fine bulgur
  • 2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 0.5 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 4 unit medium tomatoes, diced
  • 0.5 cup cucumber, diced
  • 3 unit scallion, sliced
  • 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon black pepper, ground

Method
 

  1. Soak the bulgur: Place the bulgur in a bowl and cover with hot water (about 1 cup). Let it sit for 12–15 minutes until tender. Drain off any excess water using a fine mesh sieve, and press gently with the back of a spoon to remove extra moisture.
  2. Chop the herbs and veggies: While the bulgur soaks, chop the parsley and mint as fine as you can — I find a large chef’s knife works best. Dice the tomatoes and cucumber, and slice the scallions thin.
  3. Combine everything: In a large bowl, mix the drained bulgur, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber, and scallions. Toss until everything is evenly combined.
  4. Dress the salad: Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. I always add half the salt first, taste, then decide if it needs the rest.
  5. Let the salad sit for at least 5 minutes before serving — this gives the bulgur time to soak up the flavors. Keeps well in the fridge for a day if you want to prep ahead.

Notes

This is what I make when I want my lunch to taste fresh, but also need it to keep me full past 3pm. I tested different grain ratios before settling on this version — it gives you lots of crunch and doesn't turn out soggy.

Technique notes

Squeezing out the extra water from the bulgur is non-negotiable. Otherwise, the salad gets watery. I press it with the back of a spoon in a sieve — not fancy, but it works. Also, don't chop the parsley too early or too lazily. Big chunks change the bite and make it feel less like tabbouleh and more like a random salad.
If the tomatoes are out-of-season or a little bland, I'll salt them after chopping and let them drain for 5 minutes before mixing them in. It wakes up the flavor and helps avoid puddles at the bottom of the bowl later.

Ingredient swaps that do work

Torn curly parsley is fine if you can't find flat-leaf, but don't use dried mint — it just tastes dusty in this salad. For gluten-free, cooked quinoa works, but I use about 3/4 as much by volume since it doesn't absorb the dressing like bulgur does. Cucumber is optional; some traditional versions skip it, but I like the crunch when I have a good, crisp one.

Storage and prep

Tastes best the day you make it, but leftovers are good straight from the fridge next day if you give them a quick toss. If you're packing this for work, keep the dressing separate and mix before eating so the herbs stay bright.