Authentic Lebanese Tabouli Recipe

If you've been looking for the perfect Tabouli salad recipe, look no further! This authentic Lebanese tabouli salad has been described by my friends as "light," "refreshing," and "flavorful," and I couldn't agree more! It goes perfectly with sumac chicken and shish kabobs!

Although most Middle Eastern cultures enjoy this tasty salad, the credit for tabouli goes to the Lebanese. Assyrians do pronounce the name differently, however. We call it "Tabbouleh" instead of "Tabouli." That's where the differences begin and end.

This salad is loaded with nutritious ingredients, but you'll feel like your splurging when you taste its amazing flavor!

Jump to:

• 🧐 Why This Recipe Works
• 🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
• 🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
• 🥗 How to Make Tabouli Salad
• 🧆 Tabouli Salad Serving Suggestions
• 🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
• 🥦 Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🧐 Why This Recipe Works

• This Mediterranean salad recipe is simple to prepare and so delicious.
• It is a very healthy recipe and loaded with nutrition, so eat up!
• The salad can be prepared ahead of time. Just add the dressing and seasoning right before serving it!
• This salad is filling enough to eat as a light lunch, or you can serve it as a side with grilled meats or as part of a mezze platter.

🛒 What You Need For This Recipe

🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions

• Bulgur: Bulgur is a par boiled cracked wheat and comes in different grain sizes from 1 to 4. You'll need #1, which is the finest.
• Lettuce: I prefer to use Romaine lettuce but you can substitute another crisp lettuce or leave the lettuce out and add more parsley.
• Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are my favorite tomatoes to add in tabbouleh.
• Cucumbers: I prefer to use Persian cucumbers. If you have access to Armenian cucumbers they are an excellent option. If you can't get either, use an English cucumber.
• Onion: Green onions or scallions are usually added to tabbouleh.
• Fresh Herbs: You'll need either flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley and fresh mint leaves.
• Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. If you have to, you can substitute avocado oil.
• Seasoning: All you need is salt and black pepper. A little cayenne pepper can be added for heat. Speaking of heat, you can add 1 spicy Chile such as a Serrano or a jalapeño pepper, although they are not traditionally added to a tabbouleh salad.

🥗 How to Make Tabouli Salad

Step 1: Add bulgur to a medium-sized bowl. Pour warm water over the bulgur and soak for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Most of the water will get absorbed, but squeeze handfuls of bulgur over a strainer, to remove any additional moisture. Place the bulgur in the fridge until completely cooled.

Step 3: Meanwhile, chop/mince the vegetables and herbs then add to a medium-sized bowl. Once the bulgur has cooled off, mix in with the vegetables and herbs.

Step 4: Whisk the dressing ingredients, and pour over the salad.

Step 5: Gently mix the salad ingredients, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Sometimes the salad needs a little extra lemon juice or salt right before serving it.

If you're looking for other authentic Lebanese recipes, make sure you try this Lebanese Salad Dressing recipe from Janelle at PlantBasedFolk.com!

How to Make Gluten Free Tabbouleh

If you can't tolerate gluten, you can still enjoy this tasty salad. To make gluten-free tabouli, substitute quinoa for the bulgur. You'll want to cook the quinoa as directed on the package then cool completely before mixing it in with the other ingredients.

🧆 Tabouli Salad Serving Suggestions

One way to serve tabouli is in a bowl that's lined with romaine lettuce leaves. It makes for a beautiful presentation. You can also sprinkle the salad with feta cheese to up the protein.

Tabbouleh can be served as part of mezze, as a side dish, or as an appetizer. Serve this Lebanese tabbouleh salad with any of the following:

• Assyrian Egg rolls
• Falafel
• Arayes (meat-stuffed Pita Pockets)
• Homemade Pita Bread
• Authentic Lebanese Hummus

🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

• If you prefer the taste of traditional Tabouli, just leave out the Romaine lettuce and jalapeno. Instead, add a whole bunch of Italian parsley.
• Tabouli is best when eaten the same day, but if you have leftovers, a squirt of fresh lemon can do wonders.
• Bulgur comes in four grinds. Grind #1 is the finest, while #4 is the largest grind and is used to make (Bulgur Pilaf). The finest grind is used to make Tabouli.
• If you don't have fresh mint, dried mint can be substituted.
• Some add additional ingredients like sumac powder or pomegranate molasses to tabouli.

🥦 Related Recipes

If you enjoy this Middle Eastern salad recipe, be sure to try these other tasty salads as well!

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