Quinoa tabbouleh is a delicious combination of parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumbers, and quinoa that is seasoned with a lemon olive oil dressing.
Serve it as a flavorful side or a light meal.
Tabbouleh is an incredibly tasty classic Middle Eastern Salad that is traditionally made with bulgar.
This easy and delicious Quinoa Tabbouleh recipe gives the traditional version a nutritional twist without sacrificing the incredible fresh flavor by replacing the wheat bulgar with quinoa.
Why you will love it
- Quinoa is gluten free, packed with nutrition, and a good source for plant protein.
- This dish is colorful and vibrant in flavor.
- It makes an excellent side dish to chicken. I love serving it with my Greek chicken. It is also a great side for shrimp, fish, and pork.
- You can make a big batch and eat on it for days. Therefore, it is great for meal prep.
Watch how to make
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make quinoa tabbouleh.
- mint- Mint is optional. You will find it in most tabbouleh recipes and it adds that punch of extra flavor. However, you can omit it if you don't have any on hand or don't enjoy the flavor.
- green onions
- tomatoes
- cumin
- garlic
- lemon juice- Use fresh squeezed for the best flavor results. Don't use the bottled lemon juice
- olive oil-Use a good quality olive oil such as Pomora Olive Oil.
- quinoa
- parsley
- cucumber- I prefer the English cucumber. It does not need to be peeled. However if you use the cucumber with the waxy skin, I recommend peeling and seeding it before adding it to the salad.
Steps
Follow these simple steps to make quinoa tabbouleh.
- Cook quinoa according to directions.
- In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and cumin.
- After the quinoa has cooled, mix cucumber, tomato, scallions, mint, parsley, and quinoa in a larger bowl.
- Add lemon dressing to the tabouli and mix. Salt and pepper to taste.
Tips
- Dice your vegetables very small and even sized.
- If you have a real juicy tomato, seed it before dicing. You don't want the tomato juices overpowering the lemon dressing.
- Try to dry the parsley and mint before chopping. This will make it easier to cut and help prevent the leaves from bruising.
This salad a perfect choice for the summertime. It is light, fresh, citrusy, healthy, and delicious.
Of course good food is always better shared with some of your closest friends over a glass of wine.
Cheers to summer and all the excuses to celebrating friends, good food, and summer bbqs!
Like quinoa? Try these: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Mexican Quinoa.
For more Middle Eastern recipes try:
- Baba Ganoush
- Israeli Salad
- Chickpea Salad with Lemon
- Mediterranean Beet Salad
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus
How did your tabbouli salad turn out? Please leave me a comment below if you make this and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post a picture of your salad on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Recipe
Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1 cup tomato diced
- ¼ cup green onions diced
- ¼ cup mint leaves finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to directions. Allow to cool.1 cup uncooked quinoa
- In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and cumin.½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice, 1 garlic clove
- After the quinoa has cooled, mix cucumber, tomato, scallions, mint, parsley, and quinoa in a large bowl.1 cup cucumber, 1 cup tomato, ¼ cup green onions, ¼ cup mint leaves, 1 ½ cup parsley
- Add lemon dressing. Mix well.
- Salt and pepper to taste.salt and pepper to taste
