Best Tabbouleh or Tabouli Salad Recipe Ever! (2024)

FAQs

What is a tabouli salad traditionally made from? ›

Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة, romanized: tabbūla), also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, soaked uncooked bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper.

Letting tabouli sit for a day in the refrigerator may even help the flavors mingle. Because of its ingredients, tabouli will last in the refrigerator for up to four days, so make sure you eat it before then.

By lightly salting the vegetables in a colander, you can extract some of the water and get more concentrated veggie flavours in the tabbouleh. Why is my tabbouleh bitter? The most likely sources of bitterness in a tabbouleh are parsley and olive oil. The parsley should be finely chopped to avoid bitter flavours.

Pre-salting the tomatoes and parsley removes excess liquid through osmosis, preventing the salad from becoming soupy later. Tomato water is re-infused into the salad by using it to soak the bulgur, enhancing the flavor. Soaking the bulgur in heated tomato water ensures it will soften, regardless of its grind size.

Tabbouleh is a healthy, vegetarian food that has no cholesterol, is low in fat, and high in fiber, vitamins, and much more. Plus, it makes great use of the backyard gardener's abundance of parsley, mint, tomatoes and cucumbers. This vegan dish can be made gluten-free by substituting quinoa for bulgur wheat.

It's great for your digestive health and skin. Some versions of tabbouleh tend to be heavier on the bulgar wheat, whereas traditionally the parsley is the main feature. I like both varieties but if I'm serving it as a side dish or in a flat bread I prefer the lighter, greener type.

Tabouli is a great side that I could eat every day. I love the textures from the bulgar wheat and chopped vegetables. The flavors are bold from the fresh herbs and lemony dressing. I find that tabouli is so versatile that I enjoy it along so many different mains like grilled chicken, steak, and shrimp.

While the classic tabbouleh recipe includes bulgur wheat, alternative versions can be made without it, using substitutes like quinoa, couscous, or even omitting the grain entirely. These variations allow for dietary restrictions or personal preferences while still maintaining the essence of the dish.

I love this tabouli salad recipe: it's refreshing and bursting with herby, lemony flavour. The genius of this recipe is that burghul is normally soaked in water but here it is soaked in lemon juice and tomatoes. The liquid slowly seeps from the tomato, softening and flavouring the burghul at the same time.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

Are hummus and tabouli healthy? ›

Oil-free hummus and tabbouleh are healthy, tasty, and incredibly flavorful.

However, if stored properly in a refrigerator, homemade tabbouleh can last up to 5 days. If you bought store-packaged tabbouleh, it should have a printed expiration date. It's safe to eat for around 2 days after opening, but always check the date and the product itself.

You can freeze parsley and use it all year long until it's either in season again or you grow your own. Just make sure that the parsley is very dry before you freeze it (towel it off with a paper towel until almost all of the excess water is removed).

Tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli) is a super fresh herb and bulgur salad, with parsley being the number one ingredient. It's dotted with diced cucumber and tomato, and dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. It's refreshing, light and packed with healthy ingredients.

Tabbouleh is basically parsley salad. There's technically no lettuce in it. It's a salad made up of parsley, tomatoes, bulgur wheat, and green onions – all finely chopped and tossed with olive oil and lemon juice!

The Origin of Tabbouleh

The name tabbouleh comes from the Arabic word 'taabil' which means to season or spice and tabbouleh is thought to have first been eaten in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria more than 4000 years ago.

Authentic tabbouleh is made with super fine grain (#1) bulgur and it's soaked rather than cooked, but I haven't been able to find it at regular grocery stores. There are several other varieties of bulgurs, and you'll probably find only one option at the store. So, cook (or soak) it according to the package directions.

If you're asking yourself what cuisine is tabbouleh salad from: it's Lebanese! Lebanese tabbouleh is essentially a chopped salad. Authentic tabbouleh is made with lots of fresh parsley leaves, diced tomato, thin slices of scallion, fresh mint leaves, and a bit of soaked fine bulgur.