A simple Traditional Tabbouleh Salad (tabouli salad) made the way I loved eating it growing up. A delicious blend of bulgar wheat, parsley, mint and a variety of vegetables in a lemon and olive oil dressing.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I have probably eaten tabbouleh/tabouli hundreds and hundreds of times. This was a favourite of mine growing up in a Lebanese family. Even living in London, I love eating Lebanese food whenever I can, and tabbouleh is always on the table.
I wasn’t sure whether to name this as a tabouli recipe or tabbouleh, as I know that both are used for the same dish. Personally, it’s tabbouleh to me though, so that is what I’ll mostly be referring to it as throughout this post.
One thing I noticed when moving to London was how differently British people work with different herbs. Mint is so prevalent in Lebanese and Middle Eastern dishes, yet it doesn’t seem as common/ important here. In fact, I was surprised to find out that people here aren’t as enamoured with mint as I am.
This simple tabbouleh salad just wouldn’t be the same without the delicious chopped fresh mint. I don’t think you could even call it a Lebanese salad without the use of delicious herbs to inject flavour into the dish.
What is tabouli/tabbouleh?
Lebanese tabbouleh salad is basically a parsley salad, made with a blend of parsley, mint, bulgar wheat, green onion and tomato in a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. It’s available in most Lebanese and Mediterranean restaurants/ takeaways ( with both spellings used!).
Chopped parsley is really the star of the show for this salad, with the mint and lemon adding excellent extra dimensions of flavour. By using the full length of the green onions, you also get the subtle taste of the green part along with the onion-y tasting white part.
Plus, unlike many western grainy salads – the bulgar wheat takes more of a back row in this particular dish. It is adding flavour and texture without taking over / overpowering the salad. And preparing it within the salad dressing means it absorbs flavour while plumping up. The results are delicious bites of flavour within the tabbouleh salad and a slight chewiness and no hot water needed (another method to prepare the bulgur).
While tabbouleh is a popular side dish and appetizer, I’ve included lettuce within my recipe to use as salad wraps. This is a way I’ve loved eating tabbouleh for years so thought others may too.
Luckily, tabbouleh is super simple to make. It’s just a lot of chopping – making sure to chop all the ingredients finely. This can take some time if you’re not used to being as ‘delicate’ with your chopping but is well worth it.
How to Make Tabouli/Tabbouleh Salad
One of the best things about tabbouleh is that it is super simple to make and only takes a few ingredients and a few, super simple steps.
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes
- 5 green spring onion stalks
- 1 medium bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 medium-sized Romaine lettuce head
- 1 small red chilli pepper (optional)
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 lemon
- 1 tbsp bulgur wheat (fine bulgur)*
- salt
- pepper
Note* For a Gluten-free version you could sub quinoa or some others use couscous (but I prefer either quinoa or bulgur wheat)
Steps
To start making this tabbouleh recipe, begin by preparing the dressing. To do this, whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together with the salt, pepper and the bulgur wheat. It’s important to do this at the beginning, so the wheat has time to soak up some of the liquid, then set aside (while the other ingredients are getting chopped).
After a couple of minutes, the fine bulgur wheat will already have absorbed the dressing’s flavour.
Note* I suggest using the finest bulgur wheat you can find as this is best for soaking up the liquid. It is usually sold in a few different grain sizes.
Next, finely chop the tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint. You want to chop them as finely as you can. There is no need to cut the lettuce as its leaves will be used as a wrap for the salad.
Mix the veggies in a large bowl, then add the dressing and stir well.
Serve with the lettuce leaves. Optionally, you can also eat it with pita bread, as part of a mezze platter or have it as a side along with a protein of your choice.
Note* This salad is a good option for meal-prep too. It can be made up to 4 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge. In fact, making this recipe a day or two before serving will let the flavours develop (although optional).
Other Lebanese- Inspired Recipes You May Like
If you like this tabbouleh then you may also like this Lebanese Fattoush Salad or this charred eggplant salad bowl. Alternatively, for a simple healthy breakfast dish, you might like this healthy Shakshuka.
If you want to make a mezze platter, then check out these recipes for Moutabal aubergine dip, easy rainbow vegan falafels, and/or rainbow hummus:6 ways.
If you give this traditional tabouli/ tabbouleh recipe a try, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, I love seeing your recreations, so tag me @AlphaFoodie.
Traditional Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 3 ripe tomatoes medium-sized
- 5 green onion both white and green parts
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley large bunch (2 cups chopped)
- 1/2 cup mint leaves fresh or 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 Romaine lettuce head medium-sized
- 1 red chilli pepper optional
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 lemon
- 1.5 tsp bulgur wheat
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by whisking the olive oil and lemon juice together with the salt, pepper and the bulgur wheat. It's important to do this at the beginning, so the wheat has time to soak up some of the liquid, then set aside.After a couple of minutes, the fine bulgur wheat will already have absorbed the dressing's flavour. *
- Next, chop the tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint. You want to chop them as finely as you can. There is no need to cut the lettuce as its leaves will be used as a wrap for the salad.
- Mix the veggies in a large bowl, then add the dressing and stir well.
- Serve with the lettuce leaves. Optionally, you can also eat it with pita bread, as part of a mezze platter or have it as a side along with a protein of your choice.**
Sue
Hmm, I suppose it was supposed to be 1.5 tsp COOKED Bulgar? I added straight from the package eek
Support @ Alphafoodie
Hi Sue,
Burgur wheat should already be pre-cooked in the package. So then you can soak it directly with the rest of the dressing ingredients. I hope this helps.
john buikhuisen
i soak the wheat in water then squeeze the water out and rub it with spring onions I love this salad with falafels,baba ghannouj and or hummus also kebabs…..mmmmmmm….i have eaten lebanese food for 40 years and love it so much,so tasty and so healthy,keep up the good work,cheers john the kiwi
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you so much for your comment, John!
Miriam Schoeman
What is the quantity of the lemon? Is it 1.5 lemons? Or is it 1.5 tablespoons?
Samira @ Alphafoodie
Hi Miriam, sorry about that, it’s 1 and half small lemons. This is meant to be lemony, but you can start with one and see if you like it that way! then add more to your liking.
Justin
Tabbouleh is one of my all-time favorite dishes, and of course I always rely on Alphafoodie for the best recipes.
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you so much for your comment, Justin. Glad you are enjoying the recipe.
Salma
I followed the recipe exactly but did not include the optional chili pepper. And it was a big hit! It was delicious, thanks for the great recipe!
Rach
Absolutely delicious. Used fresh parsley and tomatoes from the garden, my husband and I loved it. Thanks so much.
Support @ Alphafoodie
So happy you tried this, Rach. Thank you for your comment.
Healthysmed
2- To achieve the right tabouli texture, you will need to chop the vegetables as finely as possible. Can one use a food processor to chop tabouli ingredients? You can use one to chop the parsley, if you like, but I would advice you to chop the tomatoes, green onions etc. using a sharp knife.
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thanks for your comment. I suggest chopping the tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint. You could also blitz the parsley and mint in a food processor if you prefer – just one or two pulses to chop them finely.
I hope this helps.