Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)
Local name: تبولة
In short: Finely chopped parsley and mint with ripe tomato, scallion and a little fine bulgur, dressed with lemon and olive oil, Lebanon's best-known salad. It takes about 30 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Resting
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 205 kcal
Real Lebanese tabbouleh is a parsley salad with a little bulgur, not the other way around. Mountains of flat-leaf parsley are chopped by hand until fine, then mixed with mint, ripe tomatoes, scallions and just enough soaked bulgur to catch the juices. Lemon and olive oil bring it together. It is a fixture on mezze tables, and it tastes best made within an hour of serving.
Instructions
- Wash the parsley and mint well, then dry them completely, first in a salad spinner and then on a clean towel. Wet herbs turn to paste under the knife.
- Put the diced tomatoes in a large bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of the salt and add the rinsed bulgur on top. Leave for 15 minutes so the bulgur softens in the tomato juice.
- Gather the parsley into tight bunches and chop it very finely with a sharp knife, then chop the mint. Slice the scallions thinly.
- Add the parsley, mint and scallions to the tomatoes and bulgur.
- Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, remaining salt, allspice and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss gently. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt, and serve with romaine leaves for scooping.
Tips
- Dry the parsley completely and chop it with a very sharp knife, in bunches, rather than in a food processor, which bruises it into a wet paste.
- Dress the salad just before serving so the herbs stay bright. For a gluten-free version, replace the bulgur with finely chopped raw cauliflower or cooked quinoa.
Questions and answers
Can I make tabbouleh ahead of time?
Wash, dry and chop the herbs up to 4 hours ahead and keep them in the fridge, covered with a paper towel. Soak the bulgur in the diced tomatoes as in the recipe, then mix everything and add the dressing just before serving.
Is tabbouleh gluten-free?
Not with bulgur, which is cracked wheat. Use quinoa, or leave the grain out for a pure herb salad.
How is Lebanese tabbouleh different from other versions?
It is mostly parsley, with only a spoonful or two of bulgur. Many versions made abroad use far more bulgur and far less parsley.
How long does it take to make Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)?
About 30 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 0 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)?
About 205 kcal per serving, with 4 g of protein, 16 g of carbohydrates and 14 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 205 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Sodium | 600 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
