| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa (red or white), rinsed
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 bunches of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 4 cups), see Cook’s Note*
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- Small handful jarred peppadew peppers or roasted red peppers, finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, in a small cast-iron skillet (if possible), toast the quinoa over moderately-high heat until the grains give off a nutty aroma and start to pop. Pour the quinoa into the boiling water, taking care that the pot doesn’t boil over! Turn it down to a simmer, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
- Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 rounded teaspoon of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Combine the parsley, mint, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppadews and the cooled cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste for seasoning, and let sit for about 5 minutes before you serve. (This tastes even better the next day!)
- Another way to serve it is with the tabbouleh in the center of a platter encircled with endive or romaine leaves to scoop it up.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 175 calorie |
| Total Fat | 10 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 0 milligrams |
| Sodium | 170 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 17 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.5 grams |
| Protein | 4 grams |
| Sugar | 4 grams |
Reviews
This was really good, fresh, and light with all of the herbs. I gave it 4 stars, because it’s a bit lemony for me. I’ll do half the lemon juice or double the quinoa next time. I also added cumin since a similar recipe I have uses cumin and Dijon mustard in the vinaigrette. Will add spring onion and feta cheese next time. Black beans would be delicious too. Served with grilled steak. Yum! Summer!
Delicious! Skipped peppers and nutmeg. Used veggies and herbs from my garden. Note need more than 1 lemon to get enough juice. This was yummy regardless
Anything too small to rinse in a colander may do well if rinsed in a mesh strainer.
AND
Thank you for critiquing this dish. I love touboulli and now I will try to make it, of course, using the right tomatoes and without the nutmeg and peppers.
AND
Thank you for critiquing this dish. I love touboulli and now I will try to make it, of course, using the right tomatoes and without the nutmeg and peppers.
O
I was born where this dish was invented. The parsley needs to be very finely chopped. No cherry tomatoes, but beef steak tomatoes chopped less than quarter of an inch in size. Definitely no not meg. Mint is ok, optional? No cucumbers but needs good green onions chopped fine. As far as cracked wheat (best) but quinoa is fine. Absolutely no peppers of any kind. It bugs me when people doctor the finest Lebanese salad ever made. Pretty soon they will add bacon to it!
My family preferred this recipe to the traditional tabbulah made with bulgar. Served it with Naan bread spread with hummus and then topped with the tabbulah. A very satisfying meal.
Delicious! The key ingredient is the mint – must use fresh! I toasted the Quinoa first, then rinsed it before adding to the boiling water – worked perfectly! 1/4 teaspoon of salt is all you need (directions for salt, pepper & nutmeg were a little confusing so please do not add 1/2 teaspoon of each) a few grinds of pepper and definitely just a pinch of nutmeg. A keeper!
I’ve made tabouleh for years. This is the first time I substituted quinoa instead of bulgur. I will never use anything but quinoa again! If you have not had authentic tabouleh before, make this recipe exactly. Tabouleh is a parsley, mint tomato salad. That’s it! In Lebanon or Israel or Turkey they add some amount of grain, mostly bulgar wheat. Some cultures add couscous. Regardless of the particular region, tabouleh is all about the parsley, mint, tomato, lemon juice and really fruity and flavorful olive oil. OMG! Dinner tonight is tabouleh, raita and lamb burgers!
I made this last night and served it with a first cut rib-eye steak and it was absolutely amazing. The toasting of the Quinoa created so much more depth of flavor. If you just want the Quinoa on its own, I still recommend toasting it first.
Took it to a Christmas party, and it was a HUGE hit. I’ve been asked for the recipe several times. As usual, I changed one or two things: I didn’t bother with the nutmeg (not worth the trouble); and I used a fresh orange pepper, finely diced, in place of the peppadew peppers–it gave the dish a fresher flavor with a little extra crunch and added color. I also had to buy a mint plant since i couldn’t find it in my grocery store, and the freshness of the freshly picked leaves was PERFECTION!!