This Tabouli Salad (Tabbouleh) is terrific because the longer it sits in your refrigerator, the more delicious it becomes! Herbs, tomato acidity, and lemon juice infuse bulgur wheat, creating a healthy side dish or salad. Fresh herbs are an absolute must, as parsley becomes the star of the show in this salad. I like to make a big batch and have it to snack on and for lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients for Tabouli Salad Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Tabouli Salad Recipe:
Fine, Medium, or Course Bulgur Wheat: Bulgur is cracked a whole-grain- cracked wheat. Most traditional recipes use fine, bulgur wheat. Any of these will work for this recipe; just check out how to cook bulgur to learn how to cook each grind for this salad properly.
Flat-Leaf Parsley: Parsley is the star of this salad, creating a fresh green base that levels up all the other ingredients.
Fresh Mint: Fresh mint also rounds out this salad, adding a pleasant cooling taste to this cold salad.
Large Roma Tomatoes: I like to use Roma tomatoes for this salad because they are meaty and have fewer seeds than Beefsteak or other larger tomatoes. Check out how to dice a tomato and how to seed them properly.
Green Onions: Green onions add a silkiness and slight pungency to the salad, which pairs nicely with acidic tomatoes and lemon.
Fresh Lemon Juice: I love fresh lemon juice! It brightens this salad and brings it to another level!
Olive Oil: I like to use top-quality olive oil for this salad, as the oil is used more as a finishing oil.
Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper: Salt helps bring out the natural sweetness of the ingredients while pepper adds a lovely bite that rounds out the salad
Find the full recipe with ingredients and directions below.
How to make Tabouli Salad
Salt and De-seed Tomatoes: Cut the Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise, and sprinkle them with salt. This will help draw out excess moisture and make the tabouli salad less soggy. After a few minutes, cut the tomato halves into quarters, and then carve out the core, seeds, and membrane with a paring knife.
Gather and Prep Ingredients: Finely chop tomatoes, parsley, green onion, and mint. Juice the lemons and soak the bulgur (adjust based on the grind).
Mix the Salad: Combine the bulgur, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and green onions in a large bowl.
Season and Toss: Add fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss well.
Rest and Serve: Let the salad sit for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld together before serving.
FAQs
Tabouli is a traditional Middle Eastern Salad that is made from the combination of cracked Bulgur wheat, fresh chopped parsley and mint, chopped tomatoes, and lemon juice and olive oil. It’s usually served as a side dish alongside other dips and spreads.
Tabouli is the name of the Middle Eastern salad and bulgur is one of the ingredients used to compose the salad.
Yes, Tabouli salad is extremely healthy! Bulgur is a whole grain that’s a fantastic fiber source, nutrient-dense, and low in calories. This cracked wheat, combined with the herbs and vegetables, makes a tremendous nutritious vegetarian side that’s packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and nutrients.
*Wash and dry your herbs completely before chopping to prevent them from becoming mushy.
*Seeding your tomatoes will also help reduce excess moisture. You can also add a sprinkle of salt to your chopped tomatoes to draw out excess moisture before adding them to the salad.
Your tabouli could taste bitter if you over-chop your herbs, causing them to bruise and thus become bitter. Also, sometimes a harsh, low-quality olive oil can taste quite bitter, so make sure you taste your oil before using it in this salad. Letting this salad sit for 30 minutes before eating will allow the flavors to soften and meld together and can also help with bitterness.
Tabouli Salad Experts Tips & Tricks
Follow these tips and tricks below to get the best tabouli salad you’ve ever eaten!
Kinds of Bulgur Wheat: Bulgur wheat is often found in fine, medium, or coarse grinds. For most authentic Middle Eastern recipes, fine bulgur is used, and to “cook” or prep it, you have to soak it in water for 10-15 minutes to soften and rehydrate. However, if you’re using a medium or coarse bulgur, boiling water (or stock) is necessary to cook the wheat with a ratio of one part bulgur to one in a half parts liquid for medium around 12 minutes and course bulgur 15 minutes cooking time. Check out how to cook bulgur to master this cracked wheat every time. You can use fine, medium, or coarse for this recipe; just make sure you prepare the grind properly.
Chopping Herbs: Because herbs are so delicate, you want to run the knife through them as few times as possible with an extremely sharp knife so they don’t bruise and become bitter. I recommend hand-chopping the herbs and not using a food processor. To fully understand how to chop, check out how to chiffonade basil and mint and learn expert tips and tricks.
Chopping Tomatoes: Because tomatoes have so much liquid, I like to seed them and draw out excess moisture with a pinch of salt before adding them to the salad. You can learn how to seed tomatoes by checking out how to dice a tomato using all the proper steps.
Allow Flavors to Meld: After making this tabouli salad, let the ingredients meld together and marinate for 30 minutes to one hour before eating. Over time, the salad will soften, and the flavor will be more pronounced.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This Tabouli salad is fantastic to serve with several dips, sauced, and vegetable sides to create a full Mezze spread. Or, you can simply pair this salad with a fabulous protein and be completely satisfied. Check out my favorite pairing below.
Dips: This salad pairs perfectly with homemade hummus, which is creamy and delicious, along with Tirokafteri (the roasted pepper and feta dip that has a slight bite) and Tzatziki, which is cool and refreshing.
Vegetables: Roasted beets, air fryer broccoli, roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, and roasted vegetables are a lovely accompaniment to this salad and any mezze spread. I also love to make this Tahini sauce and drizzle it over my roasted vegetables.
Proteins: You can also make this pan-seared salmon or duck breast recipe or this vegetarian saganaki (crispy fried cheese) that tastes fabulous with this Tabouli salad.
Storage Instructions
This salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. The flavors marinate and deepen with time.
Refrigerator: You can store it in an airtight container for six days in your refrigerator.
Freezer: Not recommended—fresh herbs and tomatoes don’t freeze well.
More Favorite Salad Recipes
- Japanese Cucumber Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Corn Salad Recipe
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Farro Salad
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Burrata Salad
Tabouli Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Chef's knife or Santoku knife
- Paring Knife
- Measuring Cup Set
- Citrus Juicer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fine or course bulgur wheat, cooked
- 4 large Roma tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tbs fresh mint, finely sliced (chiffonade)
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (plus additional salt to sprinkle on the tomatoes)
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Cook bulgur per package instructions or follow this recipe: how to cook bulgur wheat.
- Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise, and sprinkle with salt to draw out excess moisture.
- Cut the tomato halves in quarters, then scoop out the membrane and seeds with a paring knife. Discard innards.
- Dice the tomato quarters, chop the parsley, finely slice the mint and green onion, juice the lemons, and place in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
- Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
