Best Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Growing up in the middle east, tabbouleh was a staple at our home. To me, it represents the ultimate salad in any gathering or party. This healthy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad recipe is delicious, filling, gluten-free and vegan.

Here is my version of the tabbouleh salad; I am using Quinoa instead of bulgur wheat as it is a great vegan and gluten-free substitute.

What is Tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh or Tabouli is a classic Middle Eastern popular salad. The traditional tabbouleh is made from bulgur wheat (cracked whole-grain wheat kernels), fresh herbs, tomatoes, onions, seasoning, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. It is considered a mezze along with hummus and baba ganoush.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Ingredients:

• Quinoa: I used tri-color quinoa, available in any grocery store.
• Fresh Parsley: chopped parsley is the main ingredient in the tabbouleh.
• Tomatoes and Red Onions: Diced.
• Fresh Leaves or Dried Mint. I did not have any fresh mint leaves, so I used dried mint in this recipe; it works well too!
• Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives that tangy taste.
• Extra virgin Olive Oil.
• Salt and Black pepper, to taste.
• Ground Cumin (optional): I like adding it to my quinoa tabbouleh; it enhances the taste.

How To Make Quinoa Tabbouleh?

1. Cook the Quinoa. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes—fluff with a fork. Leave it to cool down before adding it to the salad. You can cook the quinoa while chopping the vegetables.
2. Prep the vegetables. Finely chop the parsley, tomatoes, and onions. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
3. Assemble. Add the salt, black pepper, ground cumin, fresh or dried mint, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and olive oil. Give it a nice mix, and enjoy.  

 Important Tips:

1. Avoid chopping the parsley in the food processor; that will give you wet and damaged parsley (It won’t taste or look good)! Instead, it’s easier to chop the parsley by making them into a bouquet, cut off the stems and then chop them all together using a sharp knife, then chop again until they are minced very well.
2. You can cook the quinoa in advance and refrigerate it to be ready anytime.
3. You may add cucumber or green onions to this salad if you prefer.

What to Serve with Quinoa Tabbouleh?

• Tabbouleh or Tabouli is a healthy and delicious side dish or appetizer. It is considered a mezze along with Hummus, Baba ganoush, and Falafel.
• Serve it with Grape leaves, Grilled meats, cheese, or zaatar Manakeesh.

Storage:

Best Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

5 from 3 votes

Recipe by Raneem Course: Salads, AppetizersCuisine: Middle EastDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

139

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

This healthy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad recipe is delicious, filling, gluten-free and vegan.

Ingredients

• Quinoa:

• 1 Cup 1 Dry Quinoa (Tri-Color)

• 2 Cups 2 Water

• 1/4 Teaspoon 1/4 Sea Salt

• Salad:

• 2 Bunches 2 Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped

• 2 Medium 2 Tomatoes, Finely Chopped

• 1/2 Small 1/2 Red Onion, Finely Chopped

• 2 Tablespoons 2 Dry or Fresh Mint

• 1 Teaspoon 1 Sea Salt

• 1/2 Teaspoon 1/2 Black Pepper

• 1/2 Teaspoon 1/2 Ground Cumin (optional)

• 1/4-1/2 Cup 1/4-1/2 Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (1-2 lemons)

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

• Cook the quinoa: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa and 1/2 tsp salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes—fluff with a fork. Leave it to cool down completely before adding it to the salad.
• Finely chop the parsley by making a bouquet of them, cut off the stems and then chop them all together using a sharp knife, then chop again until they are minced very well.
• Finely chop the tomatoes and onions then transfer them to a large salad bowl.
• Add the cooked quinoa, dry or fresh mint, salt, black pepper, ground cumin (optional), freshly squeezed lemon juice, and olive oil. Give it a nice mix, and serve immediately or refrigerate for 3-4 days.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Avoid chopping the parsley in the food processor; that will give you wet and damaged parsley (It won’t taste or look good)! Instead, it’s easier to chop the parsley by making them into a bouquet, cut off the stems and then chop them all together using a sharp knife, then chop again until they are minced very well.
• You can cook the quinoa in advance and refrigerate it to be ready anytime.
• You may add cucumber or green onions to this salad if you prefer.

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