This Levantine salad is so refreshing especially on hot summer days! Enjoy its classic citrus aroma and flavors with this quick and easy Tabouli salad recipe!
This salad is my husband’s favorite salad of all time. He grew up with this salad and has never grown tired of it.
Every few days we make a large batch of this Tabouli salad recipe and store it in a big container in the fridge. He pairs it with nearly every dish he eats at home. Burgers for dinner? Slap on some Tabouli. Steamed veggies, rice, and steak? Pour the Tabouli on that. Sandwiches for lunch? Pass the Tabouli please.
Since we make it so often, we have found an efficient formula that we always stick to (anyone who has made authentic Tabouli knows that there is a lot of chopping involved).
In this post I’ll share our recipe so you can also make this delicious salad quickly without sacrificing any of its refreshing flavors!
What is Tabouli (Tabbouleh) salad?
Tabouli Salad (or Tabbouleh) is a Levantine dish that is typically made with finely chopped fresh parsley, tomato, green onions, mint leaves, fine bulgur, all topped with a lemon juice & olive oil dressing. Traditionally it is served as a side dish for lunch and dinner.
As long as the main ingredients mentioned above are included, you are well on your way to capture the zingy classic taste of this salad.
What ingredients are in this easy Tabouli salad recipe?
At a minimum, the following ingredients are needed to get the best flavored Tabouli salad:
Bulk Greens/Veggies:
- Lettuce (Romaine lettuce is recommended)
- Parsley (Curly or Italian)
- Tomatoes (Juicey & Firm recommended)
Flavoring Greens/Veggies:
- Green onions (Both white & green parts)
- Mint (Fresh or Dried)
Dressing:
- Lemon juice (Fresh is recommended)
- Olive oil (or any oil blend that includes olive oil)
- Salt & pepper
Optional ingredients:
- Bulgur
- Cucumbers
- Quinoa
- Chickpeas
You may notice that lettuce is not typically added to authentic Tabouli. There are a couple reasons for this.
First, we prefer a less intense parsley taste in the salad. Second, sometimes large bundles of parsley are not available in the grocery store, especially during the winter months in Canada. So lettuce helps add bulk and add an additional crunchy texture. And don’t forget how nutritious romaine lettuce is!
What are some ingredient variations for Tabouli?
There is lots of space to vary the ingredients in this salad.
For example if you like grape tomatoes, you can use those instead of the tomato-on-the-vine variety that we use. We prefer tomato-on-the-vine because once finely chopped, the tomato juices readily release and infuse nicely with the lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
Additional ingredients can also be added like cucumber, quinoa, chickpeas, and couscous.
Traditionally, fine bulgur is added to Tabouli. Bulgur is a wheat grain that is similar to quinoa and adds texture to the salad. I have it listed as optional because we don’t always add it, especially if we are in a rush. For the purposes of presenting this recipe, I have added it in.
The combinations are endless and again, it is all according to your liking.
How do you make easy Tabouli salad?
The beauty of this salad is that as long as you have at a minimum lemon juice, parsley, tomatoes, green onion, olive oil, mint, salt and pepper, you’re going to capture its distinct fresh and citrus green taste.
Step 1: Rinse, dry & (maybe) pre-cook your ingredients.
Wash your ingredients well, making sure any possible soil residues from your leafy greens are washed away. If you prefer a drier salad, rinse your ingredients in advance (especially the parsley) to allow ample time to dry.
If you’re using bulgur, there are a few ways of preparing it. We prefer to rehydrate it directly in the salad ‘juices’ at the very end. I recommend this if you are preparing the salad in advance (at least 1 hour before eating) because the bulgur will absorb the lemon juice/olive oil dressing plus the tomato juices (this way is extra tasty). If you prefer to precook it, follow the cooking directions on the bulgur packaging.
Step 2: Chop, chop, chop, then squeeze.
Using a sharp knife, chop the lettuce, parsley, tomatoes, green onion, and fresh mint (if using). Everything is finely chopped, except the lettuce – I like to chop it into bigger chunks for crunchier texture. Measure as you go and pour your chopped ingredients into your salad bowl. Tip: For tomatoes, make sure you add all the juices from the cutting board into your salad!
The final chop will come to halving your lemon (if using fresh lemon juice). In a separate small mixing bowl, squeeze your lemon to release the juices. I recommend placing a strainer over the bowl (to prevent seeds from going in), and using a fork to help squeeze out more of the juices. Juice as much as the recipe calls for.
Add the oil, salt & pepper to the lemon juice. And mix with your fork to incorporate into a citrusy dressing.
Step 3: Mix & taste test.
Add the mixed dressing into the salad bowl. Mix everything together until it is all evenly distributed.
If you decided to add bulgur and pre-cook it, add the cooked bulgur to the salad now.
Now taste. Does the oil balance the sharp citrus from the lemon juice? Does the mint come through with its freshness? Do the tomatoes, parsley, and lettuce compliment each other? Is there enough salt?
Although I provide the ratios in this recipe, not at all ingredients will be alike. My lemons can be a little bit different in terms of ripeness, size, pulp etc. from your lemons. So go ahead, and trust your taste buds. Whichever ingredient seems to be lacking, add a little bit more of it in – then taste & repeat as needed.
Step 4: To serve or to marinade?
But first, on bulgur. If you decided to rehydrate your bulgur, add it to the salad now and mix it well. Then place it in the fridge so it can absorb the juices for at least one hour. See step 3 above if you precooked it.
You can serve your Tabouli salad immediately or you can let the juices infuse more by letting it sit in the fridge. Letting your finished salad sit in the fridge to marinade and cool leads to a super tasty and juicy salad. But if you can’t wait (we never can) go ahead and enjoy!