Spicy Southwestern Tabbouleh Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Middle Eastern tabbouleh made from? ›

Tabbouleh is basically parsley salad. There's technically no lettuce in it. It's a salad made up of parsley, tomatoes, bulgur wheat, and green onions – all finely chopped and tossed with olive oil and lemon juice!

Dishes like tabbouleh attest to their continued popularity in Middle Eastern cuisine today. Originally from the mountains of Lebanon and Syria, tabbouleh has become one of the most popular salads in the Middle East.

Tabbouleh is a healthy, vegetarian food that has no cholesterol, is low in fat, and high in fiber, vitamins, and much more. Plus, it makes great use of the backyard gardener's abundance of parsley, mint, tomatoes and cucumbers. This vegan dish can be made gluten-free by substituting quinoa for bulgur wheat.

If you have the time, let the salad rest for 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors mingle. Otherwise, you can serve it immediately or chill it for later. Tabbouleh will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.

Whereas Tabbouleh contains bulgar wheat to give it greater substance, the unique element in the Fattoush salad is the addition of toasted arabic bread (or pita bread).

Huge difference! Tabbouleh salad is an herb salad of finely chopped parsley and mint that includes a touch of tomato and bulgur. Tabbouleh salad dressing is a simple, lemony dressing, and also makes a frequent appearance on my plate. Fattoush is a lettuce and vegetable salad, crunchy and full bodied, with pita chips.

Origins of Tabbouleh

Originally from the mountains of Syria and Lebanon, tabbouleh has become one of the most popular salads in the Middle East. The word Tabbouleh is derived from the Arabic word taabil which translates to seasoning or 'spice'.

Is tabbouleh good for you? Absolutely, aside from the olive oil in the dressing the dish is full of vitamins from the fresh ingredients. You also aren't wasting a lot of stomach space on less healthy “greens” like iceberg or romaine. The deeper greens of the parsley are more full of vitamins per bite.

The best side dishes to serve with tabbouleh are grilled chicken skewers, hummus and pita bread, couscous, chicken wings, salmon with dill, chicken nuggets, stuffed grape leaves, baba ghanoush, falafel, fattoush salad, kebabs, and labneh.

This Everyday Tabouli recipe is so easy that you can happily enjoy this bulger, tomato, cucumber, onion, and herb salad every day! Tabouli is a great side that I could eat every day. I love the textures from the bulgar wheat and chopped vegetables. The flavors are bold from the fresh herbs and lemony dressing.

How many days does tabouli last? ›

Because of its ingredients, tabouli will last in the refrigerator for up to four days, so make sure you eat it before then.

The most likely sources of bitterness in a tabbouleh are parsley and olive oil. The parsley should be finely chopped to avoid bitter flavours.

While the classic tabbouleh recipe includes bulgur wheat, alternative versions can be made without it, using substitutes like quinoa, couscous, or even omitting the grain entirely. These variations allow for dietary restrictions or personal preferences while still maintaining the essence of the dish.

Instead of bulgur, the French Taboulé is made with couscous that is often cooked in chicken stock for extra flavour, and studded with diced vegetables and raisins. It also uses less mint and other herbs which gives it a more couscous-forward texture and less-green appearance.

Tabouli salad or Tabbouleh is a simple Mediterranean salad of very finely chopped vegetables, lots of fresh parsley and bulgur wheat, all tossed with lime juice and olive oil.

Falafel is made from fava beans or chickpeas, or a combination of both. Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, where it most likely originated, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine, or just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the wider Middle East.

Today, tabbouleh is an indivisible part of Lebanese identity. It's in every household and on the table at every feast. The recipe has also spread throughout the world, especially as more and more people incorporate it in their vegetarian and vegan diets.

At its heart, tabbouleh is most often a straightforward mixture of parsley, mint, cooked bulgur wheat, onion (in some form or other), tomato, lemon, and olive oil. Spices like cinnamon and allspice are common.