How to Make Tabbouleh Salad with Bulgur, Quinoa, or Cracked Wheat Recipe

Tabbouleh Salad with Bulgur, Quinoa, or Cracked Wheat

Tabbouleh is one of those dishes that lends itself towards improvisation, which is both a blessing and a curse.

Serves 4 to 6

What You Need

Ingredients

1/2 cup bulgur (see Recipe Notes for quinoa and cracked wheat versions)
1 lemon
1 to 2 large bunches of flat leaf parsley, washed and dried
1 large bunch of mint, washed and dried
2 scallions
2 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
1 small cucumber (optional)
A few whole leaves of mint for garnish

Equipment

1 small and 1 medium sized bowl
Knife and cutting board
Measuring cups and spoons
Spoon

Instructions

Soak the bulgur. Place the bulgur in a small bowl and cover with very hot (just off the boil) water by 1/2-inch. Set aside to soak until softened but still chewy, about 20 minutes.

Prep the herbs and vegetables. While the bulgur is soaking, juice the lemon and chop the parsley and mint. You will need roughly 1 1/2 cup packed chopped parsley and 1/2 cup packed chopped mint for this amount of bulgur. Slice the scallions thinly to equal a heaping 1/4 cup. Medium chop the tomatoes; they will equal roughly 1 1/2 cups. Medium chop the cucumber, about 1/2 cup.

Dress the bulgur. When the bulgur is done, drain off any excess water and place in the large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat the grains. As you finish prepping the herbs and vegetables, add them to the bowl with the bulgur, but reserve half of the the diced tomato to use for garnish.

Season and toss. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and another 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the optional allspice to the bowl. Toss everything together, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.

Garnish. To serve, garnish the tabbouleh with the reserved tomato and a few whole mint sprigs. Serve at room temperature with crackers, cucumber slices, fresh bread, or pita chips.

Recipe Notes

- To make Quinoa Tabbouleh, just substitute 1 cup of cooked quinoa for the bulgur.
- To make tabbouleh with cracked wheat, substitute 1 cup of cooked cracked wheat for the bulgur.
- Tabbouleh is very flexible. Feel free to add more or less of any ingredient based on your palate. The ground allspice may sound unusual but I encourage you to try it. It adds a touch of warmth and spice.

Source: thekitchn.com