Tabouleh Recipe – Middle Eastern Parsley Salad

Tabouleh is a Middle Eastern dish which is not only refreshing, but also highly nutritious. Tabouleh’s main ingredient-bulgur wheat-is an ancient grain that dates back to 2800 B.C.

It was once considered a sacred food due to its resistance to insect attack or spoilage. There are also biblical references of bulgur regarding the Babylonians and the Hittites.

As a dish, tabouleh is high in fiber, lycopene and good carbohydrates(is there a bad carb? just kidding.) There are multiple variations of tabouleh, my personal favorite is the one I am sharing below. This version contains mint that I rescued from my garden after we had -10F temperatures. If you don’t care for mint, that is not a problem, don’t use it!

I know I say this about every recipe on this blog, but tabouleh is easy to make. If you can boil water and chop veggies (not at once  🙂 ), you are good to go! Try it! Let me know how it turns out. I would love to hear from you. Tabouleh makes a wonderful summer dish, it is so refreshing on a hot summer day.

Here are some further tips on making a great tabouleh salad. All the ingredients need to be as fresh as possible for the best result. I typically find this dish is best when eaten the same day. I have saved some for the following day in a sealed container in the refrigerator but the vegetables start to loose their crispness. So the total storage time I would put at 2 days refrigerated in a sealed container. I would never freeze tabouleh as it would ruin the entire texture of the dish when thawed.  You could cook or hydrate the bulgur wheat a day or so ahead of time and have it chilled in the refrigerator.  Then when you are ready to prepare you can fluff up the bulgur, add the chopped veggies and serve.

There are some other variations I have seen as well in restaurants.  You can leave out the feta cheese and make the dish vegan if you prefer.  Other variations are to use couscous instead of the bulgur what you can substitute pomegranate seed for the tomato.

If you like the exotic flavors of Middle Eastern food here are some of my favorites you can bookmark for later or pin them on Pinterest.
Middle Eastern lentil soup is a simple soup that has lots of rich flavors and little lemon juice.
Zatar or za’atar is a spice blend you can easily make at home for dipping oils, sprinkle on hummus or toasted pita bread.
Lamb stew infused with rose water, dried apricots, cherries and almonds has a really nice combination of sweet and savory flavors in a rich broth.
Your meal Middle Eastern dinner would not be complete without a dessert of these pistachio rose water shortbread cookies. These are so easy to make and have such a nice floral note.
Chicken shawarma is a dish you can make on the grill or pan sear with small pieces of chicken, a tasty spice bend and then wrap in a pita with a tomato, onions and top with a yogurt sauce.

5 from 2 votes

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Tabouleh Recipe

A really simple recipe for an authentic tabouleh made with cracked bulgur wheat, parsley, tomato, feta, mint, lemon juice and onion.  There is some variation on the spelling of tabbouleh or tabouli, no matter how you spell it you will love this salad with it's fresh flavors!

Course Salad

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword bulgur, clean eating, healthy, lemon juice, Levantine, tabbouli, vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings: Change to adjust-> 6

Calories 189 kcal

Author Analida

Ingredients

• 1 cup bulgur wheat
• 1 1/2 cup water boiling
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed juice
• 2 cup curly parsley fresh, finely chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes diced
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp mint leaves fresh, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled

Instructions

1. In a glass bowl place lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, tomatoes, onion, mint and feta. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. In another glass bowl, place the bulgur wheat. Add the boiling water. Cover and let it stand at room temperature for 45 minutes. Refrigerate for one hour.
3. When bulgur is cold, remove from fridge and add the vegetable mixture and mix well.
4. Serve cold

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Tabouleh Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 189 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10g 15%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 477mg 20%

Potassium 265mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 20g 7%

Dietary Fiber 5g 20%

Sugars 1g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 37.9%

Vitamin C 40.4%

Calcium 7.1%

Iron 10.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.