Tabbouleh is a Lebanese salad, traditionally made of tomatoes, bulgur, onion, mint and parsley, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. I prefer to use quinoa instead of bulgur because is gluten free and I love it so much! You can also use whole-wheat couscous or brown rice if you can't find quinoa or bulgur or if they're too expensive in your country. White rice and regular couscous also work, but I prefer to eat whole grains because they're healthier and more nutritious.
To cook the quinoa you just need to boil 2 cups of water (500 ml) in a saucepan, add 1 cup of quinoa (170 g) and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. You can add other ingredients (dried herbs, sea salt, tamari or soy sauce, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar) to the boiling water to get a more intense flavor.
This recipe is super simple and you need only 6 ingredients to make it: quinoa, tomatoes, spring onion (white or red onion are okay), mint, parsley and lemon juice. Feel free to add extra virgin olive oil, but I only add lemon juice and the salad tastes amazing.
If you don't like mint or parsley, add cilantro, lettuce, spinach, kale or any other leafy green.
Once the quinoa is cooked, let it cool at room temperature, or add cold water. The quinoa has to be completely cool before making the salad, this is really important.
This recipe is perfect to eat on the go, but if you can, add the lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil just before eating, the salad will taste better.
It's really easy to eat healthy, there's no excuse! You need to take care of your body, you will be much healthier and feel better. This quinoa tabbouleh is ready in 20 minutes and is the perfect meal. If you make this recipe don't forget to leave a comment or tag a picture #simpleveganblog on Instagram or any other social network.
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Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup chopped spring onion
- 1 and ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- The juice of a lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste, optional
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa with cool water.
- Boil the water in a saucepan, add the quinoa and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. You can add other ingredients (dried herbs, sea salt, tamari or soy sauce, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar) to the boiling water to get a more intense flavor.
- Let the quinoa cool at room temperature, or add cold water. It has to be completely cool before making the salad.
- In a large bowl, place the quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. Add the lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil (optional) and stir.
joe says
I just made this. Really delicious! The tips to let the quinoa cool down completely and not add the liquids until serving I found helpful. I did't have any mint and I replaced the olive oil with 8 whole chopped black olives. I did put all ingredients together for a portion and put it into the fridge to marinate. lets see if it works.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Sounds so good, Joe 🙂
Marcia says
I'm trying to save this, but Pinterest links are not working.
Iosune says
Hi Marcia! I'm so sorry, I've tried to pin it and it works for me...
Hanna says
This turned out very well! I liked that it called for green onions, as I've usually made tabbouleh with red or white onions and I find it hard to mince it small enough to taste like you're not just eating raw onion chunks. I also added cucumber to this, and I went lighter on the mint and heavier on the parsley than the recipe suggested.
Iosune says
Hi Hanna! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Hildy says
Hi Losune,
I was just wondering why you don’t use cucumbers in this recipe. I plan on making this tomorrow & other sites all had added cubes. Just curious.
Hildy
Iosune says
Hi Hildy! The classic recipe is not made with cucumbers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabbouleh I know many people add them, but as I'm not a big fan of cucumbers, I always omit them when I make this recipe 🙂
H. Vera says
Great Récipe. Thanks
Iosune says
Hi! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Pam says
I took this to a 4th of July party and it was a hit! I switched the amounts for the parsley and mint because several of my family don't like a lot of mint. My niece took the leftovers home for lunch and added lemon pepper tuna and loved it.
Thanks for the recipe!
Iosune says
Hi Pam! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 😀 You're so welcome!
Jodie Morgan says
I love tabbouleh! This looks amazing. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Jodie! You're so welcome 😉
Tracey says
This looks great to take work for lunch. What other rake to work lunch recipes do you have?
Iosune says
Hi Tracey! Thanks 🙂 We have dozens of recipes on the blog, please take a look!