Refreshing Quinoa Parsley Salad (Tabbouleh)
This tangy quinoa parsley salad is a meal in itself and the perfect accompaniment to many dishes. It’s fresh, healthy and full of flavor. Not to mention, so convenient to make a large batch of this and enjoy it again if there are any leftover.
I find when we have tabbouleh in the fridge, meals are made so much easier. It’s the perfect go-with for so many dishes, you really can’t go wrong.
You can enjoy it on its own or in a pita bread rolled up with any combination of hummus, labneh, baba ganouj, pickled turnips, and with meat or falafel.
It goes well with any meat you have leftover in the fridge. Chicken breast, stir fried meat, you name it – it will be terrific with taboulleh. Especially with some basmati rice on the side.
If there are any leftovers, you can use your creativity in endless ways. I use parsley wherever I can. It has a compelling flavor and adds a freshness to most dishes. Add a handful to an omelet mix, or sprinkle over top of an egg dish like shakshuka. You can also try adding some to a meat mix for delicious savory meatballs.
Authentic Lebanese taboulleh is usually served as one of many dishes in a mezze (appetizer) table. Our recipe is unauthentic in that it uses quinoa instead of burghul and omits mint.
Quinoa goes so well in this parsley salad recipe and since it’s gluten free and burghul is not gluten free, I prefer the quinoa here. I try to incorporate quinoa in recipes since it is such a nutritional powerhouse.
Traditionally, this recipe calls for fresh or dried mint. I leave it out because I don’t usually have mint on hand, and I actually prefer the taste without it. However, if you do have mint, you can go ahead and add it to your recipe if you prefer. That’s the beauty of a salad recipe, it’s flexible enough that you can add and subtract to your liking, within reason.
And this recipe is so easy, just toss everything into a large bowl and mix.
For the longest time we only had taboulleh at Lebanese restaurants, but since we learned how to make quinoa taboulleh at home, we eat parsley salad pretty regularly nowadays. Give it a try!
Content in this Post
Ingredients in Quinoa Parsley Salad (Taboulleh)
- Parsley — we love curly parsley for this recipe, but you can also use flat leaf parsley. The main thing is that you need to chop the parsley very finely.
- Tomatoes –we use Roma or on the vine tomatoes, but any type will work nicely.
- Cucumbers — you can peel cucumbers or keep peel on, whatever you prefer.
- Quinoa — pre-boiled.
- Red Onions — we like the added color and flavor but you can use white onion.
- Chives — or if you have green onion or scallion you can use those.
- Olive Oil — preferably cold pressed virgin olive oil.
- Lemon Juice — freshly squeezed is best.
- Sumac — tangy spice adds tartness, found in Middle Eastern grocery or in specialty aisles.
- Salt — you can use more or less depending on your preference.
- Pepper — optional
What To Serve With Quinoa Parsley Salad (Taboulleh)
Quinoa parsley salad is a perfect side dish for any picnic or barbecue style menu. You can serve it with any meat or vegetarian main course.
Some mains that go well are:
- Instant Pot Kebab Chicken — chicken breast marinated in doner kebab sauce, you can cut it into tender strips and use in your favorite pizza and sandwich recipes, among others.
- Instant Pot Doner Kebab — doner kebab made convenient, you can slice it up and use in your favorite kebab pizza, kebab roll (kebabrulle) and kebab plate (kebabtallrik), all with kebab sauce!
Fattoush is another Lebanese salad commonly served with tabouli. It has fried or baked pita bread sprinkled over top of lettuce with cucumber, tomato and a tangy dressing. It is another gorgeous salad and you will love it together with taboulleh.
Similar salads with light dressing that are favorites in our house include, asparagus cucumber tomato salad and Swedish pizza salad that we serve with our pita pizzas.
If you are in need of multiple salads for an occasion, these all go together well.
You’ll Also Love
Instant Pot baba ganoush is a favorite appetizer that you can never go wrong with. It’s so easy to make when you use your pressure cooker!
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Refreshing Quinoa Parsley Salad (Tabbouleh)
Ingredients
- 4 cups Parsley, chopped fine, approx 2 large bunches
- ½ cup Quinoa, cooked
- 2 Tomatoes, diced
- ½ Cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup Red Onion, diced
- ¼ cup Chives, snipped
- ⅓ cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup Olive Oil, extra virgin cold pressed
- 1 teaspoon Sumac
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (4 quart).
- Mix thoroughly to ensure the lemon juice, olive oil and salt are well dispersed.
Nutrition
Note
The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. If you are following a specific diet or have dietary restrictions, please use your preferred nutritional calculator. If you have a food allergy please ensure that none of the listed ingredients are part of your restrictions. As well, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature of the food items.
