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    Home » Recipes

    Simple Tabouli Salad (Tabbouleh)

    Published: Jan 20, 2020 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

    • 2
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Tabouli or Tabbouleh salad is a mix of finely chopped herbs, tomatoes, bulgur, green onions and tossed with lemon and olive oil. It’s extremely easy to make and usually a star side dish for many Mediterranean & Middle Eastern dishes.

    A bowl of tabouli salad served with mini pita breads.
    Tabouli Salad

    Some links in my posts may be affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase items by clicking on these links. I will always disclose when a product in a post has been gifted by a company as well as when a post or product is sponsored.

    What is Bulgur?

    I’m sure a lot of you have tried bulgur before but for those who haven’t, Bulgur is basically cracked wheat. It’s a cereal grain, usually parboiled that’s why certain varieties don’t even need to be cooked. Bulgur is a staple grain in the Middle Eastern & Mediterranean cuisines.

    I personally use Fine Bulgur for tabouli. This variety doesn’t need cooking, I usually rinse it and let it soak in water for a little bit before I make the salad. Then I drain the bulgur and just add to salad, so easy!!!

    Draining bulgur before throwing it in in the tabouli salad. Use Fine Bulgur for this salad, anything coarser then that needs to be cooked then drained.
    Draining Bulgur

    Chopping the Ingredients for Tabouli Salad

    I usually chop the ingredients by hand, it’s a bit more time consuming but I love the smell of parsley and mint. So anytime I get the chance to chop the ingredients by hand, I tend to use that method.

    Second method is using a small electrical food chopper like this one. I have a similar one, different brand and older model but you get the idea. You can do the chopping in batches. Still dice the tomatoes by hand but you chop parsley, mint and green onions on the food chopper. This method is faster and creates finer chopped herbs.

    The picture with pita bread at the beginning of the post is of a tabouli salad I made by chopping ingredients by hand. While the picture below is a tabouli salad I made using the food chopper.

    Tabouli salad chopped with an electrical food chopper. Salad is made with lots of parsley, mint, green onions, tomatoes, bulgur, lemon juice and olive oil.
    Tabouli Salad with Bulgur

    What Do You Serve Tabbouleh With?

    Tabouli (tabbouleh) is mainly served with roasts and large meals, family style as it is common in Middle Eastern cuisine.

    Back in my college days, there were a group of us always going to a Middle Eastern / Mediterranean restaurant called Daily Bread. Most of us ordered Shawarma platters that came loaded with tabouli, hummus, salad and shawarma plus a dip and pita. Most delicious, complete meal I have ever tried!!

    Recipe Variations, Notes & Tips

    There are so many variations of tabouli salad and I myself have tried several of them. Sometimes because I wanted a gluten free version (see this tabouli with quinoa recipe) or sometimes I added extra ingredients like cucumber.

    • Cucumber is controversial when it comes to tabouli. Most US based restaurants and grocery stores sell tabouli with cucumber in it. But the traditional tabouli doesn’t have cucumber. I love both versions. If you are going to add cucumber, make sure to add English cucumber.
    • As I mentioned above there are tabouli with quinoa recipes instead of bulgur. Also, I have seen tabouli with couscous. If you are up for trying variations, go for whichever is your preference. If you are trying to serve something more authentic, definitely go with bulgur.
    • You can use plum tomatoes, campari tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine for this salad. It’s important for the tomatoes to be red and sweet but not overly ripe. I prefer plum tomatoes because they have less seeds and less juice. You don’t want the salad to get soggy.
    • You can refrigerate tabouli for a day or two. I usually drain it before serving again and if needed I add some more lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
    • Usually I like flat parsley leaves (Italian parsley), but tabouli makes an exception. I like to use curly parsley for this recipe because it gives the salad a little fluffly feeling. Also, even if you didn’t chop super fine it will still work.

    See picture below of ingredients used to make tabouli (tabbouleh):

    Ingredients for making tabouli (tabbouleh).
    Ingredients for making tabouli (tabbouleh)
    Tabouli (tabbouleh) salad served with mini pita breads

    Simple Tabouli (Tabbouleh) Salad

    Sonila
    Tabouli (tabbouleh) is a delicious and healthy salad made with lots of fresh herbs, tomatoes, green onions, bulgur and a dressing of lemons & olive oil.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 129 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food Chopper
    • Mixing bowl

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 curly parsley bunches (about 6 cups packed, chopped parsley)
    • 15-20 leaves mint leaves
    • 1 lemons juice the lemon
    • 3 green onions
    • 3 plum tomatoes
    • salt to taste
    • 4 tbsp olive oil
    • 0.5 cups fine bulgur

    Instructions
     

    • Soak bulgur for about 10-15 minutes prior to start making the salad. Drain bulgur with a fine strainer.
    • Chop curly parsley really fine (manually or with an electrical food chopper). Add to a mixing bowl.
    • Chop mint leaves, add to mixing bowl.
    • Chop green onions, add to salad bowl.
    • Dice the plum tomatoes and add to bowl.
    • Pour drained bulgur to salad bowl.
    • Juice the lemon and pour the juice over salad bowl (strain if needed).
    • Finally add olive oil and salt. Mix everything really well together. Taste for right amount of salt and citrus, adjust if needed.
    • Cover with a plastic top, refrigerate for at least 1 hr then serve as desired.

    Video

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Simple Tabouli (Tabbouleh) Salad
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 129
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 129kcal
    Keyword Middle-Eastern Tabouli, Tabbouleh, Tabouli, Tabouli Meze, Tabouli Salad
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin the below image to Pinterest. Feel free to contact me in social media with questions or if you made my recipe:). Thank you!

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    Tabouli (Tabbouleh) Salad & Ingredients

    Other Salad Recipes:

    • Orange, Red Quinoa Salad
    • Cabbage, Blood Orange Salad
    • Mediterranean Potato Salad

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    • 2

    Filed Under: Mediterranean Food, Recipes, Salads Tagged With: Meze, Middle Eastern, vegan

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Enriqueta E Lemoine

      January 28, 2020 at 11:26 am

      5 stars
      You have no idea about how much I love tabouleh! I could have every single day of my life. I make it with bulgurs, cuscus and even quinoa! Thanks for sharing Soni…

      Reply
      • admin

        January 28, 2020 at 12:51 pm

        Yes, your quinoa tabouleh is amazing!! That’s why I linked to it so everyone can see more options. So delicious & healthy!!

        Reply
    2. Lathiya

      January 25, 2020 at 4:54 pm

      5 stars
      The salad sounds a wholesome hearty dish. Am sure it tastes amazing.

      Reply
    3. Nart | Cooking with Nart

      January 23, 2020 at 11:05 pm

      5 stars
      I always learn something from your posts. Never thought to cook my quinoa this way. Thanks for the inspo woman!

      Reply
    4. Simone

      January 23, 2020 at 5:03 am

      I haven’t made Tabouli in years… not sure why, cause I adore it! Gonna have to try out your version 🙂

      Reply
    5. Jacqueline Debono

      January 23, 2020 at 4:03 am

      5 stars
      I have never made my own tabouli! I don’t know why as it sounds pretty easy. Love how much fresh parsley you have used! I love parsley and use it a lot! That restaurant you used to go to in college sounds good! I love eating mezze type meals!

      Reply
    6. Christy Boston's Kitchen

      January 22, 2020 at 5:57 pm

      This looks so enticing, and so easy! It reminds me of a favorite salad I used to have from a local deli when I lived on Long Island.Can’t wait to try it out!

      Reply
    7. Raquel

      January 22, 2020 at 6:56 am

      This sounds like a great recipe! I’ve never made tabouli but it sounds like it should be fairly simple. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    8. Liz

      January 21, 2020 at 9:51 pm

      Seems very healthy and tasty.

      Reply
    9. Jere Cassidy

      January 21, 2020 at 9:23 pm

      5 stars
      It’s been ages since I had tabouli and thanks for not adding the cucumber in your recipe. This is just one great salad with all the healthy and hearty flavors.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        January 21, 2020 at 9:35 pm

        Thank you so much:))). That’s why I love it too, fresh & healthy.

        Reply
    10. Angela

      January 21, 2020 at 5:31 pm

      This is such a flavorful and bright recipe. thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    11. Beth

      January 21, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      5 stars
      I haven’t made typical tabbouleh for a while because I can’t serve the bulgur to my gluten-free family members, but quinoa is a pretty good sub. And I love how much parsley you have used here, it looks so green and fresh!

      Reply
      • admin

        January 21, 2020 at 3:59 pm

        Yes!!! My husband couldn’t believe how much parsley I was chopping and I was trying to explain to him that you have to have way more parsley than bulgur to get the taste right.

        Reply
    12. Paolicchi

      January 21, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      I love taboli salad. Thanks for the recipe. It is nice to know it is pretty easy to make!

      Reply

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

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