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    Home » Food Type » Salads

    Aug 9, 2021 · Modified: Aug 6, 2021 by Lily · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Lebanese Tabouli Salad (Tabbouleh)

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    cropped-Tabouli.jpg

    Tabouli, tabbouleh, tabboule are all the same words describing the most popular Lebanese parsley salad. This tabouli recipe is made the traditional way with bulgar wheat, Italian parsley, fresh mint, tomatoes, onions, lemons, and lots of olive oil. This quinoa tabbouleh recipe is equally delicious if you are looking for a gluten-free version.

    authentic Lebanese tabouli in a glass bowl

    The best tabouli I've ever had has been from my Aunt Sonia and my father. Tabouli salad is an art, and it's very easy to get the ratios off. I hope this recipe post details out all the tips and tricks for the best tabouli recipe.

    What I Love About This Recipe

    Tabouli is one of my favorites salads to have with kabobs and grill meats, like lamb kabobs, shish tawook, and grilled ribeyes. It's lemony, juicy, and textured. Parsley is an herb packed full of antioxidants and vitamins, so I also appreciate the health benefits of this parsley salad. This might sound odd, but I love that this recipe tastes different in every home I've eaten it. Every family has its own spin on this salad, so without further adieu, here is my family's version.

    Ingredient Notes

    Italian parsley bunches
    • Italian parsley: Fresh flat leafed parsley (Italian parsley) is the most critical ingredient in tabouli. Italian parsley looks a lot like cilantro, so be careful when choosing which one to buy at the grocery store. If you can't find Italian parsley, curly leaf parsley will also work in taste, but the texture will be different.
    • Green onions: My father prefers to make his tabouli with green onions or white onions.
    • Ripe tomatoes: Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine are great to use for tabouli.
    • Fine Bulgar Wheat #1: There are different sizes of bulgar wheat. It's important to get the fine bulgar wheat #1 size grain. The fine bulgar wheat softens quickly when you add water to it.
    • Fresh mint (optional): Fresh mint is optional but really adds a lot to the salad.
    ingredients needed to make bulgar wheat tabouli

    See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

    How To Make Tabouli Salad

    Add the dried fine bulgar wheat to a bowl. Measure out the water onto the bulgar wheat. Mix with your hands and set aside as the bulgar wheat softens.

    • dry bulgar wheat in a bowl
    • water added to the bulgar wheat in a bowl

    Hint: Don't wash the Italian parsley until it's chopped.

    Cut the bottom portion of the Parsley bunch to remove most of the stems. Finely chop the parsley, almost like shredded a head of cabbage.

    • cutting the stems off the Italian parsley
    • finely chopping the Italian parsley using a knife on a cutting board

    Add the chopped parsley to a strainer that fits inside a large bowl. Once the parsley is all chopped, fill the bowl and strainer with water. Drain. Repeat until the water runs clear. Keep the parsley in the strainer until the water has drained completely.

    Wash the fresh mint leaves (if using). Remove the leaves from the stem. Finely chop the mint leaves. Add to the chopped parsley leaves.

    Wash the green onion prior to chopping. Finely chop the green onions. Add the green onions to the washed and drained parsley.

    • chopped Italian parsley in a strainer
    • finely chopping the green onions

    Finely dice the tomatoes. Cut the tomato in half. Place the flat side down on the cutting board. Moving parallel to the cutting board, slice 2 to 3 layers about ¼" thick. Then, slice the tomato in ¼" strips longways. Finally, rotate the tomato and chop it into ¼" cubes. The tomato should be cut in 3 directions for the smallest diced size. Add the tomatoes to the chopped parsley and chopped green onions.

    • how to slice the tomatoes
    • adding the Roma tomatoes to the chopped green onions and parsley

    Add the soaked bulgar wheat to the chopped parsley, chopped green onions, and chopped tomatoes. Squeeze the lemons separating the seeds from the lemon juice.

    Hint: Lemons come in different sizes and juiciness. If you want a more accurate measurement, measure the lemon juice prior to adding it to the salad.

    • adding the soaked bulgar wheat
    • squeeze the lemon juice

    Add the lemon juice and olive oil to the tabouli. Mix the tabouli really well.

    mixed tabouli in a bowl

    Tips and Tricks

    The biggest tip for making killer tabouli is the ratios, especially the dressing ratio of the lemons, olive oil, and salt. The recipe card at the bottom of the post includes measured quantities to give you a starting point on the ratios.

    Important: Throughout the process of adding the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, continuously taste the salad and adjust.

    Lebanese bulgar wheat tabouli

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Substitute curly leaf for flat leaf (Italian) parsley.
    • Use quinoa in lieu of bulgar wheat - If you are looking for a gluten-free alternative, try this quinoa tabbouleh recipe.
    • Use white onions in lieu of green onions.
    • Soak the bulgar wheat using the juice of the tomatoes or the lemon juice. Add the freshly chopped tomatoes on top of the dry bulgar wheat instead of adding water. Alternatively, add some of the lemon juice in lieu of the water.

    Equipment

    • Sharp chef's knife to finely cut the parsley, onions, and tomatoes.
    • Large cutting board
    • Fine mesh strainer and large bowl to wash the finely chopped parsley
    • Large bowl to serve the tabouli

    Storage

    Store the tabouli in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The tabouli will change colors and sweat while being stored in the fridge. There will be a lot of juice in the container. This is normal.

    FAQs

    What do you eat with tabouli?

    Eat tabouli with pita bread, cabbage leaves, or simply eaten as is. Serve with kabobs, grilled meats, or kibbeh.

    What's the difference between tabouli and tabbouleh?

    Nothing! It's just a different English spelling for an Arabic word. Tabouli, or tabbouleh, is a chopped parsley salad with tomatoes, onions, bulgar wheat, lemon juice, and olive oil.

    Is tabouli healthy?

    Yes! It's made with all-natural ingredients like fresh parsley, tomatoes, onions, lemons, olive oil, and bulgar wheat. The quantity of olive oil and bulgar wheat can be modified to suit specific dietary needs. Additionally, there are gluten-free options for tabouli by using quinoa in lieu of bulgar wheat.

    Authentic Lebanese Recipes

    • Fried Kibbeh Balls
    • Zaatar Manakeesh Flatbread
    • Kibbeh Nayeh Recipe (Lebanese Raw Kibbeh)
    • Cilantro Garlic Fried Potatoes (Batata Harra)
    • Authentic Lebanese Red Lentil Soup
    • Shish Barak Lebanese Dumplings
    • Easy Lebanese Fried Falafel
    • Eggplant Fatteh
    • Stuffed Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)
    • Kafta
    • Kafta Bil Sanieh - Baked Kafta and Potatoes
    • Shish Tawook Lebanese Chicken Kabobs

    Delicious Mediterranean Salads

    • Persian Shirazi Salad
    • Quinoa Tabbouleh Parsley Salad
    • Killer Lebanese Fattoush Salad
    • Greek Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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    bulgar wheat tabouli

    Lebanese Tabouli Salad (Tabbouleh)


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Lily
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 6 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
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    Description

    Lebanese tabouli salad, aka tabbouleh, is a popular parsley salad made with Italian parsley, tomatoes, onions, bulgar wheat, lemons, and olive oil.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 3 bunches of Italian parsley (about 6 cups finely chopped)
    • 3 bunches of green onions (about 4 cups finely chopped)
    • 8 to 10 Roma tomatoes (about 5 cups finely chopped)
    • ¾ cup dried fine bulgar wheat #1
    • ½ cup olive oil
    • 3 tbsp water for the bulgar wheat
    • 3 to 4 lemons (about ½ cup of lemon juice)
    • salt to taste
    • 1 bunch fresh mint (about 1 cup chopped)

    Instructions

    1. Measure ¾ cup of fine bulgar wheat into a bowl. Sprinkle 3 tablespoon of water on top of the bulgar wheat. Mix with a spoon to evenly coat the bulgar wheat and set aside.
    2. Don't wash the parsley bunch until it's been chopped. Cut the stems off. Finely chop the parsley. Add the parsley to a fine mesh strainer. Once all of the parsley is chopped, place the fine mesh strainer in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with water to wash the chopped parsley. Drain and repeat until the water runs clear. Keep the parsley in the mesh strainer until the water has drained. Move the parsley to a large bowl once it's finished draining.
    3. If using fresh mint, wash the mint and remove the leaves. Finely chop the mint leaves. Add to the chopped parsley.
    4. Wash the green onions. Finely chop the green onions. Add the chopped green onions to the chopped parsley.
    5. Finely dice the tomatoes. Cut the tomato in half. Then slice ¼" layers parallel to the cutting board. Slice the tomato in ¼" strips, then turn the tomato to dice into ¼" cubes. Add the tomatoes to the chopped parsley and green onions.
    6. Add the softened bulgar wheat to the chopped vegetables.
    7. Squeeze the lemons. Measure out the lemon juice (should be about ½ cup of lemon juice). Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. Mix the tabouli well. Adjust the salt and lemon for a balanced salad.

    Equipment

    Image of Cutting Board

    Cutting Board

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    Image of Chef's Knife

    Chef's Knife

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    Notes

    1. Substitute quinoa in lieu of bulgar wheat for a gluten-free tabouli salad.
    2. Use white onions instead of green onions. Substitute 3 cups of white onions for 4 cups of green onions.
    3. Add fresh mint if available.
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Category: Salad
    • Method: Chopping
    • Cuisine: Lebanese

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 2.5 cups
    • Calories: 276 calories
    • Sugar: 7 g
    • Sodium: 156 mg
    • Fat: 18 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 25 g
    • Fiber: 18 g
    • Protein: 8 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: tabouli, tabouli parsley salad, bulgar wheat salad, lebanese parsley salad

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    About Lily

    Howdy! My name Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Novellian says

      August 23, 2021 at 10:09 am

      Hi Lili. Your Tabouléh recipe is perfection. It just can not be changed or improved !I am Lebanese and know what a Tabouléh should look and taste, and this one looks perfect and I’m sure it also tastes just as good as it looks.
      However, I was wondering if there can be a keto version of this Lebanese national dish? Is there any keto friendly substitution for bulghour?
      Love to hear from you on this challenging question.🤣

      Reply
      • Lily says

        August 23, 2021 at 10:49 am

        Well first off thanks for the comment! Good question... I'm not a dietician or anything, but when I was following the keto diet, I subtracted the carb grams from the fiber grams to get net carb grams. For a 2.5 cup bowl of tabouli (even with bulgar wheat), the nutrition tracker has it at 7 net carbs. If you omit the bulgar wheat completely or reduce the quantity you can bring that down. I would eat tabouli with bulgar wheat (and with quinoa) even doing keto, because it doesn't feel like tabouli without a grain in it (that's just me). Also, I eat tabouli with lettuce leaves or cabbage leaves instead of eating it with pita bread if watching my carbs. Hope that helps!

        Reply
      • Anonymous says

        October 20, 2021 at 1:22 pm

        Hi, also you can replace the bulghour with ground almond or almond flour (but not the fine grind one). I hope that will help too.
        It will not be exactly as the traditional one but if you don't wanna go with the bulghour that might help.

        Reply
    2. Sherry M. says

      August 09, 2021 at 3:43 pm

      Well explained instructions! Making this for the weekend grill out.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Lily says

        August 09, 2021 at 3:50 pm

        Enjoy

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Lily!

    toddler lily using her kitchen set

    I've been cooking things up ever since I was a kid. I'm a Lebanese American from Texas. My kitchen, or "matbakh", is a hodgepodge of delicious cultural recipes from the US and Mediterranean regions.

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