Authentic Lebanese Tabule Salad
Lebanese tabule salad is a classic dish enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean. Tabule is made with fresh parsley, tomatoes, bulgar wheat, and green onions. Then, it’s tossed in a tangy lemon and mint dressing. The result is a salad that leaves your taste buds wanting more!
Tabule Parsley Salad Cliff Notes
EASE: Easy
CUISINE: Lebanese, Arabic, Middle Eastern
COURSE: Salad, Mediterranean Mezza
TIME: 20 Minutes
DIET: Vegan, Vegetarian, and Dairy-Free
What is Tabule Parsley Salad?
Lebanese tabule salad (ta-boo-lay) is a traditional Arabic recipe. It is a salad made with parsley, Roma tomatoes, green onions, bulgar wheat, mint, and lemon. While it may seem weird in the West to make a parsley salad, believe me, this salad is amazing! If you can wait up to 24 hours, the flavor of tabule salad will marry, and it’s even better! The key phrase is ‘if you can wait.’ I never can!
If you have had gyros or falafel, you might have had tabule. It is often served on the side, along with hummus.
My Family Recipe
My Lebanese tabule salad recipe comes from my cousin Marianne. She spent two summers learning from our grandmother (sitto) how to make Lebanese food. She followed her around, measuring each ingredient and carefully writing it down.
Marianne then created a family cookbook, which I now treasure as a beloved heirloom. Everything about this Lebanese tabule salad recipe remains the same, except I use olive oil instead of Mazola Corn Oil. It’s an interesting choice. I suspect it had to do with availability and cost when my grandmother immigrated.
Ingredients
Bulgur Wheat
Bulgur wheat is an ancient grain from the Middle East. It is available in many different textures. Most grocery stores only sell one texture, medium. Traditional Lebanese tabule parsley salad uses fine bulgur wheat. If you can find it or order it online, use it. If you can’t find it, go with the texture you can conveniently buy.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil or the highest quality you can easily afford. This will make a difference in the dressing and flavor.
Fresh Mint
We Lebanese love mint in tabule, amongst other things. This one ingredient makes the salad pop. If you have it, please use it. You will notice an immediate difference.
Parsley
Parsley is usually sold in two varieties: curly and flat leaf. I recommend using curly-leaf parsley. Honestly, it’s the only kind I will use. If I can’t find curly leaves, then I don’t make tabule salad! Also, always chop it by hand. This makes all the difference in the texture!
Tomatoes
You can use any medium to large tomato. I always only use Romas when making this recipe. Look for firm tomatoes because you will need them to hold up in the chopping!
Also, always remove the seeds and liquid before dicing them. In fact, this is a must! This one step helps keep your salad dry, and we can all agree that no one wants a watery salad!
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
My Favorite Substitutions
Bulgur Wheat
You can substitute bulgar wheat with most grains when making tabule. Popular options include quinoa, couscous, buckwheat, barley, or pearl couscous (Israeli couscous).
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
While I recommend extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), my grandmother always used Mazola Corn Oil. On a trip home as an adult, my dad insisted she make it with EVOO. She secretly made it with Mazole, and he raved about it. The takeaway? You can use any neutral oil and still achieve delicious results.
Diet Modifications
If you are Keto or Gluten Free, substitute bulgar wheat with cauliflower rice. It’s an easy swap!
My Recommended Additions
Cucumbers
Use any cucumber, but seed it first. Sprinkle the cut side with salt and sit for 10-15 minutes to draw out moisture. Rinse and pat dry before chopping and adding to the tabbouleh.
Garbanzo beans
A cup of cooked, rinsed, and drained garbanzo beans will add protein to this salad.
Feta cheese
Everything is better with feta, right? If you agree, toss in a 1/4 cup of feta or vegan feta cheese.
Tried and True Lebanese Tips
Finely Hand Chop Ingredients
When making Lebanese tabule salad, always hand-chop the parsley and mint to a fine size. I use a two-handled knife with a rounded blade (Mezzaluna). It allows me to cut the parsley and mint quickly.
For the tomatoes and onions, aim for small pieces. You want them to blend into the salad.
Remove Seeds and Water
Always remove the seeds and watery interior of tomatoes before cutting them. This keeps your salad dry.
Let it Rest
If you can wait, let your salad rest in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes. If you have time, let it sit for a day. I think tabule always tastes better the next day!
Frequently Asked Questions
How did this recipe turn out? Leave a rating and comment below, letting me know.
Authentic Lebanese Tabule Salad
Equipment
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup (85g) Bulgur wheat fine or medium grain
- 2 cups (120g) Fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup (25g) Fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- Tomatoes: (250g) Tomatoes finely diced
- 4-5 (60g) Green onions: finely chopped
- ¼ cup (60ml) Fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, pepper and lemon to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the bulgur wheat: Place the bulgur wheat in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the bulgur, cover the bowl, and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes, or until the bulgur is tender and has absorbed the water. Fluff with a fork.
- Chop the vegetables: Finely chop the parsley and mint leaves. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the interior (seeds and watery part). Finely chop the green onions.
- Combine ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the soaked bulgur wheat, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber, and green onions.
- Mix and add the dressing: Combine the lemon juice and olive oil. Toss into the salad. Season with salt, black pepper, and additional fresh lemon juice as desired.
- Sit and serve: You can serve tabule right away. However, I recommend letting it sit for 30 minutes to 24 hours. The longer it sits, more more the flavores meld together.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use fresh ingredients.
- Serve tabbouleh with pita bread, pita chips, or romaine lettuce leaves.
- Tabbouleh tastes best after the flavors have had a chance to meld together. I recommend making it at least 60 minutes in advance, but you can make it up to 24 hours ahead of time.
- To make tabbouleh ahead of time, follow the recipe as directed. Then, store the tabbouleh in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Leftover tabbouleh can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze the tabule.
Nutrition
Did you make this? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!
When I was first married my neighbor who was Lebanese introduced me to this wonderful salad over 40 years ago. This is my family’s favorite salad. My great granddaughter ask for that green stuff… She’s 2 and absolutely loves it.
Oh Martha, that makes me so happy to hear that! I love that your Lebanese neighbor introduced this salad to you and you have enjoyed it all these years. I believe food and traditional recipes can bring the world together in kind and warm ways. BTW – your great granddaughter has great taste!
This tabbouleh is fantastic! Easy to make and full of flavor!
Thank you Katie. I am so happy you liked it.
one of my favourite salads – thanks for the tips and easy to follow steps
What a refreshing salad, thank you for making it so simple for us.
I love tabbouleh so much. This recipe was delightful and I will be making more again this afternoon.
Thank you Sean. I am so glad you loved it. Tabbouleh is my favorite Lebanese dish.
I make this often! I’m with you, I don’t use non-traditional ingredients either. It usually takes me an hour to make a big batch. I have been known to cut grape tomatoes into 16 pieces :). I always chop the parsley by hand. I have found food processor makes it to “wet”. Just ordered the mezzaluna in your link, I always used a chefs knife but I will try this for sure!
Great minds think alike! Hand chopping is the best way to make tabbouleh. I love this salad so much that instead of four small servings in the picture, I ate the entire bowl in one sitting. 🙂