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Quinoa Tabbouleh

Naturopath Lauren Glucina
A light but nutrient-dense tabbouleh salad using tri-colour quinoa as a gluten free alternative to bulgur wheat. Serves 4 to 6.
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Course Main, Salad with dressing
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Plant-based
Servings 4
Calories 252 kcal

Ingredients
  

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

  • 3/4 cup quinoa tricolour or plain
  • 250 g cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cups parsley, finely sliced flat leaf, about 3-4 bunches or 180g
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, sliced
  • 1 cup cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 cup scallions/green onions, finely sliced

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon za'atar spice blend
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Instructions
 

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

  • Start by getting the quinoa on to cook. Rinse well under running water, then add to a saucepan with water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 12-13 minutes or so until the spirals separate out from the quinoa grains. Once cooked, drain, fluff with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl.
  • Set the oven to 200˚C / 392˚F. Half the cherry tomatoes and bake until juicy and shrivelled while you prep the herbs.
  • Chop the parsley, stalks and all, superfine. A herb cutter will make short work of this step.
  • Remove the mint leaves from the stalks, chop fine.
  • To prep the scallions – trim the roots off, then very finely slice both white and green parts until you have half a cup's worth.
  • Peel the cucumber, slice the ends off, then cut lengthways into strips. From here – cut into cubes.
  • Add all salad ingredients to the serving bowl.

Dressing

  • Peel and finely mince 1 large or two small garlic cloves, then whisk all dressing ingredients together.
  • Pour over the salad, toss well to combine, add a little freshly grated lemon zest over the top and serve.

Notes

  • Rinse the quinoa well before cooking to reduce the saponin content, which can irritate sensitive tummies
  • The quinoa needs to be cooked just right – if you over cook, it will look soggy rather than fluffy. See my post here on how to cook the perfect quinoa
  • Let the quinoa cool before combining with the rest of the ingredients – crucial step – otherwise the fresh herbs will wilt
  • Another great alternative to quinoa is buckwheat
  • Flat leaf over curly parsley is preferable. If you increase the amount of quinoa, you will lose the vibrant green colour of this dish, and it won't quite resemble traditional tabbouleh
  • Homegrown, Lebanese cucumbers are ideal
  • The roasted tomatoes add depth of flavour, but you can use fresh (diced)
  • The Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend – oregano, thyme, marjoram, sumac and sesame seeds. It really elevates a rather simple dressing, but feel free to omit
  • You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days - the flavour will only intensify
  • Nutrition panel is an estimate only, and represents a single served (4 servings total).

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 7gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1.5gSodium: 96mgFiber: 5.75gSugar: 13gVitamin C: 75.5mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 6mg
Keyword Quinoa Tabbouleh, Quinoa Tabbouli
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