Quinoa Tabbouleh
03I’ve had it a few times as an adult and though it will never replace my beloved fattoush, I find that I enjoy it much, much more now. I love bulgur, but we were really low on it when I decided to make tabouli, so I used quinoa instead. It’s a great substitute but both are really healthy and good for you so this isn’t one of those times when quinoa necessarily adds a ton of added benefits (it does add slightly more protein and has fewer carbs). I of course increased the lemon juice/ratio to oil and did decrease the mint by a bit.
We had this one night with a pork tenderloin I marinated in my shawarma marinade and the roasted vegetables with za’atar and it was definitely one of my favorite recent meals (but I could eat Middle Eastern food every day so I guess you’ll have to take that for what it’s worth). While Zachary was asking for more zucchini over and over, Ian kept asking for more quinoa, so things ended up working out perfectly. 🙂
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Adapted from Bon Appétit
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions and cooled
1 large hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
2 scallions, thinly sliced
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the cooled quinoa in a large bowl and mix it with about half the dressing. Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, mint, scallions and remaining dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary.
I love tabbouleh so much! Adding quinoa just makes it even better!
I feel similarly about parsley in tabbouleh. Love the idea of using quinoa.
Tabbouleh has never been my favorite either. I like it just fine, but would definitely choose fattoush over it! Love this quinoa version though…I tend to have that on hand more often than bulgur.