Taboule Salad – A Simple Classic

This zesty taboule salad (also spelled tabouli or tabbouleh) is a bright and nutritious salad that you can make in a large batch and enjoy for several days to come.

It becomes more fragrant and delicious as it marinates and the flavors meld together nicely.

Following my last post where I extolled the virtues of parsley and why it is a powerhouse of good health, I wanted to make another dish where parsley was the star of the show.

When it comes to a parsley-heavy dish, there’s nothing better than taboule.

What is Taboule?

Taboule is a vegetarian salad traditionally served in the Eastern Mediterranean, also called the Levant, as part of a mezze. The mezze course contains small appetizers as part of a many course meal. In some regions, the mezze can be served alone, like tapas, while people sit, laugh, and converse.

You can serve taboule along with pita bread, baba ghanoush, hommus, tzatziki or haydari, dolmas or dawali, marinated Arabic salad, and other dishes less familiar in the West.

The principal ingredient in taboule is finely chopped parsley, with tomato, onion, and bulgar. It is dressed with lemon juice and olive oil to let the main ingredients shine. Taboule is thought to originate in Lebanon or Syria.

Related Mezze Posts

Arabic Salad with a digression on how parsley supports good health.

Dawali, aka stuffed grape leaves. A bit time consuming, but absolutely worth it!

Haydari, or Turkish yogurt dip (similar to tzatziki).

Hommus (or hummus, if you prefer – chickpea and tahini dip).

Why is this recipe different?

Traditional Lebanese taboule has much less bulgar in proportion to parsley – more along the lines of 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup bulgar with 3 to 4 bunches of parsley. It also uses green onions rather than red onion. It is visually a much greener salad that is very nutritious.

I changed my version for two reasons. First, adding more bulgar makes it more of a meal and less of a side. This is often an important consideration for vegetarians. Second, I was trying to make a homemade version of a rather expensive pre-packaged (in small packaging, no less) taboule salad I have spent no small sum on over the years at my local grocery store. Theirs features a higher ratio of bulgar to parsley and uses red onion, like mine.

Salads like this are very forgiving in terms of proportions. I tried this at several stages throughout the process and it was good each time. Feel free to adjust ingredients or proportions based on what you have at home and what you think your family will prefer.

Pin it for later!

What is Bulgar and How Do I Cook it?

Bulgar is a whole grain cereal made from parboiled cracked wheat. That means that when you buy bulgar it is already partially cooked. Traditionally, taboule uses very fine grain bulgar, and you just put it in with the salad dressing and let it absorb the moisture, without having to cook it first.

In my grocery store, I could only find one type of bulgar and it was in larger grains, which is why I soak mine with an equal part of boiling water for 20 minutes. I found the texture pleasantly chewy with no hard pieces, but if you wanted to be sure it was soft you can also boil bulgar in a saucepan for 12 minutes or so.

As bulgar is a wheat product it contains gluten, so if you are sensitive to that you can use quinoa instead to make a gluten-free taboule.

If you are curious about some of the health benefits of bulgar and why you might want to eat some, you can check out this article from healthline.

Is it bulgur or bulgar?

Technically both are correct, as far as I can tell, as is bulghur. However, bulgur seems to be the most common spelling.

Make it Gluten-Free

Use quinoa in place of bulgar to make this a gluten-free recipe.

To make red quinoa in the Instant Pot, simply add 1:1.5 parts rinsed red quinoa (1 cup for this recipe) and water (1 1/2 cups) with a pinch of salt to the inner chamber. After that, pressure cook on manual mode for 14 minutes.

Variations on Taboule

Add cucumbers for a more refreshing salad. This does change the flavor, but it’s also quite tasty.

Add chopped mint as well – I plan on trying it this way soon!

Use lime juice instead of lemon (or both!) for a different flavor. You could also try different flavored/infused olive oils if you think they will be compatible.

Some recipes call for pomegranate seeds (arils) instead of tomato.

As mentioned earlier, play with the types of onion used and the proportions to see how you like it best.

If you found this article helpful, please consider joining my email newsletter community for new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!

So did it work?

As you may be wondering, yes, this version turned out remarkably similar to the version I was buying at the store. Now that I know how to make it, I can make a much larger batch for around the same price. While it is possible I may buy it again when life gets busy, this recipe was done in the time it would have taken to drive to the store, wait in line, and come home. Plus, I get leftovers!

Shop this post

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. This post contains affiliate links, below. You can read more here.

Golden measuring cups (and spoons!) as shown in ingredients picture below.

Wusthof gourmet knives

Food processor (optional, or allow more time for chopping)

Taboule Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

• 1 cup bulgar
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 bunches curly parsley
• 2 medium tomatoes, washed
• 1/3 red onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Two large bowls
• Kettle or saucepan to boil water (or microwave I suppose)
• Food processor or allow more time for chopping finely
• Knife and cutting board
• Mixing spoon

Taboule Instructions

1. First, pour the bulgar into a large bowl and add the hot water. Stir and let it sit for about 20 minutes while you chop everything else.
2. Next, roughly chop the parsley so it will fit into a food processor and use that to save some time chopping. I had to do several batches as I have a quite small food processor. Set aside in a different bowl.
3. Then, dice the tomatoes as finely as you have patience for and add them to the parsley.
4. Next, dice the onion and place it with the parsley and tomatoes.
5. Once your bulgar has been soaking for about 20 minutes, it should be al dente. Pour the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and allspice over the bulgar and stir it all together until everything is coated with the dressing.
6. Finally, add all the chopped parsley, tomato, and onion and stir until well blended.
7. Taste and see if you want any more of any of the seasoning while everything is still out.

Taboule is tasty right away, but let it sit longer for a more cohesive flavor. Leftover taboule the next day is delicious!

If you try this recipe at home, I’d love to hear how you like it in the comments. If you love it, please rate my recipe with five stars!

I hope you enjoyed this energizing taboule!