Crunchy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

This Crunchy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad (also called tabouli salad) features fresh parsley, mint, green onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and a bit of apple for sweetness and added crunch. The typical bulgar is replaced with fluffy protein-packed quinoa and it’s all tossed in a delicious lemon vinaigrette.

This tabbouleh salad with quinoa is great as a vegan main but it’s also perfect as a side dish to serve with grilled chicken or salmon. Typical Mediterranean tabbouleh salad ingredients are rich with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.  I add chopped apple to this salad to give it a kiss of sweetness and added crunch.  For the dressing I add a little honey and lemon to the olive oil to add a touch of sweetness to tone down the bitter taste of parsley.  This is a great detox salad recipe!  Parsley detoxifies the kidneys and the lemon in the dressing draws toxins away from the liver.  You can read more here about the Benefits of parsley 

Tabouli Recipe 

• Cooked quinoa – we use quinoa instead of bulgur wheat for this recipe.
• Herbs – Flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint and so much flavor and immune boosting properties to this salad.
• Tomatoes – I like to use cherry, baby heirloom or teardrop tomatoes because they hold their shape and don’t get soggy. But you could use chopped garden tomatoes if you like.
• Green onions – they add a lot of flavor
• Persian cucumber – these add a lot of crunch. If you use regular cucumbers, you’ll want to peel them and remove the seeds. Persian cucumbers don’t necessarily have to be peeled because they have a thin and crispy skin.
• Apple – this adds a hint of sweetness to an otherwise earthy tasting salad.
• Dressing – I love the simplicity of this lemon vinaigrette for this salad.

How to Make Quinoa Tabouli Salad

1. Cook quinoa – Make the quinoa following this How to Make Quinoa link for perfectly fluffy quinoa.
2. Make dressing – Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
3. Toss vegetables and herbs – In a large bowl, combine the parsley, mint, tomatoes, scallions, cucumber and apple.
4. Add quinoa – Toss in the cooled quinoa to the parsley mixture and toss.
5. Dress salad – Add the dressing and toss well to coat.
6. Chill – Refrigerate tabouli salad before serving.

Variations

• Toss in kalamata olives
• Sprinkle in some Feta cheese
• Add fresh dill
• Use cauliflower rice instead of quinoa
• Go with bulgar wheat instead of quinoa

Why We Use Quinoa Instead of Bulgur Wheat

Bulgur vs quinoa – what’s the difference. Bulgur is a pre-cooked cracked wheat (so it has gluten), where quinoa is a seed (so it’s gluten-free). Quinoa is also more nutritional than bulgur, but quinoa contains 220 calories per cup, where bulgur contains 110 calories per cup. Quinoa has 8 grams of protein per cup and bulgur has only 4 grams of protein per cup. And quinoa is a complete protein. Click here to read more about the benefits of quinoa.

Looking for More Quinoa Salad Recipes to Make?

• Best Quinoa Salad
• Quinoa Beet Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Crunchy Detox Salad
• Beet Kale Quinoa Salad
• Mexican Quinoa Salad

Want more ideas? Check out all my quinoa salad recipes.

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Yield: Serves 6 - 8

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This Crunchy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad (also called tabouli salad) features fresh parsley, mint, green onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and a bit of apple for sweetness and added crunch. The typical bulgar is replaced with fluffy protein-packed quinoa and it's all tossed in a delicious lemon vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa (equal to about 1/2 cup dried quinoa)
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped (about 1 bunch)
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 1 cup cherry, baby heirloom, or teardrop tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 3 scallions, sliced - white and light green parts only
• 3/4 cup Persian cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoons clover honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according the package.
2. After the quinoa has finished cooking and you've turned the heat off, add the minced garlic and put the lid back on the pot.
3. After the quinoa has cooled, you'll add it to the other ingredients.
4. In a large bowl, combine the parsley, mint, tomatoes, scallions, cucumber and apple.
5. Add the cooled quinoa to the parsley mixture and toss.
6. Add the olive oil-lemon mixture to the tabbouleh salad and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.

For the Vinaigrette

1. In a separate small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well.

Notes

Variations

• Toss in kalamata olives
• Sprinkle in some Feta cheese
• Add fresh dill
• Use cauliflower rice instead of quinoa
• Go with bulgar wheat instead of quinoa

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.