Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad
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5.0
12 reviews
Excellent
Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad
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A twist on the Middle Eastern / Lebanese classic, this tabbouleh salad features chickpeas and quinoa for a high-fiber, high-protein full-meal salad! It's perfect on its own or served with pita bread, or inside a pita bread sandwich.
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Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa (preferably white, see notes)
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas
- 1 cup chopped parsley (about one bunch from the store)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint (optional, but recommended!)
- 1 large tomato diced (see notes)
- 4 green onions thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and diced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving as needed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus the zest (from about 1 small lemon)
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a mesh sieve, drain the canned chickpeas. Add the uncooked quinoa (½ cup) and rinse both the quinoa and chickpeas off very well. Add the chickpeas and quinoa to a medium sized pot, along with ¾ cups of water and a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, stir, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit, covered, for at least 5 more minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking is a great time to prep all your other ingredients - chop the parsley, dice the tomato and cucumber, etc. (See notes if using a large, watery tomato.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil (¼ cup) with the lemon juice and lemon zest (from about 1 lemon), a generous pinch of kosher salt, and a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper.
- Add the cooked quinoa and chickpeas to the dressing in the large bowl and stir together to coat. For best results, stick the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so to allow the ingredients to cool down.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl (diced tomato, diced cucumber, chopped parsley, chopped mint, and sliced green onions). Stir everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve, preferably drizzled with a little more olive oil and cracked pepper.
Notes
- Quinoa comes in many colors - white, red, and black being the most common. Similarly to rice, white quinoa cooks the fastest and has the fluffiest texture. I recommend using white quinoa for this, as the texture will be similar to the more traditional bulgur tabbouleh ingredient, and because the prep is faster.
- The quinoa is cooked a little dry on purpose. If I were cooking quinoa as a side, I would use more water to cook it. But because it is tossed with a dressing and other watery ingredients, and in order to mimic the texture of bulgur wheat, it's best to have it a little dry for this salad.
- If using a large, watery tomato, you may want to dice the tomato and place it in a mesh sieve over a bowl while you prep the other ingredients. The juices will drip out, leaving you with dryer tomato that will work better in the salad. You can also pat the diced tomato with a paper towel (side note: I also do this when I make sandwiches with sliced tomato to make them less soggy!).
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
318kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
34g
(11%)
Protein
10g
(20%)
Fat
17g
(26%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
3g
Monounsaturated Fat
11g
Sodium
311mg
(13%)
Potassium
588mg
(17%)
Fiber
8g
(32%)
Sugar
2g
(4%)
Vitamin A
1832IU
(37%)
Vitamin C
33mg
(37%)
Calcium
98mg
(10%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 318 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 318kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 34g | 11% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 17g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Sodium | 311mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 588mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 8g | 32% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 1832IU | 37% |
| Vitamin C | 33mg | 37% |
| Calcium | 98mg | 10% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
12 reviews
Excellent
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