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5.0 from 12 votes

Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad

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.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 318 kcal
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Lebanese

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!).
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Nutrition Information

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

% 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.