simple tabbouleh salad

by Katie | Jul 28, 2015 | Side Dishes, Soups and Salads | 21 comments

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A simple tabbouleh salad with curly parsley, mint, tomatoes and red onion. A perfect healthy summer side dish that requires just 15 minutes of prep work!

It occurs to me that this should not be a bowl of simple tabbouleh salad but a cake instead. Seeing that tomorrow is my birthday and all. And this is a big one. The big 4Ohhhh! A cake would be traditional. But those of you whom have been reading for a while know that I am a non-traditional kinda gal. And I’m not really a cake kinda gal.

What I have been hearing over and over about turning 40 is that this marks the decade when you stop giving a hoot what other people think and what they think you should be doing and you just focus in on your own dang priorities. So seeing that I am turning 40s and I’m more in the mood for tomatoes, parsley, mint and bulgur than cake and frosting, I give you a bowl of simple tabbouleh salad instead. Happy Birthday to me.

I know that sounds kinda depressing, but I have to say I am far from feeling blue. I just threw myself an awesomely crazy birthday party last weekend with 100 people dressed in wigs with live music. (For the record, I didn’t serve cake then either.) We were too busy laughing and dancing our butts off. My feet are still sore from dancing.

It is on my list of things to do to make a cake for you all for the blog at some point. But with the party and all I haven’t had time. Will you remind me to do a cake if I forget? Wanna see me in my wig instead?

That’s my mom on the right and my step-father on the left. I bought my wig out in California when I was on my way to meet up with Alanna. No I am not dressed as Joan Jett. I am dressed as myself in a wig. Did I mention I consider myself to be non-traditional?

Anyway, this tabbouleh salad holds a very special place in my heart along with hummus (read why here.) And I simply crave it as soon as tomatoes and parsley come into season. I can eat gallons of it. I just keep it in the fridge and scoop out bowlfuls to nosh on for days.

How to Make Tabbouleh Salad

If you take a look at the total time required for this recipe, you might be a little startled at first. Over an hour to make one side salad sounds like a lot of time and energy, but hear me out! That hands on prep time required for this tabbouleh salad recipe is actually just 15 minutes or so. The rest of the time you simply are waiting for the bulgur wheat to absorb enough water to fluff up nicely.

So to make this simple tabbouleh, you’ll first need to combine some boiling water with the bulgur wheat. Once the bulgur has absorbed the water, you’ll need to drain it well using a fine mesh sieve and use a paper towel or clean dish cloth to press out any excess water (this part is very important, don’t skip it!).

Then, you’ll need to whisk together a little lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a large serving bowl. Add in the bulgur and mix until it’s fully coated in the dressing. Gently stir in the parsley, tomatoes, onion and mint and serve immediately. You can prep this tabbouleh salad in advance for a family gathering or potluck, but note that it doesn’t keep super well in the fridge. You can still eat the leftovers after a few days, but the tomatoes tend to go soft and they make the bulgur a little soggy. Totally edible, but not as good as it is when you first make it! (Although for the record, I’ve always loved eating this tabbouleh for days after I’ve made it!).

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