Lebanon · Side · Easy
Tabbouleh
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Tabbouleh, in 5 ideas
- Chop by hand. A food processor bruises parsley into a wet mess. A sharp knife and five minutes gives you fluffy, distinct pieces.
- Use flat-leaf only. Curly parsley is tougher and more bitter. Flat-leaf is tender and brighter.
- Cool the bulgur first. Hot bulgur wilts the parsley on contact. Room temperature keeps everything fresh.
- Dress to taste at the end. Tomatoes vary in acidity. Start with the stated lemon and add more until it sings.
- Eat it the same day. Tabbouleh is at its peak within hours. Overnight it wilts and the lemon dulls.
What you need
Ingredients
- 3 bunches flat-leaf parsley (about 4 cups chopped)
- 1/2 cup fine bulgur
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3 tomatoes, finely diced
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
How to make it
Directions
- Pour the boiling water over the bulgur, cover, and rest 10 minutes until tender. Drain any excess and fluff with a fork. Cool completely.
- Strip the parsley leaves from the stems. Chop by hand as fine as you can, but do not bruise it into mush. This takes a few minutes and is worth it.
- Toss the parsley, cooled bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and scallions in a large bowl.
- Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Pour over and toss well.
- Rest 15 minutes so the bulgur absorbs the dressing. Taste and add more lemon or salt.
- Serve with romaine hearts or warm pita for scooping.
Parsley is the salad, bulgur is the accent. If your bowl looks mostly like grain, the ratio is wrong. It should be green with flecks of bulgur, not the reverse.