Quinoa Tabbouleh

Freshen up your summer menu with a Quinoa Tabbouleh side dish. This healthy Mediterranean recipe is easy and ideal for showcasing all of your seasonal herbs and vegetables.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings (1/2 cup each)

Calories 75kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed (see note 1)
1/4 cup lemon juice from 2-3 large lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes seeded and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 bunch scallions sliced (white and green parts)
3 bunches fresh curly parsley stems removed, minced (see note 2)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves stems removed, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 12 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.
Remove from heat, fluff, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally to help it cool.
To a large bowl, add quinoa. Stir in lemon juice, olive oil, tomatoes, scallions, parsley, mint, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Video

Notes

Quinoa: Dry, uncooked quinoa has a natural bitter coating called saponin that must be removed before cooking. You can either buy pre-rinsed quinoa, such as Bob's Red Mill, or use a fine mesh sieve to rinse quinoa under running water. You can also soak the quinoa in a bowl, using several changes of water, rubbing the grains against each other with your fingers.
Curly parsley:Gleaned from the comments of Lebanese grandmas on other cooking forums, flat parsley is too wet and will drag down the salad. I recommend opting for fresh curly parsley in homemade tabbouleh.
Yield: This recipe makes 10 half-cup, side dish-sized servings.
Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition