This quinoa and chickpea tabbouleh salad is a twist on the classic Lebanese recipe! With the addition of chickpeas and quinoa in place of the usual bulgur, this fiber- and protein-packed salad is a meal in itself. It’s also delicious stuffed into a pita pocket sandwich, especially with leftovers for an easy lunch!
Traditional taboo (aka tabouli) it’s always heavy on the parsley and you’ll need a LOT of it for this recipe. This is great if you have a ton of them in your yard, like I do, but you can usually find large bunches at the store too.
And he usually uses tabbouleh bulgur wheatwhich is partially cooked cracked wheat berries. This salad uses quinoa instead, as well as chickpeas, which are high in fiber and protein, widely accessible, and are gluten-free, if that’s your thing.
Cucumbers aren’t usually found in traditional tabbouleh, but I added them for a fresh twist and more veggies.
Everything is tossed in a simple dressing of lemon juice and zest (because I never waste enthusiasm if I can help it!)and LOTS of extra virgin olive oil.
The balance of protein, fiber, healthy carbs, and healthy fats in the salad makes it super filling and you’ll love all the fresh flavors! And it couldn’t be simpler to make.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Canned or cooked chickpeas
- Quinoa – I recommend white quinoa.
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Parsley – lots of it! Italian flat leaf is the best.
- Mint: optional, but delicious.
- You can also use green onions: finely chopped red, but they will have a stronger flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest
- Extra virgin olive oil
How to Prevent Soggy Tabbouleh Salad
To prevent the salad from being soggy and waterlogged, especially from leftovers, you need to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Here are two suggestions about it:
- Cook the quinoa and chickpeas together with less water than usual. This will soften the canned chickpeas, which can sometimes be a little tough, and using less water than usual will allow the quinoa more “room” to absorb some of the dressing or other excess liquid in the salad.
- If you use a large, juicy tomato, chop it and place it in a sieve over a bowl while the quinoa cooks and while you prepare the other ingredients. This will allow the water to drain from the tomato.
- Sow cucumbers. I used English cucumbers, which already don’t contain water like other varieties, and I also removed the seeds, where most of the water is.
How to serve Tabbouleh salad
This tabbouleh salad is a meal in itself with added protein! But it’s also delicious served with pita bread, grilled halloumi cheese, grilled chicken or Greek meatballs. And leftovers are delicious stuffed in a pita pocket, with some sliced feta cheese if you want, or an easy lunch.
I’ve already made this recipe 3 times and I don’t plan on stopping. I hope you try this delicious quinoa and chickpea tabbouleh salad!
Other whole meal salad recipes
Did you know that commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe or have a question, click the stars below to comment and Rate this recipe and/or share photos on social media using the hashtag #bowlofdelicious or tagging @bowlofdelicious!
Quinoa and Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad
A twist on the Middle Eastern/Lebanese classic, this tabbouleh salad features chickpeas and quinoa for a well-rounded salad that’s high in fiber and protein! It’s perfect on its own or served with pita bread or inside a pita bread sandwich.
Press
Pin
Evaluate
Portions: 4 portions
Calories: 318kcal
Prevents the screen from going dark
Ingredients
- ½ cup Quinoa (preferably white, see notes)
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas
- 1 cup chopped parsley (about a bunch from the store)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint (optional, but recommended!)
- 1 large tomato cut into cubes (see notes)
- 4 green onions sliced thinly (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and diced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more to serve as needed
- 2 spoons fresh lemon juice, plus zest (from about 1 small lemon)
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper taste
Instructions
-
In a colander, drain the canned chickpeas. Add the raw quinoa (½ cup) and rinse both the quinoa and chickpeas very well. Add the chickpeas and quinoa to a medium-sized pot, along with ¾ cups water and a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest, coveredfor at least another 5 minutes.
-
While the quinoa is cooking, this is the ideal time to prepare all the 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 lemon juice and zest (from about 1 lemon), a generous pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.
-
Add the cooked quinoa and chickpeas to the dressing in the large bowl and toss to coat. For best results, place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to allow the ingredients to cool.
-
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl (diced tomato, diced cucumber, chopped parsley, chopped mint and sliced green onions). Mix everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
-
Serve, preferably drizzled with a little more olive oil and cracked pepper.
Notes
- Quinoa It is available in many colors: white, red and black are the most common. Similar to rice, white quinoa cooks faster 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 preparation is quicker.
- The quinoa is deliberately cooked a little dry. If I were cooking quinoa as a side dish, I would use more water to cook it. But because it is tossed with a dressing and other watery ingredients and to mimic the texture of bulgur, it’s best to keep it a little dry for this salad.
- If you use a large, watery tomato, you may want to dice the tomato and place in a colander over a bowl while you prepare the other ingredients. The juices will drain away, leaving you with drier tomatoes that will work better in the salad. You can also dab the tomato cubes with a paper towel (side note: I also do this when I make sliced tomato sandwiches to make them less soggy!).
Nutrition
Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 34G | Protein: 10G | Fat: 17G | Saturated fat: 2G | Polyunsaturated fats: 3G | Monounsaturated fats: 11G | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 8G | Sugar: 2G | Vitamin A: 1832UI | Vitamin C: 33mg | Soccer: 98mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information disclaimer
The nutritional information provided is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at the top of the recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from the flavoring seasoning, any optional ingredients, and does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
