Lebanese tabbouleh

Name: Lebanese tabbouleh
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Lebanon
Ingredients: 4 large bunches flat-leaf parsley (about 300 g); 1 bunch fresh mint; 50 g fine bulgur; 4 firm tomatoes, finely diced; 4 spring onions or 1 small onion, finely chopped; Juice of 2 lemons; 80 ml olive oil; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp allspice or black pepper; Romaine lettuce leaves, to serve

Local name: تبولة

Also written: taboulé · taboulet

A mound of finely chopped parsley and mint scattered with tomato and a little bulgur, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Published on 3 December 2025

Vegan#parsley#bulgur#mint#salad#mezze

Photo: cyclonebill , CC BY-SA 2.0

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Rinse the bulgur, barely cover it with cold water and leave it to swell for 20 minutes. It should not be cooked.
Wash the parsley and mint and dry them very thoroughly in a tea towel. Wet herbs make a soggy tabbouleh.
Pick the leaves and chop them very finely by hand, working in tight little bundles. Avoid the food processor, which bruises them.
Put the diced tomatoes in a bowl with the drained bulgur so it soaks up their juice.
Add the herbs, onion, lemon juice, oil, salt and spice. Toss gently.
Taste and adjust the lemon and salt. Serve straight away with lettuce leaves for scooping.

In Lebanon tabbouleh is a herb salad, not a grain salad: the bulgur is only a quiet accent. Make it at the last minute, as the parsley loses its freshness quickly once dressed.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 275 kcal
Protein: 5.6 g
Fat: 19.7 g
Carbohydrate: 24.6 g
Fibre: 6.8 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why so little bulgur?

In Lebanon tabbouleh is a herb salad, not a grain salad: 50 g of bulgur to 300 g of parsley is enough, as a mere accent. Fine bulgur is not cooked either, it swells for 20 minutes in a little cold water and then takes up the tomato juices.

Can I chop the parsley in a food processor?

Better not. The blades bruise the leaves, force out their juice and leave a wet green mass. Chop with a sharp knife in small tight handfuls so the strands stay separate.

My tabbouleh goes watery. How do I stop that?

Dry the parsley and mint thoroughly in a cloth after washing, since wet herbs alone will do it. Use firm tomatoes, and dress only at the last moment, because salt and lemon draw water out of the herbs.

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