When it’s too hot to cook, this is one of my go-to salads. Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern dish which features fresh parsley as the main ingredient. In this version, I’ve added lentils for gut-friendly fibre and a bit more bulgar wheat than is traditionally used.
All you need is a kettle (or some boiling water), a chopping board, and a knife, making it ideal for camping, BBQs, or a quick prepare-ahead meal.
Tip: If you're following a low FODMAP diet, swap the bulgur for quinoa, stick with 2 tablespoons of puy lentils per serving to make it low FODMAP friendly and bypass the red onion pickle.
Serve with: fish, hummus, pitta bread, or scooped up with crunchy gem lettuce leaves. I also love taking this in a lunchbox.
Serves 2 as a main or 3-4 as a side.
Ingredients
100g bulgur wheat (or about ½ cup – can be swapped for quinoa if you need a gluten-free option)
125g ready-to-eat puy lentils (ready cooked from a pouch or can)
2 roma or plum tomatoes, sliced and finely chopped
1 cucumber, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 small bunch of mint, stalks removed, finely chopped
1 large bunch of parsley, stalks removed, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
Generous pinch of salt
Black pepper
Hummus or pitta bread, for serving
Quick red pickle for the top (if eating onions)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp vinegar e.g. cider / white wine
Generous pinch salt
1tsp sugar
Method:
Soak the bulgur: Place the bulgur in a bowl. Add the juice of a lemon juice and just-boiled water to cover it by about 1cm. Cover the bowl with a plate or cloth and leave to soak for 15 minutes, until the water has absorbed.
Make your quick red onion pickle: Finely slice the red onion. Put into a bowl and scrunch together with the vinegar, salt, and sugar. Mix well and set aside - it’ll soften and become less sharp while you prep the rest of the dish.
Prep the vegetables and herbs: Remove the stems from the herbs, then wash and pat dry - this is important to avoid watering down the flavours. Fold your herbs up and chop chop chop - go as fine as possible. Slice the tomatoes and then chop finely. Cut the cucumber in half, remove the seeds and then dice as finely as you can.
Combine everything: Fluff up the soaked bulgur with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Tip in the lentils, herbs, chopped veg, olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, pepper. Mix well and adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve: Transfer to a large summery serving bowl, drizzle with a little more olive oil then top with the red onion pickle if you made it. Serve with gem lettuce or pitta bread for scooping and a side of hummus. Also goes great with fish or as a BBQ side dish.
Hungry for more? Dig into more gut-friendly recipes
