Tabbouleh salad with freekeh

 This fresh and summery Middle Eastern tabbouleh salad is loaded with parsley, tomato, lemon and olive oil. Tasty freekeh grains give it a delicious twist!

I don’t know about you, but summertime always makes me want to eat loads of salad! When the weather is hot, I’m craving fresh, raw vegetables and crunchy, tasty salads. I usually stick to a combination of veggies and dressing, but occasionally I’ll add some grains or pulses too.

This delicious summery salad uses freekeh, a wonderful ancient grain that’s similar to bulgar wheat.

What is freekeh?

I first discovered freekeh on Shavuot a few years ago.  I was researching food in Megillat Ruth (the biblical book of Ruth) and learned that the grain that Ruth and Boaz shared was most likely freekeh. It is made by charring young wheat grains, and consequently has a slightly smoky flavour and a delicious chewy texture. It’s easy to cook – simply simmer in water for about 15-20 minutes, then drain and enjoy!

What is tabbouleh salad?

Tabbouleh salad is a traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dish made from fresh parsley, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil, mixed with bulgar wheat. Authentic versions are heavy on the parsley, and merely speckled with grains of wheat. More Westernised examples tend to be heavy on the grains, and the parsley is really more of a seasoning than the main part of the salad.

This version falls somewhere in the middle!

Tabbouleh salad with freekeh

I substituted freekeh for the bulgar wheat in this tabbouleh salad, so I could enjoy it’s delicious smoky flavour which goes really well with the herbs and lemon. If you don’t have freekeh you can of course use bulgar. Or substitute couscous, ptitim (Israeli giant couscous), wheat berries, or the grain of your choice!

How much parsley?!

Our organic veg box arrived with an absolutely enormous bunch of fresh, fragrant, flat-leaved parsley. A huge amount. Naturally my thoughts immediately turned to a tabbouleh salad, loaded with delicious chopped fresh parsley. To give you an idea of just how much parsley we had, this tabbouleh salad recipe used 75g and served 4 people. And that was just under half the parsley that we’d received!

Ingredients for tabbouleh salad with freekeh

Of course parsley isn’t the only ingredient in this gorgeous summer salad! To make a tasty dish of tabbouleh salad for yourself, you’ll need:

• fresh flat-leaf parsley – see above!
• tomatoes – fresh, ripe and delicious
• spring onions – also called scallions in the USA and elsewhere
• lemon – juice and zest
• olive oil
• salt and pepper – to season
• freekeh – I love this tasty grain but you can substitute the grain of your choice in this salad and still have fabulous results. You need about 1 cup of cooked grain, so try it with bulgar wheat (traditional), barley, spelt, kasha (buckwheat) or even ptitim or couscous.

Fresh and delicious

This tabbouleh salad with freekeh uses just a few ingredients, but makes a very tasty, fresh and delicious dish. We ate it for lunch with a selection of cheeses, humous, and a big vegetable salad. Just the thing on a hot summer’s day!

If you want deliciously easy, family-friendly recipes like this one delivered straight to your inbox, simply click here to subscribe. (Of course, I’ll never pass on your email address to anyone.)

📖 Recipe

Tabbouleh salad with freekeh

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

A fresh and summery Middle Eastern tabbouleh salad, loaded with parsley, tomato, lemon and olive oil. Tasty freekeh grains give it a delicious twist!

4.72 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Israeli, Middle Eastern

Servings 4

Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 65 g freekeh
• 75 g bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (approx. 40g of leaves)
• 100 g tomatoes
• 2-3 spring onions (scallions)
• ½ lemon – zest and juice
• 1½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Rinse the freekeh, then place in a pan with 185ml (⅘ cup) of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the parsley. Wash/soak thoroughly, then spin dry or drain on an absorbent cloth. Remove and discard the stalks. Chop the leaves and place in a medium bowl.
• Cut the tomatoes into small dice and add to the parsley. Trim the spring onions (scallions), slice thinly, and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
• Add the lemon zest and juice and the olive oil, and mix everything together.
• When the freekeh is cooked, drain off any remaining liquid (this may not be necessary if the grains have absorbed all the water) and add to the parsley mixture. Mix well to thoroughly combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as required.
• This tabbouleh salad is delicious served slightly warm, at room temperature, or cold. Enjoy!

Notes

You can substitute the grain of your choice for the freekeh in this recipe. You will need approx. 1 cup of cooked grain – simply mix with the other prepared ingredients!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Tabbouleh salad with freekeh

Amount per Serving

Calories

116

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Sodium

 

13

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

198

mg

6

%

Carbohydrates

 

14

g

5

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

2

g

2

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

1851

IU

37

%

Vitamin C

 

37

mg

45

%

Calcium

 

44

mg

4

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword freekeh, herbs, lemon, olive oil, tomato

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More fresh and tasty salad recipes

Other delicious fresh salads that you might enjoy include simple French-style carrot salad, classic Israeli chopped vegetable salad, crunchy Israeli red cabbage salad, or delicious Asian-style sesame green bean salad.

You might also like to try this fabulous mushroom soup with freekeh.