Lentil Tabbouleh Salad: This Middle Eastern dish is a healthy, protein-rich salad with bright lemon, parsley, refreshing mint, and spices for a nutrient-rich lunch or side dish. It’s vegan and gluten-free.
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This lentil tabbouleh salad is one of my favorite simple lunch recipes or pot-luck dishes. It uses simple, fresh ingredients that, when combined, create a symphony of flavors.
Tabbouleh, a traditional Middle Eastern salad, is also spelled tabouleh or tabouli. It is a refreshing and flavorful dish widely enjoyed in Mediterranean cuisine. The recipe has several variations, but most include parsley as the primary ingredient, with other fresh herbs such as mint for extra flavor. Additional ingredients typically included are bulgur wheat, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
This variation included most of the ingredients from traditional tabbouleh, but I’ve added lentils instead of bulgur wheat. By using lentils, this salad has additional protein without gluten, making it a nutrient-dense salad for those who follow a vegan and/or gluten-free diet.
This salad is quick and easy to make, with tons of flavor. It’s the perfect dish to make any time of year, with the bright flavors of lemon and herbs.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Light and Flavorful
- Simple Lunch or Side Dish
- Fresh Ingredients
- Vegan and Gluten-Free
- Quick and Easy to Make
- Nutrient Dense
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Lentils: Use cooked green or brown lentils. These lentils hold their shape nicely in the salad.
Parsley: There are two main types of parsley. Flat leaf parsley and curly parsley. I use flat-leaf parsley in this recipe, but both types work fine.
Fresh Basil: This ingredient isn’t typical in Middle Eastern Tabbouleh, but I love its fresh flavor, and it works nicely with the mint and parsley.
Fresh Mint: Don’t skip the mint! It brings a refreshing flavor to the salad.
Cherry Tomatoes: Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters. I prefer cherry tomatoes because they have fewer seeds or juices. You can also use a Roma tomato or vine-ripened tomato, but be sure to remove the seeds and juice.
Persian Cucumbers: These cucumbers are smaller than regular or English cucumbers.
Scallions: Also called green onions, add a subtle flavor to the salad. You can also use finely diced red onion.
Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is the dressing for this salad.
Salt and Black Pepper: Add to taste.
Sumac: A Middle Eastern spice with a dark purplish color and an earthy flavor.
📖 Variations and Substitutions
Lemon Vinaigrette: Whisk the lemon juice with olive oil to create a vinaigrette for this salad. I skip the oil to reduce fat and calories.
Chickpeas: Instead of lentils, add chickpeas. Or add both lentils and chickpeas for a denser salad.
Pomegranate Seeds: Add some fresh pomegranate seeds for a burst of color and flavor. This is a beautiful addition during the holidays.
Bulgur: Add high-fiber cooked bulgur for a traditional recipe.
Other Spices: If you don’t have sumac, you can substitute it for cinnamon or allspice.
🔪 Tools and Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Chopping Knife
- Lemon Juicer
- Serving Bowls
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Lentil Tabbouleh Salad
- Prepare the lentils: Rinse the lentils and remove any stones or debris. Add the lentils and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. If there is excess water after the lentils are cooked, drain them and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- While the lentils cook, dice the cucumbers and scallions and slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Roughly chop the parsley, basil, and mint.
- Add the cucumber, scallions, cherry tomatoes, parsley, basil, and mint to the bowl of lentils.
- Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and sumac. Toss everything together so the vegetables, herbs, and lentils are evenly coated.
- Serve cold.
📝 Expert Tips
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Opt for ripe, flavorful tomatoes, vibrant green parsley, and fragrant mint.
- Wash the fresh herbs well in cool water, and pat dry to remove dirt and debris.
- Be sure to remove the stems of the herbs before chopping.
- Finely chop the herbs, especially the parsley. This ensures an even distribution of flavors throughout the salad.
- Taste as you go and adjust the quantities of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and sumac to achieve a well-balanced flavor profile.
- If you have time, allow the lentil tabbouleh salad to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. This gives the flavors a chance to meld together.
❓ FAQS
The challenge with tabbouleh is that it doesn’t keep for an extended period of time because the lemon dressing causes the herbs to become wet and soggy. The best way to keep your tabbouleh from becoming soggy too quickly is to wait to add the dressing until you are ready to serve the dish. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil (if using), salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and refrigerate it with the rest of the salad ingredients. When ready to serve, add the dressing and toss it all together.
Yes, it is a healthy dish. This recipe has a combination of plant protein with the addition of lentils, plus numerous vitamins and minerals from fresh herbs and vegetables. Fresh parsley is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, iron, and antioxidants. It’s made with whole-food ingredients and is low in calories in fat when made without olive oil. If you choose to use extra-virgin olive oil, do so sparingly. Olive oil provides monounsaturated fat that is good for your health. This dish is low in sugar, and sodium.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Lentil tabbouleh salad is often served chilled or at room temperature.
For an attractive presentation, serve on top of a lettuce bowl made with iceberg lettuce. Serve with a side of pita bread and slices of feta cheese.
This salad pairs nicely with other Mediterranean dishes.
🫙 Storage
Refrigerator: Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. After 2 days, the parsley will become soggy. Store the salad and dressing in separate containers to keep the parsley from becoming soggy. It will keep for another 2 days or so.
🎥 Video
⚖️ Serving Size
This salad makes six side salad servings, or if enjoyed as a main dish, it makes about 4.
😋 More Vegan Salad Recipes!
Recipe
Lentil Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup green lentils
- 4 cups water
- 3 Persian Cucumbers diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- 3 scallions chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint rougly chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sumac
Instructions
- Prepare the lentils: Rinse the lentils and remove any stones or debris. Add the lentils and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. If there is excess water after the lentils are cooked, drain them and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- While the lentils cook, dice the cucumbers and scallions and slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Roughly chop the parsley, basil, and mint.
- Add the cucumber, scallions, cherry tomatoes, parsley, basil, and mint to the bowl of lentils.
- Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and sumac. Toss everything together so the vegetables, herbs, and lentils are evenly coated. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Serve cold.
Video
Notes
-
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Opt for ripe, flavorful tomatoes, vibrant green parsley, and fragrant mint.
-
- Wash the fresh herbs well in cool water, and pat dry to remove dirt and debris.
-
- Be sure to remove the stems of the herbs before chopping.
-
- Finely chop the herbs, especially the parsley. This ensures an even distribution of flavors throughout the salad.
-
- Taste as you go and adjust the quantities of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and sumac to achieve a well-balanced flavor profile.
-
- If you have time, allow the lentil tabbouleh salad to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. This gives the flavors a chance to meld together.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. After 2 days, the parsley will become soggy. Store the salad and dressing in separate containers to keep the parsley from becoming soggy. It will keep for another 2 days or so.
Dina and Bruce
This salad was so tasty. And we will be serving it often. We love your recipes!!
Jules
This salad was so fresh and delicious. I ate it every day for lunch until it was gone. Now I need to make some more!
Ned
I’m always looking for easy and delicious meals for when I work from home. This was easy to make and so delicious! Thank you for another winning recipe!
dana
I absolutely love this tabbouleh! It’s so refreshing and nourishing. Such a great side. I usually keep these recipes for summertime but I needed a taste of freshness with all this dreary snow… a reminder that warmer days will come!
Seema Sriram
the tabbouleh turned out so delicious. I took it to a friends place and they all had seconds. Super happy with the recipe.