How To Make Tabbouleh Salad With Bulgur Wheat | Tasting Table Rec
A bright new take on the traditional grain salad
I love the bright flavors of tabbouleh, the Levantine grain salad traditionally made of bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, parsley and mint. It all gets hit with a heavy dose of lemon juice and olive oil, making it a fresh, herby side dish that's perfect for outdoor entertaining.
I decided to modernize the dish a bit for this recipe. Like the very best tabboulehs, this salad is laced with just a touch of bulgur. But unlike classic versions, I didn't chop the assortment of lovely herbs I found at the market- purslane, parsley, basil, lemon basil and so on-and instead just picked the leaves and left them whole.
I added sweet cherry tomatoes and garlicky yellow squash to the salad, and dressed everything in a raisin-laced shallot vinaigrette. The finished salad is just as bright as tabbouleh, just a little more colorful and a little more elegant.
To learn more, read "Love on a Rooftop."
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Bulgur Wheat with Cherry Tomatoes, Yellow Squash and Summer Herbs
Learn to make a bright new take on the traditional grain salad.
Ingredients
- For the Macerated Raisins
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For the Salad
- 1½ cups bulgur wheat
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow squash, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup packed arugula
- 1 cup packed purslane leaves
- ½ cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½ cup purple basil leaves
- ½ cup packed lemon basil leaves
- ½ cup packed mint leaves, torn
- ¼ cup packed tarragon leaves
- ¼ cup chopped chives
- ¼ cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Optional Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon nigella seeds (optional)
Directions
- Make the macerated raisins: In a small mixing bowl, combine the all ingredients and allow the shallots to macerate and the raisins to plump up, about 20 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
- Make the salad: Place the bulgur in a large bowl and pour over 3 cups of boiling water. Season with salt and cover with a large plate. Allow the bulgur to sit until it has absorbed all the water and has become tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the bulgur in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet tray to dry.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the squash, thyme and garlic and cook until squash is almost tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and transfer the squash to the mixing bowl with the bulgur.
- Toss the bulgur, squash, herbs, almonds, tomatoes, vinaigrette and remaning olive oil to combine. Serve immediately.