Tabbouleh Inspired Herb and White Bean Salad

This bright, green and zesty salad is the perfect side to grilled meats, fish, even a Berbere Roast Chicken when the weather turns chilly again.

There is something so fresh, and healthy about a classic tabbouleh salad.  Plus, the textures are just a party in your mouth.

Classic Tabouleh Salad

This Levantine salad (meaning that there are versions of this salad all across the countries of the Mediterranean and Middle East) is classically made with bulgur (cracked wheat) and curly parsley being the stars of the show.  Adding chopped tomatoes, scallions and mint leaves rounds out the typical veggie component.  A simple dressing of quality olive oil, lemon juice and salt are all that is needed to make these simple and accessible ingredients shine.  And yes, you can spell it Tabbouleh, Tabouli, Tabouleh…  It’s naturally vegan, and can be made with ingredients you can find all year round.

My Gluten Free Version

Since I can’t have the cracked wheat, I replace it with any number of healthy options.  Cooked brown rice works great.  So does quinoa. So does a can of drained chick peas.  And as I’m showing today, a large can of drained white or cannellini beans is another option.  Of course, if you have dried beans that you want to soak and cook up to add to this salad, that’s even better.  But in the summer I’m all about easy and quick. I love the contrast of the creamy nature of the beans with the more textural nature of the herbs.

And if you want to go ahead and use the classic fine bulgur or cracked wheat option, I’ll add that version in the recipe Notes.

I also add radishes.  Just for some extra crunch.  And there always seem to be radishes in the fridge, so why not!?

Method vs Recipe

While I will give you the basic amounts, as with any salad, I don’t expect you to stick to them to the letter.  It’s a salad, not a cake, so if you use less parsley and more mint, it won’t blow up or deflate!  Do you really like tomatoes, then use more.  I don’t think anyone will object. Would rather leave out the radishes, fine by me. Below I give you some options for each component.

Tomatoes: Fresh and good quality is what you want to make sure to use.  As for the tomatoes, while I love just needing to halve or quarter cherry tomatoes, the other tomato I would recommend is a good Roma, plum or Italian tomato.  They are less juicy and more meaty.  You will still want to remove the liquidy seed membranes, and then chop up the fleshy parts of the tomatoes.  If you want to summon summer in January, replace the Roma tomatoes with cherry tomatoes since they have more flavour at this time of the year than most larger out of season, never seeing the sun tomatoes.

Parsley: For this salad, I grew up with neighbours who always made it with curly parsley.  Of course, you can also use Italian or flat leaf parsley.  Either way, wash, rinse and spin dry the parsley well.  Then chop by hand, or feel free to use a food processor.  You can use anywhere between two and three bunches, depending on how many you are feeding and how parsley-centric you want it to be.

*Disclaimer: Don’t run the food processor beyond what is needed to create a pleasantly small size to eat.  The challenge with a food processor is that some leaves will be broken down quickly while it takes other leaves longer to get chopped down.  You run the risk of chopping some of the parsley into a paste before all the leaves are a pleasing size. In the end I would rather enjoy the process of chopping by hand with a good knife.

Mint: Fresh mint is one of my favourite herbs to add to almost any salad. Don’t skimp. But if you have fresh dill in the crisper just dying to join the party, go for it.  Same goes for fresh oregano and basil.  But use them in smaller amounts.  My version is really a celebration of herbs, so let them all join in!

Onions: Scallions are traditional, and have a softer presence than say red or white onions. But if this is all you have on hand, go ahead and give it a fine dice, and soften it in a little apple cider or red wine vinegar before adding it to the salad.  And chives are also a great addition.

Radishes: The extra crunch of fresh radishes is a lovely addition.  Use as many or few as you want or have on hand.

White Beans: I am calling for a large can of drained white or cannellini beans.  If you are feeling extra beany, go for two cans.  Or if you want to combine one can of white beans, and one can of chickpeas, that’s great too.  Prepared quinoa, pearl couscous, or brown rice work great as well.

*Some recipes will also include diced cucumbers, but I didn’t learn it this way.  Of course it would be good.  But it starts leaning toward a Shirazi or Fattoush Salad, and I thought it would be nice to keep this more traditional like the Lebanese version.

Dressing: It doesn’t get any more simple than really good quality olive oil (don’t use the oil you would cook with, this is the time for a bright grassy oil) freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt and some cracked fresh black pepper.  That’s it! These will bring out the bright flavours of the ingredients and won’t overpower them or change the flavour. This dressing is really about what would be on hand in the garden at any given moment all across the Levant.

Final Thoughts

Make sure all the ingredients are approximately the same size.  This isn’t the time to have some veggies much larger than the rest.  The goal is to have some of all the ingredients make it into each forkful.

Make this salad a few hours before serving.  Combine everything to help the beans and parsley to absorb the dressing. If you want to start the salad in advance, even the day before, omit the tomatoes, dill and oregano or basil etc if using. Add them and toss, just before serving.  Having said that, this salad will keep quite well in a sealed container for several days in the fridge. 

Treat this salad the way you would my Fattoush with Grilled Halloumi, or Herb Salad with a Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette, it will go with just about anything!  Try eating it with pita chips and my Fool Proof Hummus!

Add it to dishes like Harissa Chicken Thighs with Saffron Butter Pasta, Lebanese Spiced Chicken, Mediterranean Pork Souvlaki with Labneh Tzatziki, Peri Peri Chicken Wings, Cuban Mojo Chicken Legs, Sumac Lamb Chops with Lemon Tahini Dipping Sauce,  Berbere Roast Chicken

If you make this Tabbouleh Inspired Herb and White Bean Salad, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, if you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Tabbouleh Inspired Herb and White Bean Salad

Healthy, bright, refreshing, this salad does it all. It is the perfect side to grilled meats, crispy halloumi cheese, or part of a hummus spread. Replacing the bulgur wheat with white beans makes this gluten friendly.

Course Salad

Cuisine Levantine

Keyword lemon juice, mint, parsley, scallions, white beans

Prep Time 30 minutes

Chilling 1 hour

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 large can of white or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well.
• 3-4 medium Roma tomatoes, remove the seeds and jelly membrane portion, small dice of the flesh
• 3-4 scallions, small diced
• 3-4 radishes, diced
• 2-3 big bunches of parsley, finely chopped (by hand or food processor) Use as much as you want, you don't need to use all three bunches if you want other herbs to shine as well. See Notes
• 1 large bunch of mint, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp minced dill
• 2 tbsp mixed minced fresh herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, purslane, optional
• 2/3 cup good quality olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more for serving
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste

Instructions

1. Make sure the beans are well drained and rinsed, letting all excess liquid drain through a mesh sieve. Place in a large bowl. Make sure the parsley is also dried well (using a salad spinner before chopping works wonders)
2. Add the tomatoes, scallions, radishes, parsley, mint, dill and other herbs if using, and toss.
3. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss again. Taste to see if you want to add more seasoning. Cover with cling wrap or lid, and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Make sure to dry the parsley well before chopping. It will help the tabbouleh keep longer in the fridge.

5. This salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. If making the salad in advance, prepare everything and store in the fridge till needed, but only add the tomatoes before serving. This will keep them fresh. When serving drizzle with more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

6. See blog post for more details.

Recipe Notes

Making sure that the beans and parsley are well dried before making the salad will keep the salad bright and crisp, even in the fridge for a few days. If you ever find a tabbouleh salad bitter, it is more than likely that the parsley wasn't chopped fine enough.  So don't rush chopping by hand. If using the food processor, don't break them down to the point of making a paste though.

If you want to feel like summer in the middle of winter, use cherry tomatoes instead of Roma tomatoes, they will have more flavour than more mealy, out of season tomatoes.
This salad will easily feed 8 people, but you can reduce everything to feed 4. I would just swap out the large can of beans for a small one.

Even though this salad is traditionally made with bulgur wheat, it can be made with couscous or quinoa.
To make with bulgur wheat:
1½ cup fine bulgur wheat
1 cup of boiling water or chicken stock
1/4 tsp salt
Place the bulgur in a mesh strainer. Rinse it under cold running water.
Place it in a medium bowl and combine it with the water and salt. Cover with cling wrap or a plate and let it sit for 10- 15 minutes, until it has absorbed all or most of the water. If you are using coarser bulgur wheat, it may need to soak for 20- 30 minutes. Taste it and make sure is al dente tender. If it's not, add a little more boiling water. When ready, drain away any excess liquid through a mesh strainer.
You can use the same method for couscous, but it will only require 5-7 minutes of soaking to soften. Fluff with a fork and add to the bowl instead of the beans.