Couscous tabbouleh is a Lebanese parsley salad built on couscous instead of the traditional bulgur, dressed in lemon juice and olive oil so the herbs, not the grain, still carry the dish.
What Is Couscous Tabbouleh?
Couscous tabbouleh is my family's tabbouleh with the bulgur swapped for couscous, nothing else touched. Growing up, tabbouleh meant one rule: more parsley than anything else, chopped fine, with just enough grain to hold it together, a rule my aunt and mom never let slide. Most non-Lebanese recipes get this backwards, treating tabbouleh as a grain salad with parsley on top.
When I tested the couscous swap, that ratio is what I refused to touch. Couscous itself isn't Lebanese, it's North African, made from steamed semolina rather than cracked wheat, but it takes to the same lemon-and-olive-oil technique without much persuading.
If you want the original, my taboule salad is the one my family has made for generations, and if you need a gluten-free grain swap instead, my quinoa tabbouleh covers that.
So fresh, juicy and lemony!
Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Parsley is the entire dish. Use flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, not curly, and wash and dry it thoroughly before chopping or the salad turns wet. Trim out the thick stems, they're too woody for a raw salad, but save them for stock if you don't want to waste them.
Couscous should be fine couscous, as found in this maftoul salad, not pearl couscous as found in moghrabieh. Those are a different product and won't hydrate or fold into the salad the same way. Fine couscous is not gluten-free. I've linked the quinoa version above if that's what you need.
Tomato and onion should be finely diced, uniform pieces, not chopped rough. Use tomatoes that are ripe but firm, soft one turns the salad watery. Onion's role is to bring sweetness and bite through firm crunch.
Mint adds coolness blended through the parsley. Chop it the same fine way, no thick stems.
Lemon juice and olive oil are the entire dressing. Use fresh-squeezed lemon only, bottled juice tastes flat here. A good extra virgin olive oil matters too, there's nothing else to hide behind.
Let's talk about the cucumber. It's not traditional, but it's good enough to add into the mix, as my Lebanese family does. It adds a bit of freshness. It's optional, but I reckon you should try it once to see how you like it.
Janelle's Tips
- Let the couscous cool completely before mixing it with the herbs. Even slightly warm, it wilts the parsley and mint and the salad turns limp instead of staying crisp.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork right before adding it to the salade, this keeps the grains separate instead of clumping.
- I now use a chopper (see my below recommendation) to uniformly cut the veggies and it has speed up the process tenfold, but it also creates an even cut couscous tabbouleh.
What I Use to Make This Recipe
Buy Now → 
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Couscous Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Fine couscous
- 2½ cups Flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 2 medium Tomatoes finely diced
- 1 medium Onion finely diced
- ¼ cup Mint leaves finely chopped
- 2 small Cucumbers finely diced, optional
- 2 medium Lemons juiced (about ¼ cup)
- ¼ cup Olive oil extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl, pour ⅓ cup of boiling water over it, cover, and let stand for a minimum of 5 minutes until the water is absorbed.
- While the couscous cools, finely chop the parsley and mint, and finely dice the tomato, onion, and cucumber if using.
- In a large bowl, combine the parsley, mint, tomato, onion, and cucumber. Fluff the cooled couscous with a fork and add it to the bowl along with the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Toss well, then taste and adjust the lemon, salt, or oil before serving immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider supporting my work for the cost of a cup of coffee.
Comments
No Comments