French Taboulé Salad
- Jess Brauer
- April 22, 2022
- 3:00 pm
- All Posts, Dinner, Food Recipes, Lunch, Nut-Free, Sides, Soy-Free, Spring, Sugar-Free, Summer
French Taboulé Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes (active time)
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
Description
This is another super simple recipe and is inspired by the taboulé I had growing up in France. Unlike eastern Mediterranean-style tabbouleh, French taboulé uses couscous instead of bulgur wheat and is less herb-forward while still being incredibly bright, fresh, and fragrant. It’s seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, mint, and parsley, and is the perfect accompaniment to any spring or summer spread. Traditionally, it would also include red bell peppers but we prefer to leave them out. If you love red peppers, feel free to add them in. My mother would make the Taboulé in the morning and let it sit in the fridge (covered), stirring (and tasting) throughout the day. If you have the time, it’s a wonderful way to let the flavors mix and mingle and truly shine. But, no matter the method, I guarantee it’ll be delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup couscous (Trader Joe’s sells a whole wheat couscous that I love)
- 2 cups cucumber, diced (1 cucumber)
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced small (1/2 red onion)
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced (about 4 tomatoes on the vine)
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, minced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon), plus more to taste
Instructions
- Make the couscous: combine 1 cup water or broth, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium pot and set it over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot, and let couscous stand about 5 minutes, until it has absorbed the liquid. Fluff with a fork, let cool to room temperature, and set aside.
- In a large serving bowl, add the cooled couscous, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, parsley, and mint, and 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Toss to combine. Drizzle in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Toss again. Taste and adjust by adding more lemon juice, salt, and pepper if needed. Serve at room temperature or cooled from the refrigerator.
