Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

A bright and flavorful recipe for quinoa tabbouleh salad, this side dish is one that can easily double as a main course when topped with grilled salmon or crispy tofu. It’s a great one to prep ahead before a summertime cookout or a pool party! Thank you to BJ’s Wholesale Club for sponsoring this post! 

When it comes to summertime cookouts, I’m all about side dishes. I think that’s why I’ve shared a lot more side dish recipes on my blog throughout the years as opposed to the main meat or plant-based protein recipes. The recipe for quinoa tabbouleh salad I’m sharing with you guys today is one that can be a side dish or a main course so it’s actually the best of both worlds!

It’s bright, fresh and full of flavor and, perhaps most importantly, incredibly simple to make. And for my vegetarian and gluten-free friends out there, this one fits the bill for you guys, too!

The inspiration for this quinoa tabbouleh salad came from the cold quinoa salad I shared on PBF two years ago. I love the way that salad takes quinoa – a simple, protein-packed grain – and elevates the flavor with fresh herbs, lime juice and pine apple. I did a little experimenting with the flavor profile of that salad a while back and swapped out cilantro for mint and loved the way it made the salad taste all the more summery and refreshing. It wasn’t until I recently ordered tabbouleh at a local restaurant that I figured I could change up my cold quinoa salad a bit more and attempt to make a quinoa tabbouleh salad that incorporated all of the flavors of traditional tabbouleh — parsley, mint, lemon, olive oil and onion — but use quinoa as the base of the recipe in place of the bulgur typically featured in tabbouleh.

The end result was fluffy and filling but somehow still surprisingly light and bright. It’s the perfect side dish that can easily double as a main dish, and while I love it on its own, I recommend topping it with grilled salmon, crispy tofu or marinated chicken thighs if you’re looking for a salad with a little more staying power.

All of the ingredients I used to make this summery salad, from the organic tri-color quinoa to the fresh herbs and colorful produce, came from BJ’s Wholesale Club. I initially popped into BJ’s because I wanted to pick up a pair of wide-lens swim goggles for Chase that I saw during a previous visit. (Any other parents have little ones who struggle with traditional goggles? The wide-lens goggles are a game changer!) I grabbed the goggles and then did a little more shopping for summer essentials (we also needed two beach chairs to store on our boat to use when we dock at local beaches on the lake) and before leaving I grabbed everything I needed for this salad and dinners for the week ahead. Note: This was actually my first time trying Wellsley Farms® Organic Tri-Color Quinoa and it was wonderful. I’ve been using the bulk-size bag regularly to prep some quinoa to have on hand for lunches and loving it!

And now back to the recipe! It’s a great one to prep the day before a cookout or party since it needs two hours to chill in the fridge but the longer it chills, the more the flavors develop. I hope you guys all enjoy this one and please definitely let me know if you give it a try!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

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Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

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• Author: Julie
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (includes chill time in the fridge)
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: vegetarian

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Description

A bright, refreshing salad packed with fresh herbs, filling quinoa and tons of flavor

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup Wellsley Farms Organic Whole Grain Quinoa or Organic Tri-Color Quinoa, rinsed well
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 large Wellsley Farms cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered 
• 1 bunch green onions, diced (both the green and white parts) 
• 1 cup (approximately 1 large bunch) parsley, minced
• 1 cup (approximately 1 large bunch) fresh mint minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons Wellsley Farms Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 large Wellsley Farms lemon
• Wellsley Farms Himalayan Pink Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

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Instructions

1. Add quinoa and 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth to a medium-size pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer and place cover over the pot until quinoa is tender and most of the water is absorbed (approximately 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, combine the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, parsley, mint and green onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the quinoa to the bowl.
3. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic clove together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over quinoa tabbouleh salad and toss to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed. Sprinkle with feta cheese, toss to coat again and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the quinoa to chill and the flavors to fully develop.

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