Sesame Free Cauliflower Tabbouleh
This bright, herb-forward salad takes everything you love about classic tabbouleh and builds it around riced cauliflower instead of bulgur, making it naturally grain-free without sacrificing any of the freshness. The food processor does the heavy lifting, breaking the cauliflower down into tiny, couscous-like pieces that soak up the lemony dressing beautifully. A generous handful of flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint keeps the flavor bold and aromatic, while crisp cucumber and seeded Roma tomatoes add juicy texture in every bite. The dressing is a simple shake of olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and turmeric — no store-bought bottles, no hidden additives, and absolutely nothing to second-guess. Tabbouleh-style dishes can sometimes sneak in tahini or sesame oil in restaurant versions, so making it from scratch here means you stay completely in control of what goes into the bowl. A scatter of pomegranate arils at the end is optional but genuinely stunning, adding a little pop of sweetness against all that bright green. This is the kind of dish that looks impressive on a table but comes together with nothing more than a food processor, a good knife, and about twenty minutes of easy prep.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 small head cauliflower (about 1 ½ lb), cut into florets
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 english cucumber, finely diced
- 2 medium roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
For serving
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Working in two batches, pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until broken down into pieces roughly the size of couscous, about 8–10 short pulses per batch. Do not over-process — stop when the pieces are uniform and no large chunks remain.
- 2
Transfer the riced cauliflower to a fine-mesh strainer or a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, toss to combine, and let it drain for 10 minutes, then press or squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
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