Artificial Flavors Free Gluten Free Quinoa Tabbouleh
This bright, herby salad is everything a great tabbouleh should be — fresh, vibrant, and packed with clean, honest flavor. Every single ingredient here is exactly what it sounds like: fluffy quinoa, heaps of flat-leaf parsley and mint, crisp cucumber, juicy tomato, and a zippy lemon-olive oil dressing made from scratch. There are no packets, no seasoning blends, and no bottled shortcuts that might sneak in unwanted additives — just whole foods doing all the heavy lifting. The trick to getting the texture right is letting the quinoa cool completely before tossing, so it stays light and separate rather than clumping into the greens. Fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil bring the dressing together in seconds, and the result is something that tastes genuinely bright rather than artificially so. It works beautifully as a side dish, a light lunch, or a make-ahead option since it holds up well in the fridge for a short rest before serving.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the quinoa
- ½ cup white quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 2 large bunches)
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 1 medium english cucumber, finely diced
- 4 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, then drain well. Combine the rinsed quinoa, 1 cup water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa tails have unfurled, about 12–14 minutes.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat, uncover, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Spread it in a thin layer on a large plate or sheet pan and let it cool to room temperature, about 20–30 minutes.
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