Red Meat Allergy Friendly Gluten Free Quinoa Tabbouleh
This bright, herb-forward salad is everything a great tabbouleh should be — fresh, zippy, and packed with texture from crisp cucumber, juicy tomato, and mountains of flat-leaf parsley. Quinoa steps in as the grain base here, and it genuinely earns its place: the tiny, fluffy grains soak up the lemon-olive oil dressing beautifully while keeping the whole dish naturally gluten free. Every single ingredient in this bowl is plant-based, so there's zero concern about red meat or any animal proteins sneaking in — it's a clean, worry-free plate from start to finish. The dressing is just fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, which means the bright flavors of the herbs and vegetables get to do all the talking. Spreading the cooked quinoa out to cool before tossing is a small step that makes a big difference, keeping the salad light and fluffy rather than dense or clumped. A handful of fresh mint alongside all that parsley gives the whole thing an almost garden-party feel that's hard to resist. Serve it right away for maximum freshness, or let it chill briefly to let the dressing meld — either way, it disappears fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the quinoa
- ½ cup white quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
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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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