Winter Tabbouleh Salad
This winter tabbouleh salad is a seasonally-appropriate adaptation of this Mediterranean traditional staple dish. I make this in the fall and winter when the usual produce ingredients aren't available (yeah, you can buy them, but they aren't local or very good). Instead of the tomatoes and cucumbers, we use crunchy cabbage and radishes, along with generous amounts of parsley, lemon, and bulghur wheat. It's a brightly-flavored vegan side dish or light lunch that does not taste like "health food"... though it is packed with vitamins and fiber! This recipe makes a big batch, so if you aren't feeding a crowd, or making your lunches for the week, you can scale it back or cut it in half- the procedure is the same.
Ingredients
Bulghur:
- 4 cups dry bulghur (fine or coarse)
- 6-8 cups boiling water or stock
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Winter Salad:
- 3 cups cabbage, shredded or small diced (1 lb)
- 1 ½ cups parsley, chopped
- 1 cup radish, small diced
- ½ cup celery, small diced
- ½ cup minced onion or scallions (use sweet onion, or rinse for milder flavor)
- 2 tbsp chopped capers (or nonpareil capers) (optional)
- 1 recipe Moroccan Lemon Vinaigrette
Instructions
Soak or Cook Bulghur.
- Rinse the bulghur. If you are using fine bulghur, you can just soak it in the salted boiling water or stock. Coarse bulghur takes longer to re-hydrate, but slightly less liquid. Start with the lesser amount of liquid, and add more if it soaks it all up and is still too chewy. If you end up with too much liquid, no worries, you'll just need to drain it before making your salad. You can either cook it on low heat on the stove top, or bake it at 350℉ in a covered oven-safe bowl, dutch oven, or casserole for 15-20 minutes, or until it is lightly chewy but no longer tough or crunchy.
- Stir occasionally so it rehydrates evenly, and add additional boiling water or stock if it has absorbed all the liquid but is still chewy. If it's fully rehydrated and there is excess liquid, pour it off through a fine strainer.
- Let your soaked or cooked bulghur cool while you prepare the vegetables and the dressing.
Vegetable Prep:
- Quarter, core, and dice or shred the cabbage.
- Wash and trim the radishes, removing any root and stem ends. Cut in half, then slice and dice them.
- Mince the onion or scallions. If you aren't using scallions or sweet onions, you may want to rinse them in a wire strainer after mincing, then let drain or gently press out any excess liquid.
- Wash, dry, and mince the parsley. You can include the finer/smaller stems if you like. Remove any large or coarse stems (save for stock).
- Wash, dry, and small dice the celery and mince the leaves.
Assemble Salad:
- Combine the lemon dressing with the vegetables in a mixing bowl large enough to hold all ingredients. Toss until the dressing is evenly distributed and the vegetables are coated.
- Add the soaked or cooked bulghur (strain first if there is excess liquid in the bulghur). Toss until the grains and veggies are evenly mixed. Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. The flavors will mellow and combine as the salad sits, so if you make it in advance, taste before serving.
- Chill and portion any leftovers, or portion immediately into meal-prep containers and refrigerate.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
