Lentil Tabbouleh Salad
A parsley-forward salad with cooked lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and lemon dressing. The dry-lentil option is an alternative, not an extra ingredient.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup cooked lentils Green or black lentils; use this prepared amount OR the optional dry route below
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Use quality olive oil for best flavor.
- 2 bunches curly parsley Finely chopped.
- 10 leaves mint leaves Finely chopped.
- 1/2 each English cucumber Diced or use 2 small Persian cucumbers.
- 1/2 cup tomatoes Diced.
- 1/3 cup red onion Finely diced.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt Adjust to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Adjust to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac Optional but recommended for flavor.
Alternative: cook lentils from dry
- 1/2 cup uncooked French green or black lentils Alternative preparation only; cook, measure 1 cup, and reserve any extra
- 1 each bay leaf Optional, for the dry-lentil cooking water; discard after cooking
- 2 cups water add more if needed during simmering
Instructions
- If starting with dry lentils, rinse ½ cup and place in a saucepan with 2 cups water and the optional bay leaf. Simmer gently 15–30 minutes, checking for tenderness and adding water if needed.
- Drain cooked lentils and discard the bay leaf. Cool in a shallow dish approximately 15 minutes. Measure 1 cup for the salad and reserve any surplus; skip these cooking steps when using prepared lentils.
- Wash and thoroughly dry parsley and mint. Remove woody stems and mince the tender parts. Dice cucumber, tomatoes, and onion finely.
- Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional sumac together.
- Place the measured cooled lentils, chopped herbs, and vegetables in a bowl. Fold in the dressing carefully, taste, and serve or refrigerate in a covered container.
Notes
Choose either 1 cup prepared lentils or the dry-lentil cooking option; do not add both. A bay leaf is for the cooking water only. Timing includes the dry route. Prepared lentils shorten the work to about 20 minutes. Refrigerate the finished salad up to 3 days.