This tabbouleh with pomegranate is a simple variation on the wonderfully bright Middle Eastern salad, packed with herbs, lemon and tomato. It's fantastically fresh, light and delicious.
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For a long time now, I have had a thing about tabbouleh and fattoush salads. I love the fresh flavors and they go so well with all the other mezze dishes they are often served with like humous, baba ghanoush, pita bread and falafel, amongst others.
Somehow, though, I've managed to share a winter fattoush but that's it. I've been thinking it was about time to change that, so when I recently made this tasty pomegranate tabbouleh, it was the perfect excuse.
This version is inspired by the flavorings of tabbouleh's Turkish cousin, kisir, which is dressed with lemon, tomato and pomegranate molasses. However the process is a little different and it is usually heavier on grains than herbs.
That said, most times I have had tabbouleh in the US, it seems to be pretty grain-heavy which is not at all how I had it in Jordan and have always made myself. Tabbouleh to me is all about the fresh herbs and veg.
When we visited friends in Jordan a few years ago, the food was definitely one of the highlights for me, along with the amazing sites to visit.
Between the fresh salads and other mezze dishes, both hot and cold, and grilled foods particularly lamb, which is a definite favorite of mine anyway, we had some great meals. The tabbouleh there was so incredibly fresh-tasting, I could eat it every day.
How to make pomegranate tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is very easy to make, there's just a bit of chopping involved as you need to dice up some tomatoes and cucumber as well as roughly chop parsley and mint. You can do a fair bit of that while the bulgur wheat soaks to plump up.
Then mix it all together along with a simple, lemony dressing and that's it. As I say, lots of delicious fresh flavors.
This tabbouleh with pomegranate is a fresh, tasty side salad that will brighten up any meal. Easy to make, it's a slight twist on a classic with those bright fruity bursts that pair perfectly with the lemon and oil dressing and add little jewels to an already wonderful dish.
Looking for more dishes to make a mezze meal? Try these:
- Roasted eggplant with tahini
- Labneh
- Baba ghanoush (eggplant dip/spread)
- I also love kibbeh and falafel, and am looking forward to trying this kibbeh recipe from The Mediterranean Dish and these falafel from Tori Avery.
- Plus get more ideas in the Israeli and Middle Eastern recipes archives.
Tabbouleh with pomegranate
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fine bulgur wheat
- 1 Persian cucumber optional
- 2 tomatoes medium
- 1 ½ cups fresh parsley chopped volume
- ½ cup mint chopped volume
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the bulgur wheat in a bowl and add twice the volume of boiling water. Cover and leave it to soak for a good 10 minutes or more while you prepare the rest. (Note, this only works with fine bulgar - if you have coarser, you may need to simmer on the stove a few minutes to hydrate fully instead - check packet.)
- Dice the cucumber, if using, into small cubes. Dice the tomato in similar size. Remove the leaves from the parsley and mint stems and for the mint, I suggest removing the central rib of the leaf in larger leaves as it can be a little tough, but you can skip if you prefer. Chop all the leaves relatively fine, but they don't need to be really small.
- Place the soaked bulgar, drained of any excess water, in a bowl, along with the cucumber, tomato, parsley, mint and pomegranate arils. Drizzle over the olive oil, lemon juice and a few grinds of salt and pepper. You can optionally add a little pomegranate molasses (or swap out 1 tablespoon lemon for 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses). Mix all together well, but without breaking things up. Test the seasoning and adjust to taste, if needed.
Nutrition
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Mike Hultquist says
I've always been a big fan of tabbouleh. This is especially good with the pomegranate. I loved it! Nicely done.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it goes so well!
Emily says
Jealous of your trip to Jordan! This salad looks so amazing.
Caroline's Cooking says
It was a wonderful trip, so many great memories.
Liz says
I love tabbouleh but I never would have though about adding pomegranate! Such a great way to make it even healthier!
Caroline's Cooking says
It goes really well, enjoy!
Pam Greer says
I love fresh salads like this and I especially liked learning about all the different versions of this salad and how to serve it!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, I agree fresh flavors like these are the best!