Quinoa tabbouleh with chickpeas and feta
30 min · 19 g protein · 410 cals / serving
The herby, lemony Lebanese salad made into a meal: fluffy quinoa in place of bulgur, two cans of chickpeas, heaps of parsley and mint, crunchy cucumber, sweet tomatoes and salty feta, all in a sharp lemon dressing. Naturally gluten-free and good for four days of lunches.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp quinoa, rinsed in a fine sieve
- 1 cup water
Lemon dressing
- 6 tbsp lemon juice, from 2–3 lemons
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 large (or 5 small) cucumbers, finely diced
- 2 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
- 3 big bunches (about 2 cups finely chopped) fresh parsley, flat-leaf, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup leaves fresh mint, finely chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Steps
- Put the quinoa and water in a small saucepan with a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, cover and simmer on low for 12 minutes, until the water has gone, then fluff with a fork and spread straight onto a large tray to steam dry and cool. Chop the vegetables and herbs while it cooks.
- Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
- Add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, mint and green onions to the dressing, then the cooled quinoa, and toss well. Taste for salt and lemon.
- Fold in the feta and divide among four containers. It keeps 4 days in the fridge, and the quinoa and chickpeas keep soaking up the lemon, so add a squeeze more on day three if it tastes flat.
Good to know
Can I make it vegan?
Leave out the feta, at about 70 instead of 65. A pinch of sumac or an extra squeeze of lemon gives back some of the tang, and a spoonful of toasted pumpkin seeds at the table some crunch.
Why cool the quinoa first?
Warm quinoa wilts the parsley and turns the tomatoes soft, and wet quinoa makes the salad soggy by day two. Spread on a tray it is cool and dry in about 8 minutes, while you chop. A 9 oz pouch of ready-cooked quinoa saves the 15 minutes altogether.
Can I make the dressing richer?
Use 3 tablespoons of olive oil for the classic silky tabbouleh dressing, at about 57 instead of 65.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 81
- Protein
- (19%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (31%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (50%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 230 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1641 kcal goes into the pot and 2045 g of ingredients comes out as about 2015 g of food: 81 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.