Gluten-Free Tabouleh

Irma | mycreativekneads
by Irma | mycreativekneads
6 Servings
45 min

Have you ever tasted tabouleh? We eat it often, it’s one of my favorite salads. Traditional tabouleh is made with bulgar wheat and that’s how we’ve always made it, but I’m trying to cook more gluten-free because I find my gut feels better.


Tabouleh is an Arabic salad made with cracked wheat and it’s mixed with finely chopped mint, tomatoes, onions, parsley and olive oil. However, since going on my health journey, I’ve attempted to recreate our recipe without bulgar wheat and I also omitted the olive oil (we don’t miss it at all nor did it take away from the flavor). I wanted the tabouleh to be gluten-free so, I used ingredients like quinoa and cauliflower rice, they take the place of the bulgar. I decided to combine both in an attempt to achieve the texture of the bulgar wheat. I think I did a pretty great job, my husband even liked it!


About the cauliflower rice:


I buy Costco’s Via Emilia, it comes frozen in a 12 oz - 4 pack. I thaw it and use it without cooking it because the texture is better for this recipe.


About the quinoa:


I use the white quinoa because it’s closest in color to the bulgar wheat. I thought combining the quinoa with the cauliflower rice gave me the most closest texture to the bulgar wheat. The end result of the texture was perfect and the flavor was great.


If you decide to make this, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I recommend you modify any ingredient to your liking.


Thank you for stopping by.

If you’d like to see more of what I cook and love to do, please visit me at https://www.instagram.com/mycreativekneads/

Alright, let’s get cooking!

Frozen riced cauliflower

I buy Costco’s Via Emilia, it comes frozen in a 4 pack. I thaw it and use it without cooking it.

Finely chopped Italian parsley
Finely chopped mint
Chopped green onions
Finely chopped tomatoes
Aleppo pepper
Salt & cumin

Toss to thoroughly combine.

Place tabouleh in a colander over a bowl to strain excess fluid.

Garnish to your liking.

Recipe details
  • 6  Servings
  • Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 45 min
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Ingredients
For the tabouleh
  • 12 oz frozen & thawed cauliflower rice 
  • 1.5 cups cooked white quinoa 
  • 2 small bunches finely chopped Italian parsley 
  • 1/2 bunch finely chopped mint
  • 3 stalks finely chopped green onions
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
  • Juice from 1.5 lemons
  • Salt to taste
  • Aleppo pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp cumin or to taste
Instructions
For the tabouleh
Thaw cauliflower rice according to package instructions and place in a bowl.
Add chopped parsley, mint, green onions, tomatoes and seasonings.
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Toss to combine thoroughly.
Place tabouleh in a colander over a bowl to strain excess fluid (approximately 10 minutes).
Plate and E•N•J•O•Y 🌿
Comments
  • MJ MJ on Aug 19, 2022

    Your quinoa & cauliflower replacement for bulgar sounds delicious! But I was surprised that you use straight lemon juice . . . I've always seen a lemon juice & olive oil mix for the dressing? [And try finely diced cucumber for a fresh and crisp addition to the tabouleh!]

    • See 1 previous
    • Irma | mycreativekneads Irma | mycreativekneads on Aug 21, 2022

      Hello MJ, thank you for stopping by 🤍 Yes, I don’t add olives oil to this recipe and my family honestly doesn’t miss it. My husband is middleastern, we’ve always made our tabouleh without cucumber but I’m sure that would taste yummy.

  • MJ MJ on Aug 21, 2022

    Irma, thanks for the reply! Sorry I missed your mention right at the beginning about omitting the olive oil. I think I was curious to jump right to the quinoa & cauliflower substitution, which sounded interesting! My daughter is on a gluten-free diet right now, so I'm going to pass that on to her. I've had many versions of tabouleh, from fresh made with lots of greens, to doctored-up boxed mixes, and they're each good with their own flavor twist. Hope more people learn about and try this delicious salad.

    • Irma | mycreativekneads Irma | mycreativekneads on Sep 07, 2022

      Hi MJ, no worries at all 💚 I too try to watch gluten intake and I know this combo isn’t typical of tabouleh but it is actually really great. My hubby who is middle eastern couldn’t believe how wonderful it tasted. He was skeptic at first lol I hope you like it or your daughter if you give it a try. Blessings!

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