Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad
This Whole30 Cauliflower Tabbouleh is a grain free spin on the traditional Middle Eastern salad. It’s so fresh and light and is packed with chopped parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, mint and very finely ground cauliflower. This salad is Whole30, Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
Tabbouleh is a light and refreshing Middle Eastern salad made with just a handful of ingredients including lots and lots of parsley. Tabbouleh is traditionally made with bulgur, but for this grain free version I used very finely ground cauliflower which has a very similar texture. The finely ground cauliflower is mixed with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, scallions and lots of finely chopped mint and parsley. You can make this Whole30 Tabbouleh salad up to a day in advance, and I find that the flavours actually improve after the salad has had time to sit.
Tips for making this Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad:
- You can’t over pulse the cauliflower: The cauliflower should be ground down to a very fine consistency, about half the size of cauliflower. Because it’s added to the salad raw, I find it’s much easier to digest and loses it’s crunchy texture.
- The finer the chop the better! The cucumber and tomatoes should be chopped into very small bits, no larger than 1/4 inch in size.
- Don’t forget the salt! Salt really helps to bring out the flavours in this salad, don’t skimp on it!
- Let it sit! Ideally if you have time I recommend leaving the salad to sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to meld.
What you will need to make this Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad:
- Cauliflower: You can make the cauliflower couscous by breaking a head of cauliflower down into florets and pulsing them in a food processor, or alternatively use store bought cauliflower rice which you will still need to pulse in a food processor to grind into a finer consistency. I don’t recommend using frozen cauliflower rice because it will be quite mushy.
- Parsley: there is a tone of chopped parsley in this salad which helps to make it so vibrantly green. Both flat leaf and curly parsley work for this salad, use whichever one you prefer!
- Mint: I absolutely love the freshness that chopped mint adds to this salad
- Tomatoes: Either large tomatoes or cherry tomatoes work, just be sure to use ones that are very ripe. I recommend removing some of the seeds before chopping to prevent the salad from being too watery.
- Cucumber: Cucumber isn’t a traditional additional ingredient in tabbouleh but I love the crunch it adds and I find that it also helps to bulk up the salad.
- Garlic, Lemon Juice and Olive Oil: These three simple ingredients are all that you need to make the dressing. I recommend using good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Here are a few dishes that you could serve with this tabbouleh…
- Greek Roast Chicken
- Chicken Shawarma
- Greek Lamb Meatballs
- Dairy Free Tzatziki
- Baba Ganoush
- Grilled Kofta
- Chicken Souvlaki
- Middle Eastern Lamb Stuffed Eggplant
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower (3 cups cauliflower couscous)
- 4 cups parsley leaves and tender stems
- 1 1/2 cups mint leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup finely chopped ripe tomatoes
- 1 cup finely chopped cucumber
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the small head of cauliflower into florets and place them in a food processor. Pulse until they are broken down into a fine powdery consistency (much finer than cauliflower rice). Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the parsley, mint, garlic and scallions to the food processor and pulse until everything is broken down into small bits. Transfer to the bowl with the cauliflower couscous.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cucumber to the bowl. Season with salt and add the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Leave the salad to sit for approx 10-15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Oh lordy lordy!! As someone who’s been eating tabouli their entire life, I can wholeheartedly tell you that the flavor is SPOT on!! You can’t even tell you’re NOT eating a grain! 😁 I actually used a mix of cauliflower AND broccoli, simply because that’s what was available (12oz bag of mixed florets). A bit of advice for any newbies or inexperienced cooks: don’t stray from the basic ingredients if you want a truly authentic taste. You can add a bit MORE of something like the lemon or salt, to adjust to your taste preferences, but don’t add anything other than what is listed. For example, I added a bit more lemon juice/ lemon juice powder cuz I love it more tangy, n I also added more tomatoes cuz I LOVE the taste of fresh tomatoes paired with the fresh parsley. Also, as mentioned, be sure to mince everything VERY fine. Trust me, it’s WORTH it! 😁
This is the most requested salad at our house! I added some cilantro too, simply divine❤️
Just made this for dinner. I did a 1/4 portion for two people, and manually diced everything. Used a bit of cilantro and left out the garlic. It was so tasty. Thank you for this recipe. All the other ones on your site I’ve tried so far have been excellent.)
I made my first batch last week, and I’m making another one today. I absolutely loved it… So light and fresh! I am celiac, and missed having tabbouleh profoundly. I’m so thrilled to have found this recipe. Thank you so much!
Made Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad and it is delicious.
SO delicious! I added more tomato, 1/4 t. oregano, a pinch of ground coriander, and pepper. I love that you don’t even need to cook the cauliflower. I could eat this every single day. Been missing my tabbouleh!
It’s absolutely a game changer. Love how fresh and light it tastes. I used my garlic infused olive oil. This is a keeper.