Description
Ina Garten’s quinoa tabbouleh recipe reimagines classic Middle Eastern salad with protein-packed grains. Fresh herbs, crisp vegetables, and zesty lemon dressing create a refreshing dish you’ll crave all summer long.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 large English hothouse cucumber (or 2 Persian cucumbers), unpeeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ⅔ cup (loosely packed) chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh mint
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Quinoa Preparation: Rinse quinoa under cold water. In a saucepan, combine quinoa with water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Let rest, covered, for 5 additional minutes.
- Cooling Process: Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet to cool rapidly, preventing clumping and separating grains.
- Vinaigrette Creation: Whisk lemon juice and minced garlic in a bowl. Gradually incorporate olive oil while whisking to create a smooth emulsion. Season with salt and pepper, adjusting to taste.
- Quinoa Seasoning: Transfer cooled quinoa to a mixing bowl. Fold in a portion of the vinaigrette to coat grains evenly.
- Vegetable Integration: Add diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, mint leaves, and scallions to the quinoa. Gently fold to distribute ingredients uniformly.
- Final Dressing: Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over the salad, tossing carefully to ensure complete coating. Perform a final seasoning check.
- Serving: Present the quinoa tabbouleh chilled or at room temperature, allowing flavors to meld and develop.
Notes
- Rinse Thoroughly: Remove quinoa’s bitter saponin coating by washing under cold water before cooking to enhance overall taste and texture.
- Cool Strategically: Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet to rapidly cool and prevent clumping, ensuring light, separated grains for better salad consistency.
- Emulsify Carefully: Whisk lemon juice and garlic first, then slowly drizzle olive oil while continuously mixing to create a smooth, well-integrated vinaigrette.
- Season Progressively: Taste and adjust seasoning at multiple stages – during vinaigrette preparation and after final mixing – to build complex, balanced flavor profiles.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg