Lentil Tabbouleh

TasteTester's Note:

I love tabbouleh, and this recipe is really refreshing to enjoy on a hot summer's day. The recipe comes from the July 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping. This makes 12 side-dish servings or 6 main-dish servings. The cooking time is actually the time needed for cooking, cooling and refrigerating.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-12

Yield: 10.0 cups

• 6 cups water (I use 3 cups of water and 3 cups of low-sodium vegetarian broth to give it some extra flavor)
• 1 cup bulgur
• 1 cup french green lentils or 1 cup brown lentils , picked over, rinsed, and drained
• salt and pepper
• 1⁄3; cup fresh lemon juice , plus lemon wedges for garnish
• 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• 6 large ripe plum tomatoes , chopped
• English cucumber , peeled in alternating strips to give a striped effect on the outside, and then chopped (seedless)
• 3 green onions , thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh parsley , chopped
• ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves , chopped

Directions:

1. In a covered 3-quart saucepan, heat 6 cups water (or water/broth combo) to boiling on high. In medium bowl, place bulgur; cover with 2 cups of the liquid. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, to remaining liquid in saucepan, add lentils and 1/4 teaspoon salt (if using part vegetarian broth) or 1/2 teaspoon salt (if using water only). Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain lentils well in colander.
3. In large bowl, whisk lemon juice, oil, 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until blended. Add warm bulgur and lentils; stir to coat. Let stand 15 minutes or until cool.
4. Stir tomatoes, cucumber, and green onions into bulgur mixture. Cover lentil tabbouleh and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. To serve, stir in parsley, mint, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Reviews

[Valeria]

This is a good all-in-one salad for vegans. It's not the type of tabbouleh I am used to, as it has way more substance and not as much parsley, but it's tasty in its own way. I used buckwheat instead of bulgur and had to boil it in 1 liter of water/veg stock for 20 minutes. I also had no green onions, so instead I used young garlic, which has a similar mild flavor.

[sheepdoc]

I like the traditional parsley kind better. Way too much mint. I didn't have any vegetable broth. Thought about using chicken but didn't. Maybe that would have been better.