Bulgur Salad with Cucumbers, Red Peppers, Chickpeas, Lemon & Dill
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With fresh herbs, chopped vegetables and chickpeas, this Middle Eastern-style bulgur salad is like a bulked-up tabbouleh.
Made with nutty bulgur, fresh herbs, chopped vegetables, and buttery chickpeas, this Middle Eastern-style salad is like a bulked-up tabbouleh. I like to make it over the weekend and keep it in the fridge all week long for healthy lunches.
What you’ll need to make bulgur salad
Bulgur is a chewy and nutty-tasting grain made from whole wheat kernels that have been parboiled, dried and cracked. In addition to being delicious, it’s super healthy — high in fiber and protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and low in fat and calories. You can find it in most supermarkets near the pasta, rice, or hot cereal, and many stores also carry it in the bulk bins.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, in a medium bowl, combine the bulgur bowl and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Pour 1-1/4 cups boiling water over top and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Let the bulgur steam for 30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.
While the bulgur soaks, prepare the vegetables and herbs.
I like to soak the red onions in cold water to remove the raw onion taste. This is totally optional — if you like raw onions, skip this step.
Once the chopped onion has soaked, drain thoroughly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, sugar, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
Add the cooled bulgur, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, dill, parsley, and chick peas.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Chill until ready to serve or up to two days. Serve cold or room temperature.
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Bulgur Salad with Cucumbers, Red Peppers, Chick Peas, Lemon & Dill
With fresh herbs, chopped vegetables and chickpeas, this Middle Eastern-style bulgur salad is like a bulked-up tabbouleh.
Ingredients
- 1 cup medium-grind (#2) bulgur
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small English (or hothouse) cucumber, seeded and diced
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the bulgur in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and 1¼ cups boiling water. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap and let sit for 15-30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Let cool, then fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, to soften the bite of the raw onions, place them in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for ten minutes, and then drain. (Feel free to skip this step if you don't mind the strong taste of raw onions.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, sugar, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Add the cooled bulgur, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, dill, parsley, and chick peas. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Chill until ready to serve or up to two days. Serve cold or room temperature.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 336
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 11g
- Protein: 9g
- Sodium: 1085mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This was such a flavorful salad.
Easy to prepare as well as economical.
Have added to my meal rotation.
This salad is full of flavor! I added tomatoes and some feta and served it on a bed of mixed greens and arugula. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
This is an awesome salad..I enjoyed it as a meal and it was very filling..I added a littlr feta cheese for added flavor.. The only thing, you never mentioned how many cups per serving for either as a side dish or meal..Can you tell me what the serving size for each? Thank you!!
So glad you liked it! If you’re assuming 4 servings, I’d guesstimate the serving size would be about 2.5 cups, and for 6 servings, about 1.25 cups.
What a fantastic salad! I made this today, and it is absolutely delicious. I used fine bulgur, because that’s what I had on hand (I make tabbouleh a lot) and instead of fresh dill, I used fresh mint. I’m sure the dill would be delicious, too, but since the salad was tabbouleh-similar, I went with the two herbs I use in that salad. It’s super good, and I’ll make this as a vegan meal often. I’m a carnivore but tend to prefer vegetarian foods, so this is the perfect mix of great nutrition for a vegan meal.
This was absolutely delicious! I followed your recipe precisely.I just garnished the salad with a little feta cheese and it was perfect! I had it as a meal and it was very filling.
The only thing you didn’t indicate how many cups per serving as a meal or as a side dish..Can you let me know?
Loved this salad! Delicious, healthy and quite filling. I was unable to purchase #2 bulgar—only coarse was available, so I boiled it in low salt chicken broth as per other cooking directions I found on the internet. Would your soak method work with coarse bulgar?
Hi Janet, glad you liked the salad! Yes, I think it will work with coarse bulgur but I’d add a little more water and soak a bit longer.
I love your recipe. The dish is just what I am looking for. Then I found out the sodium content is in a range of 1000 mg. Is it possible? I analysed all the ingredients and didn’t find a culprit. Could it be a mistake?
Hi Witold, Glad you like the look of the recipe! I use an online tool to calculate the nutritional information. I just plugged the recipe in again and, you’re right, the sodium is much lower (610 mg per serving). They sometimes change/update their algorithms which leads to changes in the nutritional info – strange, but good news for you. 😊 Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Hi Jen,
I love the salad so much and make it often , but I’ve been trying to incorporate oil free recipes lately. Is there a way to do this with this recipe?
Unfortunately, I don’t think this would translate well to using no oil — sorry!
This is a very forgiving recipe. I only had 3/4 bulgar on hand and no chickpeas. Drove right in and made it, adjusting the water. Subbed Feta for the chickpeas and added extra cucumber. I stuck it in the fridge for two days. When I brought it out I took one cup for myself, got caught up in a phone call. Came back to the kitchen: the entire bowl was empty!! Hubs said this was the best Tabouli salad ever……. never make another version again. Well I guess so.
I love trying recipes that have that one key ingredient that I’ve either never heard of, or have never tried before. Bulgur was the one ingredient that I have never heard of, so that’s what drew me to this recipe. This recipe was very easy to make and did not take much time. It was tart at first, but once the flavors blended, it was great.
Jenn Segal came through once again with a great recipe. Thank you for sharing your skills and great food.
I made this last night and it was delicious!! I have enough leftover for 3 more meals and I will enjoy it until it’s gone. This will be what I bring to the next potluck. Thanks, Jen.