Cauliflower is a popular vegetable in my house! Usually it’s roasted or sautéed, but this cauliflower tabbouleh is a fresh and unique way to enjoy it. Using riced cauliflower has gotten a lot of attention recently, with the popularity of low carb and keto diets, but I enjoy it because it’s an excellent and easy way to add extra vitamins and minerals to so many different recipes. With all the flavor added from fresh herbs and spices, you’ll be loving this cauliflower tabbouleh too!

How to Make Cauliflower Tabbouleh

This recipe couldn’t be easier, requires minimal prep work and only one bowl—yay for little clean up! First, you’ll want to mix the dressing in a bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients. The dressing includes lemon juice and zest (so much extra flavor in the zest), olive oil, and lots of yummy spices.

After the dressing is well mixed, add riced cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh herbs. Give it a taste and see if it needs anything—more salt or pepper? More fresh mint? Make sure it tastes good! I really like serving this with grilled fish or spiced chicken for dinner or keeping it in my fridge to add tons of extra flavor to my salads throughout the week. Lots of options with this one! 

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

As I mentioned, cauliflower rice has gotten popular in the last couple of months. So popular, I sometimes can’t find it in my grocery store because they’ve run out! Good news…if this happens to you, you can easily make your own. Here’s what you do: buy a head of cauliflower and cut it up into large chunks. Place cauliflower pieces in food processor and pulse until a rice-like texture forms. Done!

If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry. You can also use a box grater to grate the cauliflower, which will give you the same effect. I recommend using the medium or large holes on the box grater for best results.

What is Tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh is a common dish in middle eastern cuisine and is thought to have originated in Ottoman Syria, which now is made up of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.¹ It’s a salad that is usually served in a “mezze style” or appetizer style with many other dishes. The main ingredient, which we have swapped out for cauliflower, is bulgur. Bulgur is a whole cereal grain made from dried, cracked wheat that is partially cooked to make cooking time faster.² If you’ve never tried tabbouleh, give the traditional and cauliflower version a try—see which you like better!

Benefits of Turmeric

You might think all the health benefits from this recipe come from the veggies, but there’s another sneaky health promoting ingredient in here!  Turmeric contains an active ingredient called curcumin, which has been found to be helpful in a few health-related areas. One major way this spice is beneficial is due to its anti-inflammatory properties, which might help battle the chronic inflammation we know plays a role in chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.³ Clearly this colorful spice provides more than just flavor!

Similar pages

Try more creative ways to cook with cauliflower with these fun recipes: my baked cauliflower bites and cauliflower steaks are always crowd pleasers!

References

1. Percival J. Lebanon to sue Israel for marketing hummus as its own. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/07/israelandthepalestinians.lebanon. Published October 7, 2008. Accessed March 28, 2020.https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2008/oct/07/israelandthepalestinians.lebanon
2. Hill A. Bulgur Wheat: Nutrition, Benefits and How to Cook It. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bulgur-wheat#what-it-is. Published December 3, 2018. Accessed March 28, 2020.https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bulgur-wheat#what-it-is
3. Gunnars K. 10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric#section2. Published July 13, 2018. Accessed March 28, 2020. https:// www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric#section2

CAULIFLOWER TABBOULEH

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Keyword: side dish, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound riced cauliflower available at stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s or can make your own
• 1 cup parsley chopped
• ½ cup mint chopped
• 1 English cucumber diced
• 15 cherry tomatoes halved

Instructions

• Combine lemon juice, zest, oil, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk.
• Add riced cauliflower and mix well. Add in parsley, mint, cucumber, and tomatoes and mix well.

Video