Sarra Ina Garten’s quinoa tabbouleh is quinoa simmered until tender, dressed hot with lemon juice and olive oil, then tossed with a full cup each of fresh mint and parsley, sliced scallions, diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, and cubes of feta. It serves 8, takes 30 minutes, and keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days without the feta.
This recipe comes from Ina’s Make It Ahead cookbook (2014). In the headnote, she writes that quinoa “has a wonderful nutty flavor” and she “decided to use quinoa instead of bulghur in my favorite tabbouleh and found it to be even more delicious.” On Food Network, she adds that it is “a great gluten-free alternative to traditional bulgur wheat” and that if “it sits at room temperature for a few hours, the lemon vinaigrette really has time to soak into the quinoa and vegetables, so the salad is even more delicious.”
The technique that makes this tabbouleh taste deeply seasoned instead of bland is dressing the quinoa with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt the moment it comes off the heat. Hot quinoa absorbs liquid the way cold quinoa never does, so the lemon and oil soak into every grain instead of sitting on the surface. Ina drains the quinoa, puts it in a bowl, and adds the dressing immediately. She does not wait. Skip this step and let it cool first, and you need twice the dressing to get half the flavor.
Ina Garten Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
Course: SaladsCuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern-inspiredDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes15
minutes225
kcalIna’s gluten-free twist on her favorite tabbouleh from the Make It Ahead cookbook. Hot quinoa dressed immediately with lemon and oil, loaded with herbs, and designed to taste even better after sitting in the fridge for days. Hold the feta until serving.
Ingredients
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1 cup (180g) quinoa
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
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1/4 cup (60ml) good olive oil
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1 cup (100g) thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (5 scallions)
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1 cup (40g) chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)
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1 cup (40g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
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1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
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2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem
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2 cups (225g) medium-diced feta cheese (8 ounces)
Directions
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Cook the quinoa: Pour 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and 1 teaspoon salt, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until the grains are tender and open. They will have little curly tails when done.
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Dress while hot: Drain the quinoa, place it in a bowl, and immediately add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Toss well and let the hot quinoa absorb the dressing.
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Build the salad: In a large bowl, combine the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, and tomatoes with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the dressed quinoa and mix well.
- Add the feta and serve: Carefully fold in the diced feta so the cubes stay intact. Taste for seasoning and serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.
Notes
- Ina says to look for quinoa grains with “little curly tails” after cooking. That visual cue means the germ has separated from the seed, which tells you the quinoa is fully cooked and tender.
Make-ahead: prepare the salad without the feta, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Fold in the feta just before serving so it holds its shape and does not dissolve into the grain.
Dice the feta into medium cubes rather than crumbling it. Crumbled feta disappears into the quinoa. Cubes give you distinct bites of salty cheese against the nutty grain.
FAQs
Why does Ina dress the quinoa while it is still hot?
Hot quinoa has open, porous grains that absorb liquid. The lemon juice and olive oil soak into each grain while it is still steaming, so the flavor goes all the way through instead of coating the outside. Ina does this with every grain and legume salad she makes, from her potato salads to her white bean salad.
She drains, transfers to a bowl, and dresses immediately with no cooling time. If you let the quinoa cool first, the grains close up and the dressing sits on the surface. You end up needing twice the lemon and oil to get half the flavor, and the salad still tastes underseasoned in the center of each grain.
Can you make quinoa tabbouleh ahead of time?
This is one of Ina’s best make-ahead recipes. She says to prepare the entire salad without the feta, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The flavors actually improve as the lemon vinaigrette soaks deeper into the quinoa over time.
On Food Network, Ina adds that “if it sits at room temperature for a few hours, the lemon vinaigrette really has time to soak into the quinoa and vegetables, so the salad is even more delicious.” Fold in the feta just before serving so the cubes hold their shape. Add extra salt after chilling because cold dulls seasoning.
Why does Ina use quinoa instead of bulgur?
Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, which makes this tabbouleh accessible to anyone avoiding wheat. Ina says quinoa “has more protein than most grains” and a “wonderful nutty flavor” that she finds even better than the traditional bulgur in tabbouleh.
The texture difference matters too. Bulgur has a chewy, wheaty bite while quinoa is lighter and pops between your teeth. Both work in tabbouleh, but quinoa absorbs the lemon dressing more readily because each grain is smaller and has more surface area relative to its volume. If you prefer the chewier, nuttier texture of a whole grain, Ina’s Farro Tabbouleh with Feta from Cook Like a Pro (2018) uses the same herb-lemon-feta formula with farro instead.
What other tabbouleh versions does Ina make?
Ina has published three tabbouleh recipes across her career. Her original Tabbouleh from Parties! (2001) uses traditional bulgur wheat. This quinoa version from Make It Ahead (2014) swaps the grain for a gluten-free option. Her Farro Tabbouleh with Feta from Cook Like a Pro (2018) adds chickpeas and kalamata olives for a heartier, more substantial salad.
All three follow the same formula: cook the grain, dress it warm, add loads of fresh parsley and mint, cucumber, tomatoes, and lemon. If you enjoy the “dress while warm” technique Ina uses here, her White Bean Salad from Foolproof takes the same approach with cannellini beans and a hot rosemary-prosciutto oil.
What should you serve quinoa tabbouleh with?
Ina designed this as a side dish or light lunch, and it pairs naturally with grilled lamb, chicken, or fish. The bright lemon-herb profile echoes classic Mediterranean protein seasonings without competing.
For a full meal built around salads, pair this cold, grain-forward dish with Ina’s Roasted Carrot Salad from Cooking for Jeffrey for a warm contrast. The sweet maple-glazed carrots and tangy goat cheese play against the cool, lemony quinoa and salty feta, and together they cover enough flavors and textures to feel like a complete dinner.
