Ola my friend! The salad of the week is Bulgur Salad. This salad is healthy and very easy to make. Like the Tabbouleh salad, it is a mediterranean dish and there are several versions. I ventured out a bit to create my own version of bulgur salad based on the bold flavor I was craving. The main ingredients will be described below but I will tell you that every bite was truly satisfying. This salad is a sophisticated boost for your body and mind, guranteed. The number of ingredients for the traditional bulgur salad is usually around 3-5 but I have 10 ingredients besides the dressing.
Ready to experience a different type of bulgur salad? Let’s go!
The Main Ingredients
Bulgur salad is super easy to make. It is the perfect salad to make when you are in the middle of a Middle Eastern themed meal prep series. (You see what I did there? “Middle of a middle” … ok ok back to it…) Here are the stars of the show:
- Bulgur: bulgur is cracked wheat berries, a whole grain food. The cracked wheat has been parboiled and dried. This makes it cook fast. From my research, although processed, bulgur has more nutrients then unprocessed wheat. You can get bulgur from most food retailers. I like to get mine from my local Midddle Eastern or Indian market. When cooked, bulgur is fluffy and tender adding the perfect balance to any salad.
- Cilantro: this is an incredible herb that is used to add flavor and garnish many dishes. It has a bright, strong, and lively flavor and aroma that make you want to smile and socialize. Think about it. Mexican fiesta’s (celebration) usually have some dish with cilantro.
- Dill: this is a powerful and fragrant herb that many associate with pickles but it’s underrated in my opinion. The taste and aroma is distinct with a little edge. This herb is blessed with many vitamins and minerals that support many functions in the body. It even helps with arthritis thanks to it’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Other Key Ingredients
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans): one of my go to legumes that is filling and nutritious. I added these to the salad to get a good dose of protein and make the salad a little more heavier.
- Red Bell Pepper: this vegetable comes off as serious to me. In my book it is a vegetable but scientifically I believe it is classified as a fruit. Anyway, it gave a splash of color and calm twist to the entire eating experience.
- Olives: one of my favorite salad toppings and I simply can’t get enough of these things. They were a substitute for cheese in this salad.
My Bulgur Salad Experience
My experience making bulgur salad was fun. It is a colorful salad. But eating bulgur salad was awesome. Here’s a few highlights from my experience.
The taste of cilantro and dill. Omgoodness, wow! I thought they would clash but cilantro and dill taste really good together. Originally, I planned to use cilantro and mint. However, for some reason, I had a strong desire for dill. It was worth taking the chance because I loved it. If you like bold yet complimentary herb flavors then this combination is a must try.
I chose to finely chop the cilantro, dill and spinach. The other vegetables I chopped in chunks. At this point I have experience under my belt with bulgur so made it like a pro. The bulgur was so fluffy and the perfect base for this salad.
I decided to use olives instead of goat cheese or feta cheese. The vegan feta cheese is getting out of hand with the sodium. I had a strong desire for goat cheese. I never had goat cheese before so I do not know where that desire came from. It just seem like it would give the salad the unique flavor I was looking for but I wanted this salad to be vegan. So olives are a great substitute for cheese in vegan salads when you want something salty and chunky.
This homemade creamy Greek inspired salad dressing would taste so great on this salad.
This salad can easily be a layer salad i.e. the infamous 7 layer salad. I generally layer the ingredients and then toss or combine at the end. Feel free to keep it layered. A cool idea would be to layer the ingredients in a mason jar as an easy grab and go meal prep idea.
Bulgur Salad Recipe Gallery
Health Benefits
Here are my favorites for bulgur:
- helps you lose weight thanks to being a low calorie, low fat, and low sodium whole grain food.
- excellent digestion support thanks to being high in insoluble fiber which ensures healthy bowel movements and gut health.
- a remarkable blood sugar manager thanks to being a low glycemic index food which means your blood sugar rises slower.
- helps regulate sleep thanks to being a rich source of magnesium. A great supporter of the parasympathetic function of the nervous systems which soothes and calms you.
- a great source of phytonutrients (aka antioxidants) protecting your cells from damage making it a strong heart disease and cancer fighter.
Read more details here and here.
Cost Break Down
My budget was $10. I exceeded my budget by $3.46.
| Item | Qty | Price |
| Fresh Cilantro | 1 bunch | $.48 @ $.48/bunch |
| Organic Dill | 1 small bunch | $1.98 |
| Flat Leaf Spinach | 4 oz of 8 oz bag | ≈ $.75 of $1.49 |
| Cucumber | 2 medium | $.90 @ $.45/each |
| Black Olives (Med) | 2 – 6oz cans | $2.98 @ $1.49/each |
| Roma Tomatoes | 6 small | $1.31 @ $.98/lb |
| Red Onion | 2 medium | $1.12 @ $.99/lb |
| Red Bell Pepper | 1 large | $.98 |
| Chickpeas | 2 – 6oz cans | $1.56 @ $.78/each |
| Bulgur | 1 cup of 2lb bag | ≈ $.44 of $2.99 |
| Lemon | 2 small | $0.96 @ $.48/each |
| Total | – | $13.46 |
Until Next Time
Well, what do you think? This isn’t your traditional bulgur salad. However, it will not disappoint. Indulge in this tasty treat anytime especially when you need a quick nourishing detox. What types of dressings would you try with this salad? Please drop a comment below or email me. I would love to hear your feedback and/or stories. If you need another detox salad idea then check out this powerful mango kale salad.
Well, I will take my leave for now. I look forward to our time together again soon. Be inspired to have an appetite to Live and Live well.
Adaeze
The Best “Different Type” of Bulgur Salad
Ingredients
- ▢ Fresh Cilantro – 1 bunch
- ▢ Organic dill – 1 small bunch
- ▢ Flat leaf Spinach – 4 oz
- ▢ Cucumber – 2 medium
- ▢ Black Olives – 2 – 6oz cans
- ▢ Roma Tomatoes – 6 small
- ▢ Red onion – 1 medium
- ▢ Red Bell Pepper – 1 large
- ▢ Chickpeas – 2 – 6oz cans
- ▢ Bulgur – 1 cup
- ▢ Boiling Water – 3 cups
- ▢ Pink Himalayan Salt – 1 tsp (or sprinkle to taste)
- ▢ Black Pepper – ½ tsp (or sprinkle to taste)
- ▢ Lemon – 2 small
- ▢ Olive Oil – ⅓ cup
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients, a small pot to boil water, a large bowl to mix the salad, a small container for the dressing, measuring cups, and a mixing utensil.
Bulgur Prep
- Rinse bulgur and set aside.
- Add water to small pot, place on high heat until the water starts to boil.
- Remove boiling water from heat and add the bulgur to the pot.
- Allow the bulgur to sit for 15-30 minutes or until the water is visibly absorbed.
Bulgur Salad Prep
- Rinse all vegetables well.
- Open the cans of chickpeas and olives and rinse well and set aside.
- Finely chop the cilantro, dill, spinach, and red onion and add them to the bowl.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell pepper into chunks and add them to the bowl.
- Add the drained chickpeas and olives to the bowl.
- Next add the bulgur to the bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing across the top of the salad and mix the salad well.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator to chill before serving.
Dressing Prep
- Squeeze lemon juice into a small container
- Add the olive oil and seasonings to the container and stir or shake well.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute quinoa for bulgur.
- I used coarse bulgur in this recipe. A good rule of thumb is to check for the water to be absorbed. The bulgur should be fluffy in texture and tender to taste.
- Be sure to drain the bulgur of any excess water that was not absorbed as needed before adding the salad.
- Finely chopping your herbs and leafy greens may take you a while so to save time, you can use a food processor.
- Feel free to cook raw chickpeas instead of canned chickpeas. One easy method is to add 1-1.5 cups of chickpeas to a crockpot (or instapot) and add 3-4 cups of water. Select the beans cooking setting. Be sure to select the high pressure setting as well. You can do this without soaking the beans overnight.
- There are many ways to juice a lemon i.e. using a fruit squeezer, a juicer, microwaving it and squeezing by hand, and more.
- You can skip the salad container and add the dressing directly to your salad.
- Note that olive spreads well so a little go a long way. However, if you want to add a little more than you can. The goal is for the dressing to coat the salad gracefully and not drown the ingredients making it a cold soup.
- This salad can last up to one week from my experience.
- Please try to use the freshest and firmest vegetables for your salads. Save the mushy ones for your soups and stews.
- This recipe may take less than 25 minutes depending on your prep and chopping skill, speed, and accuracy (or if you use the processor of course).
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