Tabbouleh is a classic Middle Eastern salad, usually made from bulgur wheat, tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. Just a handful of ingredients, easy and full of bright flavors. When the weather gets warm and we start grilling, this has become our go to side dish. Mostly because it has grains and veggies all in one. Since we have been exploring more with food, I started to think, “Who says we always have to use the traditional ingredients, maybe we can update it.” So we did, and it became this Wilted Swiss Chard and Couscous Salad.
I love adding greens to Tabbouleh because I think it makes it more filling. Usually I would have gone to Kale, but Swiss Chard is in season now, and I love the earthy flavor it has. I also wanted this update to feel more like a pasta salad so I used the Israeli couscous (aka Ptitim) which is basically pearls of pasta.
- 2 1/4 cup Israeli couscous
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 grinds of black pepper
- 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 English cucumber, de-seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped mint
- 4 scallions, chopped
- In a saucepan, combine couscous and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Place the couscous in a large bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large pan, add oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic clove and Swiss chard. Saute until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and discard garlic clove.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Finally, add the wilted Swiss chard to the bowl with the couscous. Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and mint. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and toss very well to combine all ingredients. Serve.
You can find more salad recipes here.