Farro Tabouli with Chickpeas and Tomatoes
I’ve struggled with tabouli for years. Sometimes I find it too heavy on the parsley, and I don’t love the texture of bulgur wheat in a salad, but I do love the Mediterranean flavor combination of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. In this version, I use farro instead of bulgur wheat because I like the bigger grains (Israeli couscous or barley would also work well), and I add chickpeas to make it a meal. It would also be delicious with shrimp or chicken instead of the chickpeas. Scramble recipe tester Marilyn Emery said, “It was a big hit. We also discovered it is great the next day on naan with hummus.”
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups farro perlato (pearled farro) such as Tuscan Fields brand, (4 cups cooked), or use quinoa for a gluten-free version
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 - 1 1/2 lemon juice only, about 1/4 cup
- 1 - 2 clove garlic minced, 1/2 - 1 tsp.
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 3/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes diced, about 2 cups
- 1/2 cucumber peeled and finely diced, about 1 cup
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)(or use 1 1/2 cups home-cooked chickpeas for every 15 oz. can), drained and rinsed, or use cooked chicken or shrimp
Instructions
- Cook the farro according to the package directions and set it aside to let it cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large measuring cup combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the cooked farro, stir in the herbs and scallions, and transfer it to the refrigerator to cool while you chop the tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Stir them into the salad with the chickpeas and serve it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Cook the farro, juice the lemon, peel the garlic, make and refrigerate the dressing, chop the parsley and mint, slice the scallions, dice the tomatoes, peel and dice the cucumber, or fully prepare and refrigerate the dish.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Dice 1 dill pickle and add it to the salad. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese.
Tip: Black pepper, the most popular spice in the world, has major health benefits. Not only is it a natural antibacterial agent, but it also has compounds that help protect the integrity of DNA, which makes it a possible cancer-fighting weapon.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 346, Total Fat: 10g, 15%; Saturated Fat: 2g, 6.6%; Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%; Sodium: 250mg, 10.5%; Total Carbohydrate: 50g, 16.5%; Dietary Fiber: 8g, 29.5%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 12g
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