According to Instagram, it was Ina Garten’s birthday on Monday. So it was quite fortuitous that I made her quinoa tabbouleh over the weekend – a fitting tribute to one of my favorite cookbook authors and celebrity chefs. Of course, it did not let me down.
I adore Ina. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me in front of the TV with a mug of hot coffee in hand, watching Barefoot Contessa (and later The Pioneer Woman). I always imagine how exciting it would be to run errands or host a small party with Ina – she makes even the most mundane task look fun. And I love how she pampers Jeffrey, her husband, by keeping him well fed with his favorite foods. In fact, Jason always jokes that he’s my Jeffrey; I don’t mind the analogy.
Like so many of Ina’s dishes, this quinoa tabbouleh is effortless yet absolutely delicious. Use the freshest ingredients and you will end up with a bright, light salad that keeps in the refrigerator for several days. In fact, I think this dish tastes better after it’s had a chance to sit for a bit, when the quinoa has soaked up the dressing and the tomatoes have softened slightly. You still get a nice crunch from the cucumbers and bite from the fresh herbs.
Recipe adapted from Food Network.
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 5 Persian cucumbers, unpeeled, diced
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup Feta cheese crumbles
- In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, 15-20 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and immediately add the lemon juice, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Gently fold in the green onions, mint, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes and pepper.
- Gently fold in the Feta cheese and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
This recipe is really really good! I was out of feta and it was yummy without it. I will definitely be making this again and again.
So glad you liked it, Diana!
I found this off of a low-fodmap recipe site -unless I am wrong, I thought Feta and Green Onions weren’t allowed when following low fodmap?
Hi Amanda! Unfortunately, I’m not a FODMAP expert, so can’t help you.
Hi Amanda,
Just in case you haven’t got the answer yet, on low FODMAP diets you can have the feta cheese if you know that you aren’t lactose intolerant (you can google do at home tests for this instead of paying for this test), and you can eat the green part of spring onions but not the white part. Hope this helps.