If you've ever visited Cedar's Deli in Calgary, you know that their tabbouleh is the gold standard-tangy, vibrant, and incredibly fluffy. I wanted to create a Copycat Cedar's Deli Tabbouleh that captures that exact magic while using up the mountain of curly parsley and mint currently exploding in my garden.
This Mediterranean Tabouli isn't your typical "grain salad" with a little bit of green; this is an authentic Mediterranean herb salad where the parsley is the star. Best of all? I've figured out the "Lazy Way" to make it! No tedious hand-chopping for 30 minutes-we're using the food processor to get that perfect "green confetti" texture in seconds. It's the ideal healthy side dish for my Grilled Greek Ribs and Easy Greek Rice (with Lemon)!
Recipe Overview: Tabouli Salad
- Ready in: 30 minutes (No Cook!)
- Serves: 6 servings
- Calories: 173 kcal
- Main Ingredients: Curly parsley, fine bulgur, fresh lemon, mint.
- Dietary Info: Vegan, Dairy-Free, High Fiber.
- Weight Watchers Points: 4 WW Points (Standard). This can be lowered to1 WW Point (See tips below).
- Difficulty: Easy
- Why You'll Love It: This Tabouli Salad "no-cook" recipe actually tastes better the next day, making it the ultimate healthy meal-prep salad for back-to-school lunches.
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- Recipe Overview: Tabouli Salad
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- 🥘Ingredient Notes
- 📖 Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪How to Make Mediterranean Tabouli Salad
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🥗 What to Serve with Deli-style Mediterranean Tabouli
- 🌡️Storage
- 👪 Serving Size
- 🔢WW Points
- ❔Recipe FAQ's
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- More Healthy Salads
- Deli-style Mediterranean Tabbouleh Recipe (Cedar's Deli Copycat)
Love Calgary restaurant copycat recipes? Try my Calgary Ginger Beef too!
🥘Ingredient Notes
- Curly Parsley: While many recipes call for flat-leaf, Cedar's style requires curly parsley. It provides the "bounce" and volume that makes the salad fluffy rather than flat.
- Fine Bulgur (#1): Make sure you get the #1 fine grind (usually yellow). It's small enough to "cook" in the lemon juice without ever needing to turn on the stove. *If you accidentally buy #3 or #4 (coarse) bulgur, the lemon juice soak won't work, and you will have crunchy grains.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: You'll need about 3 large lemons. The acidity is what tenderizes the herbs and the grain.
- Allspice & Sumac: These are the "secret" deli spices. Allspice adds a warm depth, while Sumac adds a beautiful red color and an extra citrusy pop. Sumac is a little harder to find, but I was able to find it at Spice Road (at my local Farmer's Market). You can also find Sumac on Amazon (affiliate link).
- Fresh Mint: Use your garden surplus! It adds a cooling finish that balances the garlic and lemon.
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Gluten-Free: Swap the bulgur for ¾ cup of cooked quinoa. Make sure the quinoa is chilled and "fluffed" before adding.
- Tomato-Free: If you aren't a fan of tomatoes, you can swap them for finely diced red bell pepper for color and crunch.
- Extra Protein: Add a can of rinsed chickpeas to turn this side dish into a full Mediterranean meal.
- Parsley: You can use Italian parsley in this recipe if you don't have curly parsley.
- Lemon Juice: You can use lemon juice from concentrate (use the same amount).
🔪How to Make Mediterranean Tabouli Salad
PREP:
- Wash your curly parsley and spin it in a salad spinner until it's bone-dry.
- Pulse the parsley in your food processor in batches until it looks like "green confetti." This is about 5-7 pulses. Do not let it turn into a paste!
- Step 1: Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and allspice together.
- Step 2: Place the bulgur in a small bowl, then pour the lemon juice mixture over it. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
- Step 3: The bulgur will "cook" in the lemon juice, becoming perfectly tender while absorbing all that tangy flavor.
- Step 4: In your largest bowl, toss the fluffed parsley, mint, green onions, and finely diced tomatoes/cucumbers.
- Step 5: Add the soaked bulgur (and any remaining liquid from the bowl) to the herbs. Toss thoroughly. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. This is a "sturdy" salad; the curly parsley holds up beautifully.
Expert Recipe Tips
- The "Bone-Dry" Rule: This is the most important tip! If your parsley is even slightly damp, the food processor will turn it into a green paste. Spin it, pat it, and let it air-dry before pulsing.
- The "Lemon Soak": By soaking the bulgur in the dressing instead of water, the grain absorbs the flavor from the inside out. It's the secret to that "zingy" deli taste.
- Pulse, Don't Process: When using the food processor, use short 1-second bursts. You want tiny flakes, not a smoothie!
- Seed Your Veggies: Always remove the watery seeds from your tomatoes and cucumbers. This prevents the salad from getting "soupy" in the fridge.
🥗 What to Serve with Deli-style Mediterranean Tabouli
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe:
- Grilled Greek Ribs: The classic pairing!
- Mediterranean Zucchini Fritters: For a full vegetarian meze platter.
- Lazy Greek Dolmades and Air Fryer Greek Meatballs (coming soon)!
- Yogurt Hummus & Pita: Use the tabbouleh as a topping for a loaded hummus bowl.
- Grilled Chicken or Fish: The tanginess of the salad cuts through the richness of grilled meats perfectly.
- Serve it with my Easy Chocolate Baklava Cups for dessert!
🌡️Storage
Fridge: Store this curly parsley salad with mint in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Unlike most salads, tabbouleh actually tastes better on day 2 and 3 as the parsley softens in the dressing.
Freezer: This recipe does not freeze well due to the high fresh herb content.
👪 Serving Size
This Tabouleh recipe makes 6 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is approximately 4 WW Points per cup as written (due to the olive oil).
The 1-Point Hack: To get this down to 1 WW Point, reduce the olive oil to 1 tablespoon and supplement the moisture with an extra ¼ cup of lemon juice or a splash of vegetable broth.
❔Recipe FAQ's
Yes! It is packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and fiber. It's a nutrient-dense way to eat a massive amount of greens in one sitting.
Absolutely. If you have the patience, hand-chopping will give you a slightly cleaner look, but the food processor is the "Lazy Way" to get it done in a fraction of the time.
This usually happens if you include too many of the thick parsley stems. Try to use mostly the leaves and the very thin, tender stems for the best flavor.
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Whether you're a Calgary local missing your Cedar's Deli fix or just someone looking for a fresh, healthy way to clear out the herb garden, this Deli-style Mediterranean Tabouli is a winner. It's bright, tangy, and proof that "healthy comfort food" can be as simple as a few bunches of parsley and a little "Lazy Way" magic.
If you make this, please leave a star rating and a comment below-I love hearing how your Mediterranean feast turned out!
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Deli-style Mediterranean Tabbouleh Recipe (Cedar's Deli Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 large bunches Curly Parsley You want a mountain of this! Once pulsed, it should be about 5-6 cups.
- 1 cup Fresh Mint finely chopped
- ½ cup Green Onions finely sliced (Use mostly the green parts for that vibrant look and milder flavor).
- ½ cup Fine Bulgur #1
- 3 Roma Tomatoes diced extremely fine
- 1 English Cucumber diced extremely fine
- ½ cup Fresh Lemon Juice Approx. 3 lemons.
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest.
- ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice The "secret" deli spice.
- 1 teaspoon Sumac Optional
Instructions
- PREP: Wash your curly parsley and spin it in a salad spinner until it's bone-dry.3-4 large bunches Curly Parsley
- Pulse the parsley in your food processor in batches until it looks like "green confetti." This is about 5-7 pulses. Do not let it turn into a paste!
- Place the dry bulgur in a small bowl.½ cup Fine Bulgur
- Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and allspice together.½ cup Fresh Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest., ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil., 1 teaspoon Salt , ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 clove Garlic, minced, ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- then pour it over the bulgur. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes. The bulgur will "cook" in the lemon juice, becoming perfectly tender while absorbing all that tangy flavor.
- In your largest bowl, toss the fluffed parsley, mint, green onions, and finely diced tomatoes/cucumbers.1 cup Fresh Mint, ½ cup Green Onions, 3 Roma Tomatoes, 1 English Cucumber
- Add the soaked bulgur (and any remaining liquid from the bowl) to the herbs. Toss thoroughly.
- Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. This is a "sturdy" salad; the curly parsley holds up beautifully.
- Sprinkle on about 1 teaspoon of Sumac just before serving1 tsp Sumac
Notes
- Gluten-Free: Swap the bulgur for ¾ cup of cooked quinoa. Make sure the quinoa is chilled and "fluffed" before adding.
- Tomato-Free: If you aren't a fan of tomatoes, you can swap them for finely diced red bell pepper for color and crunch.
- Extra Protein: Add a can of rinsed chickpeas to turn this side dish into a full Mediterranean meal.
- Parsley: You can use Italian parsley in this recipe if you don't have curly parsley.
- The "Bone-Dry" Rule: This is the most important tip! If your parsley is even slightly damp, the food processor will turn it into a green paste. Spin it, pat it, and let it air-dry before pulsing.
- The "Lemon Soak": By soaking the bulgur in the dressing instead of water, the grain absorbs the flavor from the inside out. It's the secret to that "zingy" deli taste.
- Pulse, Don't Process: When using the food processor, use short 1-second bursts. You want tiny flakes, not a smoothie!
- Seed Your Veggies: Always remove the watery seeds from your tomatoes and cucumbers. This prevents the salad from getting "soupy" in the fridge.
Nick S. says
This recipe sounds fascinating and I HAVE to make it! It's totally different from the tabouli I have been making. The curly parsley goes against everything inside of me, but whatever, it actually has a distinct and good flavor. The sumac, I have lots of it. It actually grows here in North Dakota. It's native! I'll post a follow-up when I make this. Thanks for sharing!!!
Terri Gilson says
Hi Nick,
I'm glad you're going to give it a try! I had no idea that sumac grows in ND. I grew up in Manitoba, Canada (jsut above you) and I looked it up - it grows there too. However, in Alberta, we're close to the mountains, so things don't grow the same here and you'll find mostly ornamental sumac here.
I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Terri
Nick S. says
It turned out GREAT! This made a fantastic dinner with some feta and pita. Thanks for sharing. As far as the sumac goes, it's all over the Sheyenne National Grassland in SE NoDak. The highest point down there might be an overpass.
Terri Gilson says
Hi Nick,
That's so great to hear- thanks for letting me know! Combining it with feta and pita sounds divine...
You're so lucky to have access to all that sumac 🙂
Take care,
Terri