Asparagus Tabbouleh Salad
The great thing about tabbouleh is that it's absolutely packed with fresh herbs. This zingy, fresh tabbouleh comes with a generous helping of asparagus, giving it plenty of extra goodness and bite. This dish feels like a salad but fills you up like a main course. And it's packed with goodness, so you can feel good about eating it. A real win all round!
Serves
Ingredients
For the salad
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp Ras El Hanout<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp pomegranate seeds<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>250g bulgur wheat<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>50g sunflower seeds<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>75ml olive oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>75g pitted dates<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 large bunches of asparagus<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 lemons<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 red onion<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 small bunch of coriander<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 small bunch fresh mint<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 small bunch of parsley<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> 1x 400g can of chickpeas<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper to taste<item-todo-done>
For the dressing
<item-todo-done>2 tbsp tahini<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>150g plant-based yoghurt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp water<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper to taste<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Preheat grill to high | Large saucepan of salted water on a high heat | Roasting tray
Cook the bulgur wheat
- Bring the pan of salted water to the boil
- Add the bulgur wheat and cook according to the packet instructions
For the asparagus
- Trim the asparagus and toss the stems into a roasting tin along with the sunflower seeds
- Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper
- Place under the hot grill to cook for 3–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until softened but still firm
Build the tabbouleh
- Slice the lemons in half
- Squeeze the juice of 3 halves into a large mixing bowl
- Peel and finely chop the red onion and add to the bowl
- Add a big pinch of salt and the ras el hanout
- Squeeze the onion well with your hands so the lemon juice starts to pickle it
- Roughly chop the dates and add them to the bowl
- Pick the leaves from the herbs
- Reserve a few leaves for garnish and roughly chop the rest
- Add the chopped herbs to the bowl
Rinse the bulgur and make the dressing
- Tip the cooked bulgur wheat into a colander along with the chickpeas
- Rinse with cold water until the bulgur wheat is cool
- Put the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine
- Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half
- Whisk again and season well
Assemble the salad
- Tip the drained bulgur wheat and chickpeas into a large dish along with the remaining olive oil
- Toss and season with salt and pepper
- Taste and add more lemon juice, if needed
- Top with the asparagus and sunflower seeds from the roasting tray
- Drizzle with the dressing and scatter with the pomegranate seeds and reserved herbs