Broccoli Tabbouleh Bowl with Lentils

This broccoli tabbouleh with lentils is the perfect lunch! You can make it ahead, it’s super filling, and so good for you. It’s fun, gluten-free, and it has all the flavor of tabbouleh that you know and love. It will become an instant favorite!

I’m so excited to be telling you about my friend Lindsay’s cookbook! I mentioned it in my last What’s Poppin’, but I had a chance to make a recipe from the book and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. SO good. I got to enjoy it for lunch immediately after photographing it (best job ever!) and I had it again for dinner because I loved it so much!

Let’s back it up a little, though, and discuss this book. Lindsay is the beautiful and talented owner, recipe developer, and photographer of the blog Cotter Crunch. Her book is titled Nourishing Superfood Bowls, and it includes 75 recipes that are all gluten-free, healthy, and nourishing.

Recipes I have bookmarked in her book:

• Curried Lentil Bowls
• Mediterranean Layered Lentil Salad Bowls (apparently I have a thing for lentils)
• Avocado Pesto Mexican Pasta Bowls
• Loaded Sweet Potato Nacho Salad Bowls
• Baja Fish Taco Bowls
• Mojo Salmon Bowls
• Chopped Superfood Power Salad Bowl
• Rum Raisin Yogurt Oatmeal Crisp Bowls

Don’t they all sound amazing?

One note about this book: If you have food allergies like my family (nuts, sesame), there will a fair amount of recipes that you won’t be able to make exactly as written. However, there are very few recipes where the nuts or sesame are a key component of the recipe. It’s something I wanted to mention, but I know all you food allergy moms and dads know how to figure that stuff out and substitute with different ingredients as necessary.

However, if you’re allergic to or avoiding gluten or dairy, this book is PERFECT for you. It will be your new bestie.

About this broccoli tabbouleh:

I absolutely love tabbouleh, but I’m super picky about it. I don’t want too much onion, and the lemon has to taste super fresh. If I had a choice, I’d choose flat leaf Italian parsley over curly parsley. I often find myself reaching for the flavors of tabbouleh (parsley, lemon, tomatoes!) when I’m making other recipes, like in this lentil salad and this barley salad. Even this hummus without tahini is loaded up with fresh parsley.

I’ll admit, I was both excited and a teensy tiny bit skeptical about this broccoli tabbouleh. Broccoli and lentils in my precious tabbouleh? Hmmm….

Well, as I teach my kids, it’s important to try new things because after the first bite, I immediately placed this recipe in my regular meal prep rotation. I’ll be making it again, and I’ll be making it soon. It’s so yummy and Ben loves it too.

Lindsay recommends topping this broccoli tabbouleh bowl with kefir yogurt and feta. I topped it with some plain Greek yogurt and feta the first time I ate it and the second time, I had it with no toppings. It was delicious both ways but I love the creamy tanginess the yogurt adds.

 

Tip:

To make vegan or dairy-free: Omit the yogurt and feta toppings or choose non-dairy alternatives.

PS: Love lentils? These one pot green lentils with kale and sweet potatoes is a popular recipe! Everyone also loves this lentil soup recipe with pasta. Lentils and pasta — the textures of the two complement each other so well!

Verdict: I am making this broccoli tabbouleh again ASAP. I love how filling and flavorful it is.
Husband’s take: Honestly, Ben doesn’t really like it when I mess with classic recipes, so I anticipated him not liking this, but he loved it! Good job, Lindsay. ;)
Changes I would make: None are necessary, but I will say we got more like 3-4 servings out of this (a few lunches and a couple side servings). If you were making it your full dinner, it may only serve two as the recipe suggests.
Difficulty: Really easy!  You could prep the lentils (or use canned!) a day in advance and keep them in the fridge if you wanted to speed things along a little.