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Weight Watchers Recipe the Day: Tabbouleh Soup
I fell in love with tabbouleh the first time I tasted it, back in the 1980s at “Blazing Salads,” a favorite lunch spot in downtown Boston.
So, imagine my delight when I came across this recipe for tabbouleh soup with lentils and bulgur in 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness by Camilla Saulsbury, a cookbook that continues to get a lot of use around here.
This tabbouleh soup with lentils and bulgur has all the ingredients you would expect to find in tabbouleh – bulgur wheat, tomatoes, lemon juice, parsley, and mint – along with lentils for added heartiness.
Talk about a delicious, nutritious bowl of soup.
This recipe for tabbouleh soup with lentils and bulgur cooked up really thick, so I added quite a bit more water to thin it. The word “stoup,” Rachael Ray’s term for a cross between a stew and a soup, came to mind when I lifted the lid to give it a stir toward the end of its simmer.
Recipe Notes
I have enjoyed this soup several days in a row for lunch. I shared some with Mom, who also thought it was good, though she commented that she needed to add some salt to season it to her liking.
When I saw her comment I laughed, as I too needed to add both salt and lemon juice to satisfy my taste buds. A good reminder to taste as you go, and then again just before serving, adjusting the seasonings as necessary to please your palate. For me that usually means a little more salt and pepper, and often a squeeze of lemon juice.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Tabbouleh Soup?
According to my calculations, each serving has 212 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
4 SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
1 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
I would count this as Simply Filling too. There’s 1 tablespoon of oil, but when you divide that among 8 servings, it’s less than 1/2 teaspoon per serving. Enjoy!
If you enjoyed this tabbouleh soup, be sure to check my other Weight Watchers Friendly recipes including Spicy Red Lentil Soup, Slow Cooker Sausage Stew with Lentils, Lemony Lentil Quinoa Salad, and Warm Lentil Salad with Salmon
If you’ve made this Low-Fat Tabbouleh Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Tabbouleh Soup with Lentils and Bulgur
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link)
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup fine or medium bulgur
- 6 cups water
- 2 cans (about 15 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, divided
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped, divided
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the lentils, bulgur and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. If the soup appears to be getting to thick add more water to thin to desired consistency.
- Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, half the parsley, and half the mint. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.1
- Stir in the remaining parsley and mint and the lemon juice.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper and lemon juice, if required.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness (affiliate link) by Camilla Saulsbury
To shorten cooking time by half or more, do not add salt until the lentils are cooked. Salt increases cooking time with lentils.
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Michelle, I’ve only made this recipe as written but believe it would be fine done in a slow cooker. Hope this helps. ~Martha