Ever tried fattoush? Once you do, you’ll never forget it! Fattoush salad is a colorful Lebanese salad that’s bursting with fresh produce, lettuce and mint. It’s refreshing, crisp and satisfying.
Fattoush is the salad to make if you have random leftover fresh vegetables (radish, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.) and pita bread. You really can’t go wrong with the proportions here.
Simply tear up the pita and bake it with some olive oil and salt. You’ll end up with crisp, toasted Mediterranean croutons.
Fattoush is the Lebanese solution for stale pita bread, in the same way that French toast uses up stale bread. Isn’t it smart?
The Best Fattoush Salad
Here’s my twist on traditional fattoush salad: Instead of making a basic lemon dressing, I used my fresh mint dressing. The dressing is super easy to make in the food processor, and infuses the salad with even more delicious mint flavor. It’s irresistible!
How to Serve Fattoush
Fattoush salad is a beautiful, light meal perfect for warm evenings. To make it more of a complete meal, top it with crispy baked falafel. Or, serve it with Mediterranean bean salad, hummus or baba ganoush and toasted pita wedges on the side. It’s also a great side salad for grilled entrées.
Fattoush Salad Ingredients
Key fattoush salad ingredients:
- Fresh greens (traditionally purslane but I recommend romaine)
- Toasted torn pita bread
- Fresh mint leaves
- Lemony dressing
- Ground sumac (optional, see below)
Fattoush salads are versatile. Add any of these ingredients:
- Tomato
- Radish
- Red onion or green onion
- Cucumber
- Carrot
- Cabbage
- Bell pepper
- Zucchini or yellow squash
- Parsley
- Pitted olives
- Add more protein to your salad by adding cooked chickpeas or lentils!
What is sumac?
Sumac is a pinkish-red Middle Eastern spice that tastes tart and almost lemony. It offers a jolt of hot pink color and intriguing flavor, and I love it. You’ve seen it before on my ultra-creamy hummus recipe and this Mediterranean sweet potato farro salad.
Sumac is a fun ingredient to have on hand, and I’m glad I found it on Amazon (affiliate link). However, if you don’t want to buy sumac, this salad is still totally delicious and flavorful without it! So, I’ve made sumac optional in the recipe below.
Please let me know how you like this fattoush salad recipe in the comments! It’s the best fattoush I’ve ever had, and I hope you agree.
Looking for more big, fresh green salads? Don’t miss these:
Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
This classic fattoush salad recipe will become your new favorite salad! It’s a versatile salad, and the perfect way to use up those random leftover raw vegetables (the amounts given here are flexible and you can add/substitute any veggies you’d like). Recipe yields 4 large or 6 to 8 side salads.
- To toast the pita: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss the torn pita with 2 tablespoons olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven until the pieces are very golden and crispy, tossing halfway, 8 to 12 minutes. Set the baking sheet aside to cool.
- To prepare the salad: Make the salad dressing as directed and set aside. In a large serving bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, radish, mint, optional parsley and feta, and toasted pita.
- Wait until you’re ready to serve to drizzle up to ½ cup dressing over the salad. Gently toss until all of the ingredients are lightly coated in dressing. Serve promptly, and sprinkle individual servings generously with sumac.
- This salad is best consumed soon after making, since the dressing will wilt the lettuce and soften the pita with time. If you intend to have leftovers, store the salad separately from the dressing, and toss individual salads before serving. The salad will keep this way, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Recipe created with reference to Wikipedia.
Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free pita bread.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t add feta. Vegans, use maple syrup instead of honey when making the dressing.
Change it up: Add cooked, drained chickpeas or lentils to make the salad a full meal.
Nutrition
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