Having fattoush ever? You won’t forget it once you experience it! A vibrant Lebanese salad known as fattoush is packed with lettuce, mint, and fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s sharp, energizing, and fulfilling.
If you have odd leftover fresh vegetables (such as radish, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.) and pita bread, create fattoush. It’s impossible to err with the dimensions in this case.
Pita should be torn up and baked with salt and olive oil. You’ll get Mediterranean croutons that are toasty and crisp in the end.
Similar to how French toast uses up stale bread, fattoush is the Lebanese equivalent for stale pita bread. Isn’t that clever?
Exceptional Fattoush Salad
Here is how I would modify the standard fattoush salad: I used my fresh mint dressing rather than preparing a straightforward lemon dressing. The food processor makes it very simple to produce the dressing, which gives the salad a great mint flavor boost. It can’t be resisted!
Tips for Serving Fattoush
A lovely, light supper ideal for warm evenings is fattoush salad. Add crispy cooked falafel on top to turn it into a more substantial dinner. Alternately, serve it with toasted pita wedges, Lebanese bean salad, hummus, or baba ganoush. It works well as a side salad for grilled main dishes.
Ingredients for a fattoush salad
Salad fattoush essentials:
- vibrant greens (traditionally purslane but I recommend romaine)
- toasted pita that has been torn
- brand-new mint leaves
- citrusy dressing
- crushed sumac (optional, see below)
- Salads like fattoush are adaptable. Add any of the following components:
Tomato \sRadish
- A green or red onion
- Cucumber
- Carrot
- Cabbage
- Pepper Bell
- yellow squash or zucchini
- Parsley
- sundried olives
- Add cooked lentils or chickpeas for added protein to your salad!
- Describe sumac.
Sumac is a pinkish-red spice from the Middle East that has a sharp, almost lemon-like flavor. I adore it because it has an unusual flavor and a burst of hot pink color. You’ve seen it before on my incredibly creamy hummus dish and this sweet potato farro salad from the Mediterranean.
I’m glad I spent $7 on sumac on Amazon because it’s a great ingredient to have on hand (affiliate link). However, even without sumac, this salad is still utterly mouthwatering and flavorful. As a result, I made sumac optional in the recipe that follows.
Also read: Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS
- 2 whole grain pitas (7” diameter), torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ½ batch fresh mint dressing (you’ll need ½ cup, but make the full batch because this dressing is great to have on hand)
- 8 to 10 ounces fresh romaine lettuce, chopped (about 1 medium head of lettuce)
- 1 large tomato, chopped, or 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup quartered and thinly sliced Persian or English cucumber
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 small onion)
- ½ cup chopped radish (about 3 medium)
- ½ cup torn fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup crumbled feta (optional)
- Ground sumac, for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- 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.