The Jennifer Aniston Salad is a wholesome bulgur wheat salad containing fresh cucumber, chickpeas, crumbled feta, red onion, fresh herbs and chopped pistachios for crunch. A light yet filling salad that’s incredibly fresh and delicious! Serves 6 (1¼ cup servings).
In the last month, The Jennifer Aniston Salad aka “The Jen”has been all over my social media feeds. And after the hundredth time of seeing it, I decided to give it a try – because, hello? Jenifer Aniston.
I was not prepared to love it as much as I do.
This wholesome salad stays fresh, flavorful and delicious for 4 to 5 days – which makes it great for meal prep! I definitely enjoyed this salad the most on the day of, because the pistachios were crunchy. So if meal prepping, I would recommend leaving those out and add to a smaller container and add them in fresh every day. Somedays I ate it with a spoon, or tossed it with micro greens and I’ve also would scoop it up whole grain chips.
What is The Jennifer Aniston Salad?
A fresh salad consisting of cooked bulgur wheat, chickpeas, diced cucumber, red onion, crumbled feta, chopped roasted and salted pistachios and fresh herbs. The dressing is simple; lemon juice and olive oil. There’s a lot of different variations but this is my take on it.
What’s The Story Behind The Jennifer Aniston Salad:
It came out in a People Magazine Article that when she took over a brands instagram feed she shared pieces of her life. And one of those things was her idea of a perfect salad. I’ve also read that she ate this salad on the set of Friends everyday for 10 years, but I’m not sure how accurate that is.
To Make The Jennifer Aniston Salad You Will Need:
- bulgur wheat
- red onion
- persian cucumber
- chickpeas
- roasted and salted pistachios
- fresh mint
- fresh parsley
- feta cheese
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
What Is Bulgur Wheat?
Bulgur wheat is a whole grain that comes from cracked wheat and is packed-full of protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Making this one powerhouse whole grain! It’s super easy and quick to cook and can be made into warn breakfast, as a side dish or added to a plethora of dishes like soups, stews and salads. One common known salad recipe being tabbouleh.
Add 1 cup bulgur to a saucepan and to that pour in 2 cups water.
Bring to a boil (uncovered) over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low (simmer) cover and cook 12 minutes.
Once cooked, remove and drain excess unabsorbed water (if any). Fluffy with a fork and transfer to a large plate, spread evenly and let cool. If making this step in advance; cook, fluff and completely cool before storing in an air-tight container.
While the cooked bulgur wheat cools, prep the salad ingredients. Starting with 1/2 a red onion. Dice and add to a small bowl with ice and water. Let this soak for about 10 or so minutes or until you’re about to throw the salad together.
What happens when you soak onions in ice water?
Soaking onions in ice water removes a lot of the bite. You still get onion flavor but it’s mellowed out considerably.
In a large bowl add; (cooled) cooked bulgur wheat and 1-1/2 cups finely diced Persian cucumbers. Drain the red onions and add them along with 1 (15 ounce) can rinsed and drained chickpeas, 1/2 cup chopped (roasted and salted) pistachios – or reserve if meal prepping for the week, 2/3 cup crumbled feta an 1/2 cup each finely chopped fresh mint and parsley.
Toss to combine.
Next, squeeze in the juice from 1 medium lemon or about 2 tablespoons.
And pour in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.
And season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Toss one last time before serving.
Sometimes I like to serve this with micro greens as a way to bulk it up even more, but this is optional. It’s amazing as is or eaten with whole grain tortilla chips (imo).
The flavors of this salad are incredible. I particularly love the flavor of the pistachio with the creamy feta and cool cucumber. Such alight yet filling salad that’s incredibly fresh and delicious!
For Meal Prep:
Prepare salad excluding the pistachios if wanting them to stay crunchy. Divide the chopped pistachios among 6 smaller containers or baggies. Measure and divide the salad among 6 containers (about 1-1/4 cups each) with tight fitting lids. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.
Enjoy! And if you give The Jennifer Aniston Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
No ratings yet
Leave a Review »
Yield: 6 servings
A wholesome bulgur wheat salad containing fresh cucumber, chickpeas, crumbled feta, red onion, fresh herbs and chopped pistachios for crunch. A light yet filling salad that's incredibly fresh and delicious! Serves 6 (1¼ cup servings)
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 12 minutes mins
cool time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 47 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (uncooked) bulgur wheat, (or about 2¾ cooked)
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1½ cups persian cucumber, finely diced
- 15 ounce canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped salted and roasted pistachios
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 medium lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Anchor Hocking Storage Containers set of 6
Instructions
Add 1 cup bulgur to a saucepan and pour in 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low (simmer),coverand cook 12 minutes.
Once cooked, remove and drain excess unabsorbed water (if any). Fluffy with a fork and transfer to a large plate, spread evenly and let cool.
If Making The Bulgur Wheat a Day in Advance:
Cook, fluff and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.
While the bulgur cools, prep the salad ingredients.
Including dicing 1/2 a red onion and adding it to a small bowl with ice and water.
Let this soak for about 10 or so minutes or until you’re about to throw the salad together. Soaking onions in ice water removes a lot of the bite.
In a large bowl add; (cooled) cooked bulgur wheat, chopped Persian cucumbers, (drained) red onions, chickpeas, chopped pistachios, crumbled feta and chopped fresh mint and parsley.
Toss to combine.
Squeeze in the juice from 1 medium lemon (or about 2 tablespoons) and pour in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil..
Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and toss one last time before serving.
Notes
For Meal Prep:
Prepare salad excluding the pistachios if wanting them to stay crunchy. Divide the chopped pistachios among 6 smaller containers or baggies. Measure and divide the salad among 6 containers (about 1-1/4 cups each) with tight fitting lids. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.
Nutrition Disclaimer:All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
Serving: 1.25cups, Calories: 530kcal, Carbohydrates: 75g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 211mg, Potassium: 691mg, Fiber: 19g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 746IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 173mg, Iron: 5mg
Author: Laurie McNamara
Course: Mains & Entrees, Salads
Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links.
Buy the Cookbook: Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy Now available on Amazon »
THANK YOU in advance for your support!
