Lebanese Fattoush is loaded with crisp bits of pita and dressed with zesty sumac. Serve this salad with your favorite Middle-Eastern entree.
This traditional fried pita bread salad is made with fresh greens tossed in a light and tangy sumac dressing and topped with crisp veggies and toasted pieces of pita.
Great for a light lunch or served alongside your favorite entree for dinner, Lebanese Fattoush will become your go-to. If you enjoy this one, you’re also going to love Israeli Couscous Salad and African Salad with Chickpeas and Carrots
Ingredients for Lebanese Fattoush
- Pita Bread - Along with the sumac, this is the real star of this recipe. The bread is going to be drizzled with olive oil, toasted, and then broken into smaller pieces before being added to the mix. You can use prepackaged pita or try your hand at making Whole Wheat Pita Bread.
The Dressing:
- Olive Oil and Lemon Juice - These trusty ingredients serve as the perfect base for this dressing.
- Ground Sumac - This brick-red powder is made by crushing the fruit of a sumac bush. It adds a bright, tangy, and slightly astringent flavor to the dressing. Along with the fried bread, this is the ingredient you do not want to skimp on.
- Seasonings- Garlic, salt, and black pepper round out the list for this easy, but completely divine, dressing.
The Salad:
- Greens - I like to mix Romaine lettuce and arugula greens for variety in flavor and texture. You could try other greens according to your preference as well.
- Tomatoes - I like to use Roma tomatoes and keep them on the small side. I usually, chop them into about ½ inch pieces.
- Cucumbers - Use Persian cucumbers if you can, but any cucumber will do in a pinch.
- Onion and Bell Peppers - Slice these into strips to add more depth to the flavor. I also love the color they add to the dish.
- Parsley and Mint - Again, for the depth of flavor, these two herbs add more variation and interest in the dish.
Video: Making Fried Pita Bread Salad
Watch the video in the recipe card below to see this dish prepared from start to finish.
- Toasting the bread: You’re going to break the fattoush into bigger pieces and drizzle on the olive oil. I like to use the broiler to toast these until they are crisp and golden brown. You can break them into more bite-size pieces after they cool down.
- Make the Dressing. Be sure to store your dressing in the refrigerator after serving.
- Toss the Salad: After you’ve chopped and prepared everything for the dish, place all of the vegetables and herbs in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing. When you’re ready to serve the dish, add the toasted chips and toss to coat.
About Sumac
Related to the cashew, the sumac seasoning comes from drupes, or stone fruit, that grow in clusters sometimes called ‘sumac bobs.’ They’re cone-shaped groupings of bright red berries that grow on small trees.
The seasoning is made by grinding up the drupes to create a powder. Once believed to hold many healing properties, it was used in a half-dozen medieval medicinal remedies.
Great on many dishes, sumac is consumed throughout the Middle-East and other parts of the world too. Try it on Mediterranean Hummus or sprinkle over a falafel.
Some grocery stores carry sumac in the baking aisle, or you can try a Halal market if you have one nearby. Otherwise, you can order some on Amazon.
Serving Suggestions
You can easily prepare this salad ahead of serving time. However, be sure to wait and toss at serving time.
Lebanese fattoush is different from the type you’ll get at the grocery store. Both will create a delicious topping for the with slightly different textures. You can find it at your local Halal market or order them from a Lebanese takeout place near you.
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Lebanese Fattoush Bread Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pita breads
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Dressing
- 5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced (about ¼ cup juice)
- 1 tablespoon ground sumac
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce cut into 1 inch ribbons
- 3 medium tomatoes Roma preferred cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 small cucumber Persian preferred peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1 inch strips
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups arugula salad greens
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley rough chop
- 10 sprigs of mint leaves shredded
Instructions
- Cut or tear the pita into large pieces. Spread on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place under the broiler until crisp and browned, turning them over once. Set aside. When cool, break into smaller pieces.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and sumac (See Note 1). Set aside.
- Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix together. Pour salad dressing over salad, add toasted pita and toss to mix just before serving.
Notes
- I use an immersion blender to whip the dressing together.
- Adapted from Claudia Roden.
*The information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Nutrition
will be making this soon but i am skipping lettuce red onion and red pepper as am a big fan of them Thanks Ramya
Make it your own Ramya!