Authentic Fattoush Salad (Syrian Pita Bread Salad)
My Syrian mom's fattoush salad recipe is the one I keep coming back to. This pita bread salad is filled with fresh herbs, crunchy veggies, and crispy baked pita chips, all tossed in a tangy sumac and pomegranate molasses dressing. It’s bright, fresh, and addicting.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 large Romaine lettuce heart about 7 cups chopped, loose pack
- 1 cup Italian parsley leaves chopped, loose pack (about half a bunch or slightly more)
- ½ cup mint leaves sliced, loose pack
- 2 medium vine tomatoes diced (about 3 cups, loose pack)
- 4 Persian cucumbers (about 3 cups chopped, loose pack)
- 1-2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses to drizzle on top
- 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced optional
- Handful of purslane leaves optional
- Pomegranate seeds optional, for garnish
Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoon lemon juice (~juice of 1 lemon)
- 2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar optional
Pita chips
- 1 double-ply pita round
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Split a double-ply pita round in half, and separate the layers so that they’re one layer thick. Slice the layers into 1-inch squares. Toss with olive oil and salt, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 mins, watching closely, until golden brown and crispy. Let cool to crisp up.1 double-ply pita round, 1-2 tablespoon olive oil, Pinch of salt
- Prep your ingredients. Slice romaine lettuce into strips. Dice tomatoes. Slice Persian cucumbers into half-circles. Chop parsley leaves finely. Chiffonade or thinly slice mint leaves. Thinly slice radishes if using.1 large Romaine lettuce heart, 1 cup Italian parsley leaves, ½ cup mint leaves, 2 medium vine tomatoes, 4 Persian cucumbers, 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
- Mix ingredients for dressing thoroughly until emulsified.⅓ cup olive oil, 3-4 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses, 1 teaspoon sumac, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Toss lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and purslane leaves, if using, with enough of the dressing to coat. Taste salad and add a touch more salt, olive oil, or lemon if needed.*Handful of purslane leaves
- Top salad with pita chips, mint leaves, and radishes if using.** Drizzle with some more dressing and the extra pomegranate molasses. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if using. Enjoy!½ cup mint leaves, 1-2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses, Pomegranate seeds, 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
Notes
*For a crisp salad, toss the salad with the dressing right before serving. If you prefer your salad to marinate, you can toss it a little earlier.
**Top the salad with the pita chips just before serving, to keep them crunchy. If you prefer them to soak up more of the dressing, you can toss them in with the salad lightly.
Storage: Store all the salad components together, except for the pita chips and dressing. Store the pita chips in an airtight container at room temperature, and store the dressing in its own container in the fridge. Mix the dressing very well and assemble the salad just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 5gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 392mgPotassium: 709mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 13049IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 3mg
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