Just-Add-Water Lemon Herb Bulgur Bowls with Chickpeas, Feta and Olives
Boil 1 1/2 cups of water on a camp stove or over a campfire grate. Pour it over fine bulgur and salt, cover, and let it sit 20 minutes while you chop tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Fluff the bulgur, toss it with chickpeas, veggies and a lemon-cumin dressing, and top with feta and olives. Total time is about 40 minutes, with only a few minutes of actual heat.
This is a lunch you mostly make by waiting. Hot water softens the bulgur in a covered pot, so nothing scorches and you don't stir. Use that time to chop, and lunch is ready when the pot is.
It eats like a tabbouleh grain bowl: bright, herby and filling, with chickpeas for body and feta and olives for salt. It's good warm or cooled, so it also works as a trail-day lunch you eat at the trailhead.
Just-Add-Water Lemon Herb Bulgur Bowls with Chickpeas, Feta and Olives
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- High flame to boil, then off
- Pack weight
- 3.5 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler optional
- One burner
- Some water
- One-pan cleanup
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 2-quart pot with lid
- Camp stove or fire grate
- Large mixing bowl
- Small jar with tight lid
- Knife and cutting board
- Fork and spoon
- Can opener
- Bowls and forks for serving
Steps
-
Boil the water
Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a full boil in a 2-quart pot on your stove or a grate over the fire. Keep the lid handy.
-
Soak the bulgur
Put the bulgur and 1 tsp of the salt in your big bowl or the pot. Pour the boiling water over it, stir once, and cover tightly. Leave it for 20 minutes.
-
Shake the dressing
In a small jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Close the lid and shake hard until it looks cloudy.
-
Chop the veggies
Halve the tomatoes, dice the cucumber, slice the green onions and chop the parsley. Keep the raw produce in a separate bowl from the grain until the end.
-
Fluff and check
Uncover the bulgur and fluff it with a fork. It should be tender and no longer crunchy. If it's still firm, add a splash of hot water, cover and wait 5 more minutes.
-
Toss it together
Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, parsley and olives to the bulgur. Shake the dressing again, pour it over and toss. Taste and add salt or lemon if needed.
-
Top and serve
Spoon into bowls and top with feta. Warm the pitas over the stove flame or fire for 10 seconds per side, or serve them as they are.
Trail Notes
Mix the cumin, oregano and salt in a small bag at home. Measure the bulgur into a zip bag. At camp, the only fresh work is the produce and the lemons.
Strain dishwater through a bandana or mesh and scatter it widely, well away from water and camp. Pack out the olive brine, chickpea can liquid, lemon rinds and any food scraps.
Tomatoes, cucumber and parsley are fine in the shade for a day or two. Skip the feta, or swap in a handful of toasted sunflower seeds. Cooked bulgur should not sit out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, so refrigerate or finish leftovers.
Use canned white beans if you have no chickpeas. Add a tin of drained tuna or a handful of dried apricots, or use lime if you're out of lemon.
Campers ask
Can you cook bulgur with just hot water at camp?
Yes. Fine bulgur is already parboiled, so boiling water poured over it and a 20-minute covered soak will soften it. Coarse bulgur takes longer, so check the package.
What is the water-to-bulgur ratio for soaking?
Use a 1-to-1 ratio of boiling water to fine bulgur by volume. This recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of each, and the pot should be tightly covered.
Can I make this the night before?
You can, if it stays cold in a cooler at 40°F or below. Keep the feta and dressing separate until serving so the grain doesn't go soggy.
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