Bright green, aromatic, and refreshing, parsley is a well-known ingredient in many types of cuisines. It is particularly popular in Mediterranean cooking, where it is added to many different kinds of salads and meat dishes. It’s also the star ingredient of many different types of pesto, as well as the main herb in chimichurri, tabbouleh, and many other delicious recipes.
In This Article
Why cook with parsley?
Parsley is often overlooked as simply a garnish or a herb to be added to a dish as a seasoning, but there are many dishes and recipes that have parsley as the main ingredient. Its flavor is slightly peppery and earthy, without being overwhelming.
What can I use fresh parsley for?
Parsley can take center stage in pesto or a green sauce, or it can be added to a pasta dish or bread as a fresh and uplifting ingredient. Fresh herbs can elevate a dish with minimal cost and effort – you might have a bunch of parsley in your refrigerator right this moment, waiting for you to use it to take your cooking to the next level.
A staple of any essential herb garden, parsley is easy to grow at home in your own garden or in a container on a sunny kitchen windowsill. It’s also widely available at grocery stores, supermarkets, and farmer’s markets.
Which type of parsley is the best for cooking?
Most parsley recipes require flat-leaf parsley, also known as Italian parsley. Curly parsley is mostly decorative as it has an interesting look and texture, but Italian flat-leaf parsley is the most flavorful and versatile variety of the herb.
If you prefer the taste and texture of curly parsley you can certainly use it instead! Curly parsley has a history of only being used as a garnish, but it is perfect as the main ingredient for certain recipes.
What tastes good with parsley?
Find out which recipes are best for using up that extra parsley you don’t want to waste. If you’re wondering where to start and which parsley recipes to try, take a look at these tasty and simple recipes for some inspiration. Let the herby flavor shine through and see how parsley can enhance a wide range of dishes!
Fresh Radish and Chopped Parsley Spring Salad Recipe
This refreshing and brightly colored spring salad is simple to make and lovely as a side salad at a barbecue. The peppery, crunchy radish is complemented by the earthy taste of the parsley, and the citrus zing of the lemon juice. It’s bursting with flavor, so portion sizes don’t need to be large.
Ingredients for this recipe:
- 1 bunch of raw red radishes, diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 bunch of finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- sea salt & black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
How to make:
Finely dice the radishes into tiny cubes, and squeeze the lemon. Mix the olive oil and the lemon juice with salt and pepper to make a simple salad dressing. Wash the parsley leaves and pat them dry before chopping them finely – be sure to remove any thick stalks. Gently toss the ingredients together in a bowl and serve the salad cold.
Tabbouleh / Tabouli Salad Recipe
Healthy and delicious, tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli) is a refreshing Mediterranean grain salad made with lots of fresh parsley as its main ingredient. For once, curly parsley is best for this recipe, as it has a lovely springy texture and volume that goes really well with the bulgur.
Ingredients for this recipe:
- 1 cup fine-grain bulgur wheat or regular bulgur wheat (or quinoa, which is naturally gluten-free)
- 3 bunches of raw curly parsley, washed and chopped (or blitzed in a food processor to save time)
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 small green onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh mint
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- salt, and black pepper
- 1 pinch of ground allspice, 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 medium clove of garlic, pressed or minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
How to make:
Traditional Lebanese tabbouleh uses fine-grain bulgur wheat, which soaks up the juices from the sliced tomatoes and the lemon. Fine-grain bulgur wheat might not be widely available in your local supermarket, so you can use regular bulgur and soak it / cook it according to the instructions on the packaging.
As for preparing the salad, combine the chopped ingredients in a bowl with the bulgur wheat, and then prepare the salad dressing
If you’re using quinoa instead of bulgur wheat, you’ll need to cook and chill it before you start prepping the rest of the salad. You can add extra ingredients to this recipe too – try chopped cucumber or feta cheese. Tabbouleh is a great dinner option for a summer evening, and it can be refrigerated.
Make sure that there is more parsley in the tabbouleh salad than bulgur wheat so that the fresh, herby taste is the main focus. Serve cold.
Parsley Pesto Recipe
Parsley is a fantastic ingredient to add to pesto or green sauce. This is a delicious, fresh, and herby parsley pesto that you can throw together in less than 5 minutes with the help of a food processor. Save the leafy tops (greens) of your carrots and add them to this delicious bright green parsley pesto. A fresh and tasty pesto to add to Italian-style pasta, baked potatoes, sandwiches, soup, and anything else you fancy!
Ingredients for this recipe:
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1 cup carrot greens / basil / mint
- 1/2 cup walnuts / pine nuts / cashews
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
- lemon juice
- sea salt & black pepper
- grated parmesan cheese or vegan hard cheese
How to make:
This parsley pesto is very easy to tweak to suit your own tastes. You can substitute other fresh herbs like basil leaves if you don’t have carrot greens, you can choose between pine nuts, walnuts, and cashews, and you can add chili, lime juice, or other herbs to make your own version of the pesto. Leftover or surplus pesto can be frozen in a small freezer-friendly container. Serve at room temperature.
Extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil?
Fresh condiments such as pesto or green sauce simply taste better with a higher quality olive oil. Extra virgin is the first press of the olives, and it has the best natural flavor. You can definitely use regular olive oil but it will taste a bit different. Usually, if you’re serving the olive oil on raw food, choose the extra virgin.
Can parsley be frozen?
Bought too much parsley? Freeze your bunch of parsley easily by chopping it up, put it into an ice tray, fill up with water or oil, and freeze. Once you have herby ice cubes, transfer them to an airtight freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to a year.
When you want to use your parsley, put the ice cubes in a bowl and let them thaw. The parsley flavor should be exactly the same as fresh parsley!
Chimichurri Recipe
A summer barbecue all-star, chimichurri is a perfect accompaniment to meat dishes such as steak, fish, and grilled chicken. The fresh, herby parsley flavor combined with a little bit of an acidic bite makes this traditional Argentinian green sauce great with heavier meat dishes.
Ingredients for this recipe:
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 raw garlic cloves
- 1 lemon, juice, freshly squeezed
- sea salt and black pepper
How to make:
You can use a food processor instead of chopping everything by hand, which will save you time and give the ingredients a more uniform texture. This is a traditional chimichurri recipe, but you can add optional extras such as lime juice and cilantro for a slightly different taste.
Serve your chimichurri alongside your grilled fish or grilled chicken, or drizzle the sauce over your food according to what you feel like. It goes well with vegetarian food too – try it as a topping on baked potatoes!
Herby Parsley Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is pure comfort food and a perfect accompaniment to soup. You can bake your own bread if you like, but this is a quick and simple recipe to satisfy your comfort food cravings.
Ingredients for this recipe:
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 French loaf
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- grated parmesan cheese
- 1 small clove of garlic
How to make:
Super simple to prepare in under 5 minutes! Pop the parsley, butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic into a food processor, and when the mixture is creamy, spread it onto your French loaf (which you will have cut lengthwise).
Put in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, or until the bread starts to go golden brown. This herby loaf goes really well with some herby soup!
Parsley Ravioli Pasta Recipe
Parsley pasta makes a wonderful vegetarian dinner, whether you have it with your favorite pasta sauce or a little olive oil and garlic.
Ingredients for this recipe:
This is one of the parsley recipes that requires a bit more work, but it’s worth it when you get to enjoy your very own homemade pasta! You can also freeze surplus ravioli for another day.
Pasta dough:
- 1 1/2 cups flour (the best choice is 00 flour, also known as pasta flour)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Pasta filling:
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 lemon, juiced, and zested
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt and black pepper to taste
How to make:
Making pasta from scratch at home might seem intimidating, but it’s easier than you think.
Firstly, sift the flour and salt together in a bowl, and make a well in the middle. Add the egg, egg yolks, and olive oil into the well and use a fork to combine the wet and dry ingredients together until they become sticky. Knead the dough by hand or use a mixer with a dough hook until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Mix the pasta filling ingredients together in a bowl or with a mixer until you have a well-blended, thick mixture.
The easiest way to make your ravioli is to roll your dough out into two thin sheets of approximately the same size, and then spoon or pipe (if you have a piping bag that is used for fillings) the mixture onto one sheet, allowing enough space for each ravioli to be the same size.
Lay the other sheet of dough over the first one and gently seal the ravioli by pressing the air out with your fingers. Use a knife or round cookie cutter to separate the ravioli.
Boil your ravioli for about 2 minutes in a pot full of salted boiling water. The pasta will float on top of the water when it’s done. Be careful not to overcook it! Fresh pasta cooks incredibly quickly. Serve with some fresh herbs and grated parmesan, or a sauce of your choice.
Parsley goes with everything!
A sprinkle of parsley goes with almost any savory food! It tastes great and the little leaves look lovely, too. Add it to salads, make herb butter with it, add it to a sauce, put a pinch of parsley on your fish or chicken dish, decorate a bowl of soup with it, or mix it into a green smoothie.
What happens when you eat too much parsley?
Mostly, nothing bad will happen to you if you eat a whole lot of parsley. Recipes using parsley won’t have enough parsley for you to have had too much. In fact, parsley can improve digestion. However, parsley tea can be bad for you, so only use parsley according to recipes and rather eat it in moderation.
