Fattoush Bread Salad

Middle Eastern Fattoush is a fresh and zesty salad made with crispy pita chips, fresh vegetables, and a tangy dressing. It only takes 30 minutes to make and is perfect for hot summer days.

By
Sheryl Julian
Sheryl Julian
Sheryl Julian
Sheryl Julian was the Food Editor, reporter, stylist, and recipe developer for The Boston Globe for 30 years. She teaches food journalism at Boston University in the Masters in Gastronomy program.
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Updated February 16, 2021
Sheryl Julian
Fattoush made with baked pita chips, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, and a zesty vinaigrette in a round bowl
Sheryl Julian

Using up bits of stale bread in dishes both sweet and savory is a frugal cook's trick that's as old as bread itself. Though less well known than, say, Thanksgiving stuffing or bread pudding, bread salads fall in this category.

These satisfying salads, like Italian Panzanella or this Middle Eastern Fattoush are made by tossing together leftover bread, colorful vegetables, and a tangy dressing.

Fattoush
Sheryl Julian

What Is Fattoush?

Fattoush is a version of bread salad made throughout the Middle East using leftover pita bread. The pita flatbreads are cut into pieces and either fried or baked before being tossed with fresh vegetables and dressing.

I like baking the pita since this avoids the need for a vat of hot oil. Baking also gives you small chips that add a delightful crunch to the salad. The chips are so addictive you’ll find yourself making them often, for all kinds of purposes.

How to Prepare the Pita

Use scissors to snip the pita rounds into small squares and rectangles, then toss them with olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet to bake. Don’t worry about whether they’re in a single layer or clustered together. Stir and flip them a couple of times during baking until they’re golden and crisp.

Ingredients for Fattoush

Assemble the salad with cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, scallions, and red onion, but wait until just before serving to toss it with the dressing so that everything stays crisp. Be sure to use plenty of mint and lemon juice!

All together, you have one of summer's most refreshing bowls.

Make-Ahead Steps for Fattoush

Start to finish, this salad comes together in about 30 minutes, making it an easy meal to throw together on a weeknight. Even so, there are some steps that can be done ahead of time to make your weeknights even easier:

  • Prepare the pita chips up to several days ahead. Keep them in an airtight container (a large canning jar is great for this) at room temperature. If they seem a little soft or stale when you're ready to make your salad, just pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up again.
  • Chop all the vegetables -- except the tomatoes! -- up to a day ahead. Toss the chopped vegetables together in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Wait to cut the tomatoes until just before serving for best flavor and texture.

Make This Salad Your Own

Feel free to swap the veggies for what you have on hand. Just about any ripe summer vegetable would be great in this salad.

Likewise, you can make the salad dressing with whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. For an even more authentic Middle Eastern experience, add purslane and a few pinches of sumac to your dressing!

Try These Other Middle Eastern Salads!

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Fattoush Bread Salad

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • For the pita chips:
  • 2 rounds pita bread (8- to 12-inches)
  • Olive oil (for toasting the pita)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • For the salad:
  • 4 Persian, pickling, or other small cucumbers, thinly sliced (or 1 English cucumber, trimmed, halved vertically, and thinly sliced)
  • 4 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallions, white and light green parts
  • For the dressing:
  • Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • Large handful fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
  • Large handful fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

Method

  1. Prepare pita chips:

    Set the oven to 375°F. With kitchen shears, cut the pita round into 1-inch pieces. In a bowl, sprinkle the pita with just enough olive oil so a drop lands on each piece. Toss well. Sprinkle with salt and toss again.

    To make pita chips for Fattoush, slice up pita breads into small squares with kitchen shears
    Sheryl Julian
  2. Toast the pita chips:

    Spread the pieces out on a rimmed baking sheet. It's fine if the pieces overlap or cluster together. Bake for 2 minutes, then toss the chips. Bake another 2 minutes and toss again. Remove any pieces that are starting to look crisp and golden. Continue baking another 1 to 2 minutes until all the pieces are crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.

    Bake the pita chips for fattoush salad until they are crispy
    Sheryl Julian
  3. Prepare the vegetables:

    In a large bowl combine the cucumbers, radishes, large and cherry tomatoes, scallions, and red onion.

    Fattoush is made with tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, scallions, and red onions
    Sheryl Julian
  4. Dress the salad just before serving:

    Sprinkle the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper over the vegetables and toss gently but thoroughly. Add the mint and parsley and toss again. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Add the pita chips and toss gently to avoid crushing them. Serve immediately.

    Dressing for Fattoush salad is olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice
    Sheryl Julian
    Mint and parsley to toss in the fattoush just before serving
    Sheryl Julian