I finally made the salad that Jennifer Aniston ate every day, for 10 years while on-set of the Friends show!
The salad has apparently been adapted over the years but the viral recipe includes a high protein combination of grains, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, chopped pistachios, crumbled feta cheese, garbanzo beans, fresh herbs (fresh mint, fresh parsley), lemon juice, and fresh veggies.
Anyway, it is SO GOOD I could definitely eat it every day for 10 years too…
Oh, and my kids ate it (although they picked our every pistachio)! The only adaption I made to the recipe was swapping out cooked bulgur wheat for our favorite Seeds of Change Quinoa + Brown Rice (also available at Walmart). This shortcut takes 90 seconds to cook in the microwave which makes this salad a breeze to throw together in a large bowl.
The Jennifer Aniston Friends Salad
This salad recipe is easy to meal prep and serves 4 generously, but I was able to also squeeze out leftovers for two lunches too. IF you are planning to make this for the week, do not add the cucumber or the pistachios until you are ready to eat it! Those two ingredients got mushy on me by day 3.
The Jennifer Aniston Friends Salad
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups cooked bulgur wheat (I used Seeds of Change Brown Rice + Quinoa)
- 2-3 chopped small cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped mint
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (can also baked in the oven or air fried for some extra crunch)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl!
Notes
This salad serves 4 generously, but I was able to also squeeze out leftovers for two lunches too. IF you are planning to make this for the week, do not add the cucumber or the pistachios until you are ready to eat it! Those two ingredients got mushy on me by day 3.
Also, a HUGE thanks to Bonny for posting the nutrition info for the Jennifer Aniston Salad in the comments.
his salad serves 4 generously, but I was able to also squeeze out leftovers for two lunches too. IF you are planning to make this for the week, do not add the cucumber or the pistachios until you are ready to eat it! Those two ingredients got mushy on me by day 3.
Yes, but some types of beans lose their shape pretty quickly, so I would only use a different bean if I’m not planning for leftovers.
Yes! I think basil or cilantro would be delicious!
One of my readers recommended making this salad with pepitas (which can be roasted as well). They have a similar color and crunch sensation.
Other Salads You May Love
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- The Ultimate Summer Salad
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- Easy Black Bean Taco Salad (Dairy-Free & Vegan)
- Nicoise Salad (Vegan, Dairy-Free)
- Summer Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing | Kid Friendly!
- Grilled Peach & Burrata Salad
- Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad
I presume as you haven’t provided a method of preparation we should just take all the ingredients and chuck them in a bowl.
Correct?
Yep!! I’m on day #3 of leftovers and would say that if you want to make the batch last for a few days, don’t put the pistachios or cucumber in until you’re ready to eat it!
How many servings from this recipe? How many calories per serving?
To Laura Clark: The instructions and ingredient list show up on my screen.
So rude.
Ingredients
3.5 cups cooked bulgur wheat (I used Seeds of Change Brown Rice + Quinoa)
2-3 chopped small cucumber
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (can also baked in the oven or air fried for some extra crunch)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl!
What cheese can i substitute for feta ?
Whatever you like.
Great salad! How many portions does it yield?
per the post it says “This salad serves 4 generously, but I was able to also squeeze out leftovers for two lunches too. IF you are planning to make this for the week, do not add the cucumber or the pistachios until you are ready to eat it! Those two ingredients got mushy on me by day 3. “
How many servings is this salad?
Per the post it says ” This salad serves 4 generously, but I was able to also squeeze out leftovers for two lunches too. IF you are planning to make this for the week, do not add the cucumber or the pistachios until you are ready to eat it! Those two ingredients got mushy on me by day 3. “
Love this salad. Thanks for posting. Used canned white beans last night which worked cuz I was out of garbanzo beans. Hubby & I loved it!!! Nutritional info will be helpful per serving. Thanks!!!
Oh I bet white beans were SO good in this!!!!
White beans good in this salad only the first time served. Beans lost its shape next day. Canned garbanzos fared better in comparison. Cooked 1st time with garbanzo beans which were much better. I wonder if dry white beans/garbanzos would fare better than canned. 🙂
Made it tonight. Very delicious. Might swap out the parsley & use cilantro next time.
cilantro would be SO good in this!!!!
If you like cilantro! I taste soap whenever I eat it.
Is there anything besides parsley or cilantro that could be substituted? Unfortunately I am not a fan of either!
Basil
Thank you!!! LOVE basil!
How about arugula? I thought might be good!
dividing it into 6 equal servings yields the following nutrition facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 478
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 19 g 28 %
Saturated Fat 2 g 12 %
Monounsaturated Fat 9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %
Sodium 113 mg 5 %
Potassium 613 mg 18 %
Total Carbohydrate 65 g 22 %
Dietary Fiber 17 g 68 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 19 g 38 %
Vitamin A 3 %
Vitamin C 22 %
Calcium 9 %
Iron 46 %
Delish, healthy and fresh! A definite keeper. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
This looks tasty. A fun spinon salad.
This was excellent. Fresh & simple to make. Loved the fresh herbs. Subbed avocado for the feta (to make it vegan) and the added creaminess was delightful. This one’s a keeper!
I do not like cucumber. Could I trade it in zucchini or some other vegtable?
I don’t know..can you?
Do what you want
It’s not rocket science
Yeah Daisy, that’s helpful.
Barbara, if you like raw zucchini, go for it! I wouldn’t put it in until right before you eat the salad, as with the cucumber.
Daisy, I personally love this answer. Kudos to you. I get so tired of people asking stupid questions.
Made this beautiful salad so fresh and so healthy I substituted dry parsley and added it into the lemon vinaigrette for fresh parsley also added artichoke hearts and red and yellow sweet bell peppers and did a batch of crunchy Garbonzo beans to add crunch on top of the salad turned out fantastic I will be making mess all summer long👙💦
Looks wonderful but I can’t eat pistachios. What would be a good substitution?
I imagine any roasted, salty nut would work….don’t try raw nuts as this needs the roasted flavor.
I am going to try this salad with pepitas (can be roasted still) as my daughter is anaphylactic to ALL nuts and some seeds. I think it will still taste delicious and be nutritious with pepitas. They will have a similar colour and crunch sensation.
I had two recipes planned for lunches this week. One as this Salad and another was a soup with Kale.Made a mistake and added finely chopped Kale and it was amazing. Now heading out to store to by more Kale to make soup!
I have taste this salad for year ago and now it’s my favorite (and my friends like it too)
I have meniers living on salads thanks lots of lovely reply’s.thanks
This looks so good! What a fun salad to make for a lunch meal prep for a shower!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Dear Christina, I enjoy seeing that you are happy with your family and two children. Thank you for suggesting this salad, I will try my luck to make it.
Sounds tasty, thanks for sharing!
Made this today for my lunches for the rest of the week (adding cucumber and nuts separately, as mentioned). It’s so good and filling! Thank you for sharing!