published about 1 hour ago
If you spend a lot of time scrolling through social media, you may have noticed “the Jennifer Aniston salad” popping up on your TikTok and Instagram feeds lately. I certainly did, and as a salad lover I had to try it for myself. I mean, it’s Jennifer Aniston for crying out loud. She’s doing something right!
While all of the recipes for this salad shared on social media are similar, it took a bit of digging to find the dish’s origin. At first, I thought it dated back to a 2010 interview with Courtney Cox, where she declared that she, Lisa Kudrow, and Aniston ate lunch together every day while filming “Friends” and always ate the same thing: a “doctored-up” Cobb salad with chickpeas and turkey bacon. But seeing as the Jennifer Aniston salad has no bacon and was not especially Cobb-esque, I kept digging.
Then I found this People article about how Aniston took over the brand Living Proof’s Instagram account for one day in 2015. She spent the day sharing pieces of her life, including a few of her favorite meals. For lunch, she had what is now known as the Jennifer Aniston salad: bulgur wheat, cucumber, herbs, chickpeas, feta, red onion, and pistachios. Aha! At least we know it came from Aniston herself. That meant I definitely had to try it.
How to Make the Jennifer Aniston Salad
I used @ihartnutrition‘s recipe from Instagram, which seems to accurately recreate Aniston’s original post with the addition of handy measurements. First, cook up some bulgur following the package directions. (You might know bulgur wheat best as an ingredient in tabbouleh.) I cooked one cup dry to make this salad, which worked out perfectly, and let it cool a bit while I prepped the other ingredients.
Next, chop up a few Persian cucumbers (or one big guy will work, too) along with fresh parsley and mint. Finely chop red onion, roughly chop some pistachios, and crumble in feta cheese. Add your rinsed and drained chickpeas —the recipe calls for 2 cups, but I used one can which is slightly less — and top with a simple dressing of fresh lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Toss everything together and there you have it: Jennifer Aniston’s favorite salad (in 2015, anyway).
I was excited to try this salad because it seemed nutritious, filling, and good for meal prep. Turns out, it’s all of those things! The whole-grain bulgur adds fiber and fills you up while having a pleasing texture, and the chickpeas add protein and more fiber. The cucumber and red onion add much-needed crunch along with the pistachios.
I especially enjoyed the herbs, which kept the salad feeling fresh. I’ll also eat anything with feta cheese on it — this salad very much included. It’s a great dish for meal prep, especially because the recipe makes four servings. I ate it four times for lunch and, you know what? I’d do it again.
Now that I’ve made it the first time, I’m looking forward to putting my own spin on the iconic salad. While the recipe works well as is, there’s plenty of room to play around with other ingredients and flavors. So have at it!
