The Jennifer Aniston Salad

The Jennifer Aniston salad is here! The perfect blend of flavor and freshness and named after the famous Friends star, this salad lives up to its hype. If you haven’t tried it yet, but heard of it, now’s your chance to dive in and make this easy salad recipe for yourself. It's fresh , filling , and fantastic!

What is Jennifer Aniston Salad

Jennifer Aniston is famous for her role on Friends, an American sitcom that ran throughout the 90s. It has a huge popular following, and chances are you know at least one person who is a true fan of the series.

According to co-stars on set, Jennifer Aniston ate the same salad on set for the 10 years they filmed Friends. She would later elaborate in interviews what makes the perfect salad and mentioned “bulgur, cucumbers, parsley, mint, red onion, garbanzo beans, feta cheese and pistachios.”

Though this salad may not be the exact salad she ate on the Friends set, it features a well-balanced, fresh, and overall healthy recipe that everyone loves once they try it.

What makes this salad so famous

Jennifer Aniston is famous for her role on Friends and movies she starred in. It’s safe to say she’s a Hollywood It Girl. 

Even now, many years after the height of the Friends popularity, Jennifer Aniston is gorgeous, in great shape, and aging gracefully. This means any salad attached to her name is going to be quite famous.

And, the salad is actually quite delicious. It features a healthy mix of proteins, fiber, and fats with a fresh taste. It is perfect for lunch or dinner and will not leave you wanting for more.

Jennifer Aniston Salad Ingredients

For the Jennifer Aniston salad, you’ll need a lot of fresh ingredients and herbs, but you should be able to find most of them at your local store with no issue. Here’s what you’ll want to gather:

• Quinoa or bulgur wheat - We use either quinoa or bulgur, though the traditional version uses bulgur .
• Water - You’ll need water to cook quinoa or cook the bulgur. 
• Cucumber - You can use your preferred variety of cucumber, but we like using an English cucumber..
• Parsley - For added flavor, we add fresh parsley to the salad, though you could add other fresh herbs if you like to partially change the flavor.
• Mint - Fresh mint gives the salad a nice fresh flavor.
• Red onion - You could use another type of onion, but we find red onion has the best flavor.
• Roasted and salted pistachios - You can use whole or previously chopped, but you will want to chop them for the recipe.
• Chickpeas - You will want to drain the garbanzo beans or chickpeas before using.
• Lemons - You will want to juice the lemons or use about 4 to 5 Tablespoons.
• Extra virgin olive oil - You could sub in regular olive oil if you prefer.
• Sea salt and ground pepper - Both of these ingredients are to taste.
• Crumbled feta cheese - You could use another hard, crumbly cheese if you prefer or look for If you aren’t a fan of feta, you could swap in goat cheese or a Mexican Cotija cheese. You can totally veganize this salad by using some vegan feta.

How to make Jennifer Aniston Salad

When you want to make the best version of the Jennifer Aniston salad, you’ll want to follow these easy steps:

• First, put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and then rinse under running water for a few minutes. This removes the debris and extra starch that can make them less fluffy.
• Next, add water and the rinsed quinoa in the inner pot of your Instant Pot.
• Once the grains are inside, cover and secure the lid. Before starting, make sure the valve is set to “sealing.” Finally, set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute on high pressure.

• When the time is up, allow a natural release of pressure for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.
• Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork  and then transfer to a large bowl.
• Next, stir together the cooked quinoa, cucumber, parsley, mint, red onion, pistachios, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and feta.
• Once mixed, serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving.

You can store the Jennifer Aniston salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Pro tips and tricks

This Jennifer Aniston salad recipe is pretty straight forward, but you can use these simple tips and tricks to make the best salad possible:

• Chill the salad for about an hour before serving
• Serve the salad with your favorite bread, rolls, or flatbreads
• Try changing the ingredients around for a slightly different flavor or to better match your diet needs

How do you cook bulgur wheat?

Cook the bulgur wheat with 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan according to the instructions on the bulgur package. If you would want to use your favorite instant pot, cook 1 cup bulgur wheat and 1 cup of water in your instant pot for around 6 minutes. Use a natural release of pressure for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.

FAQs

Other easy salads to try

Salads, both traditional and pasta, make for great meals, starters, and sides. If you love them as much as we do, you should check out some of our other favorites here:

• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
• Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
• Red potato Salad

Let us know what you think

If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!