Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara) is a delicious vegan side dish made with red lentils, basmati rice, caramelized onions and aromatic spices.
Seriously, we could eat anything, almost anything if you add caramelized onions. Caramelized onions are slightly sweet and so comforting. Well, maybe almost anything as if you have a liver and onions there is not enough ketchup in the world to camouflage that taste.
We used the little red lentils instead of green or brown lentils as they take half the time to cook, give a little pop of color and are delicious. Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara) is happily gluten-free, vegan, and cardiac friendly. Split red lentils cook super fast and are also a delicious addition to our Red Lentil and Ham Soup.
Rice and Lentils are a great accompaniment to our Middle Eastern Party Feast. Stay Tuned to HWC Magazine (Healthy World Cuisine) as over the next 4 posts you are going to learn how to make everything you need to make this delicious vegan Middle Eastern Feast.
Table of contents
Check out this Middle Eastern Party Spread!
Better Than Store Bought Red Pepper Hummus
crispy roasted Cauliflower Bites,
fresh vegetables
pita breads
and pickled vegetables.
Meatless Mondays
Are you guys on that bandwagon? Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara) is a fantastic little high protein dish so delicious your carnivores will forget all about the beef. Not only is this dish a great main dish but also a little fun side dish and heats up great for lunch on the go or even delicious in a sandwich wrap.
Budget Friendly
Rice and beans are a complete protein and budget friendly. Do you want to do an experiment, together? Lets compare one-month meatless Monday’s grocery bills compared to one month of meat, fish, and poultry for each meal of the week. How much do you think you will save? Are you doing this already? Comment below and let us know how much you’re saving and if you have any awesome tricks for keeping your carnivores happy.
We can tell you that it will make a very significant difference in your grocery budget. We are talking for a family of 4 about $80-$100 USD savings per month. Now, you are probably saying well that is not much but lets do the math $100 x 12 = $1200. Sounds pretty good already, right? Lets say you did this over 5 years. $1200 x 5 = $6000 USD. Now that is nothing to sneeze about. Heck, we are going to take our savings and go to Disney Land!!!
Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara) is so simple to make, with only 5 ingredients and you can have it on your table in 15 minutes.
What to Serve with your Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara)
If you are going for that super Sunday Meal plan, our Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs gets great reviews. A refreshing Easy Tabbouleh Lebanese Salad and Lemon Rose Cardamom Cheesecake Mousse for a sweet ending to the meal.
Hungry For More? Subscribe to our Newsletter and follow along on Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, and Pinterest for all the latest updates.
Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara)
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
(rinsed and drained) - 1 cup vegetable broth
gluten free - 1 cup red lentils
(dals) (rinsed and drained and picked over for things that don’t belong) - 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion
chopped - salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
ground - ½ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Place your basmati rice in a small sauce pot and add the vegetable broth or water, cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil, then turn down heat to slow simmer for about 12 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
- At the same time, place your washed and picked over red lentils and water in a pot uncovered, place in 1 bay leaf and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes or just until the red lentils are tender. (Do NOT salt the water as this makes the lentils tough) Drain lentils and set aside.
- In a separate pan add olive oil and onions and cook over low medium heat until caramelized, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the cooked red lentils and caramelized onions to the cooked basmati rice and add salt and pepper to taste, cumin and roughly chopped fresh cilantro and stir to combine.
- Enjoy!
Eha Carr says
You are writing about a very dear friend of mine, Bobbi ! An Irish gf married to a Sydney Lebanese taught me to make mujadarra some 40 years ago . . . we would spend our Sundays sailing on Sydney Harbour and this dish would never be missing from the bounteous lunch spread in some quiet harbour cove ! I can eat it most ways: separately, as a side or, most often as part of a Middle-Eastern spread. It presents best at room temperature methinks ! . . . soul food indeed ! Difficult times indeed at present . . . and it will get much worse ere it bets better. Living semi-rurally one and working from home anyways, one hopes one has control over one's life - that may very well not be so . . . best . . .
HWC Magazine says
Dearest Eha! We absolutely love Mujadara too. This recipe is so comforting in times like this. You are right it is even more delicious at room temperature and can be made with staples in the home. Australia has been through so much with the fires and now the Covid 19, this is going to be a rough one for sure. Sending loads of positive thoughts and prayers your way. Stay well dear friend!
Monica M. says
I could make a meal out of this rice alone so I'd need to double up! Would love to try this.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Monica. We love meatless Mondays and this is one of the easiest dishes to make when you are low on time.
kitchenriffs says
Caramelized onions are SO good, aren't they? Anyway, love lentil dishes like this -- we eat dried legumes/pulses all the time. So full of flavor! And you're right -- really economical too. Winner!
HWC Magazine says
Dried legumes/pulses are really a delicious way to incorporate a little protein in your diet while keeping the budget in check. 🙂
anupama (MGGK) says
I love middle eastern dishes, and these rice lentils mujadara looks so intriguing. I have never had something like this before, but I know I am going to love this.
HWC Magazine says
Caramelized onions makes any dish into super star for sure. Thank you Anu.