Mujadara (One Pot Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)

This one pot lentils and rice with caramelized onions, formerly known as Lebanese Mujadara, is bursting with flavor and perfect for meal prep year round!

You won’t be able to get enough of this Lebanese mujadara!

This recipe definitely takes a bit longer than some of our other meal prep recipes; however, it’s absolutely worth every single second.

This recipe is full of flavor with each and every bite. This is one recipe that you want to pull out of the files every time you are trying to impress someone.

Also, if you or someone you know if weary of lentil recipes, this is definitely a game changer for them!

What is mujadara?

The origin of mujadara is Middle Eastern. Most credit it as being a Lebanese recipe; however, others say it’s Iraqi.

It is a dish where lentils and rice (sometimes bulgur depending on culture) are cooked to together with onions. Sometimes crispy onions are served on top. Yogurt and vegetables are often served with it as well.

Mujadara can be served warm or cold.

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Jump to:

• What is mujadara?
• Why You’ll Love This Dish
• 🥘Recipe Ingredients
• Substitutions and Variations:
• Step by Step Instructions for mujadara:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Other Vegan Lentils Recipes to Consider:
• Mujadara (One Pot Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)

Why You’ll Love This Dish

🥘Recipe Ingredients

Gather your ingredients!

• Lentils – you want to use dried lentils – brown or green lentils will work best for this recipe
• Brown Rice – we are using brown basmati rice for this recipe. It holds up well while not taking almost an hour to cook.
• Yellow or White Onions – we are caramelizing our onions, and yellow or white onions work best when doing that.

See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Substitutions and Variations:

• Lentils – you can use black lentils for this recipe as well
• Brown Rice – other types of rice can be used but you want to make sure that it cooks within the 25-35 minute range.
• Yellow or White Onions – red onions could also be used but they onions will turn a grayish color when caramelized.
• Stretch this meal – Feel free to add vegetables like peppers or squash to the skewers as well. Or even something like mushrooms and tofu can also be added to stretch.

Step by Step Instructions for mujadara:

Step 1. Add onions to a heavy bottomed pot with oil and stir together to coat all of the onions well. After 5 minutes, add salt and stir together again.

Step 2. Continue to cook onions, stirring every 4-5 minutes, for 45-50 minutes until they are completely caramelized. Remove half the onions to a plate.

Step 3. Add in ginger, garlic, and seasonings and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then, add tomato sauce, stock, and chili garlic sauce. Stir again, scraping the bottom. Bring to a low boil.

Step 4. Add in rice and stir.  Reduce to simmer then cover and stir occasionally on and off for 10 minutes.

Step 5. Stir in the lentils and let the mixture return to a simmer.

Step 6. Cover again, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Vegan Lentils Recipes to Consider:

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