Mujadara (lentils and bulgur with crispy onions)
Green lentils and bulgur cooked together with cumin, under a heap of onions browned slowly in olive oil. Makes 4.
- Hands-on
- 30 min
- Total time
63 min, show breakdown
- Prep 10 min
- Cook 45 min
- Clean up 8 min
- Pans
- 2
- Ingredients
- 9
- Cost/serving
- $1.18
Per serving
- Calories
- 472
- Protein
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 14 g
- Net carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 12 g
High in (% Daily Value per serving): Folate 94%, Thiamin (B1) 62%, Vitamin K 60%, Iron 36%, Vitamin B6 35%, Zinc 28%, Magnesium 22%, Niacin (B3) 21%
Whole recipe (): . Full nutrition facts, vitamins and minerals. All nutrition is estimated; check your own labels.
Everything else is scaled from this.
Nutrition per serving is the whole batch divided by this.
Already vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free.
Ingredients for 4
Tap an ingredient for other units and forms.
You changed this recipe. Nutrition and cost include your changes. This combination hasn't been tested.
1½ cups green or brown lentils, dry (288 g)
Same amount as: 360 mL.
¾ cup bulgur wheat, dry (105 g), coarse
Same amount as: 180 mL.
- 3 medium onions (330 g)
3 tbsp olive oil (40 g)
Same amount as: 45 mL.
4 cups water (960 g)
Same amount as: 960 mL.
2 tsp ground cumin (4.2 g)
Same amount as: 10 mL.
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon (0.3 g)
¼ cup fresh parsley (15 g)
Same amount as: 60 mL.
1 tbsp lemon juice (15 g)
Same amount as: 15 mL, ¼ lemon squeezed from fresh lemons.
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Use the menu next to each ingredient to skip it, halve it or add more. Nutrition updates as you go. The main ingredient changes with servings instead.
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Healthier swaps
Optional. Nutrition and cost update as you choose; the recipe was written with the original.
Optional
Adds about 0 kcal per serving.
Quantities are for 4 servings. Keeps 4 days in the fridge. Store the crispy onions separately; they go soft on top of the lentils.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per recipe
Serving size 1 plate (440 g raw)
| Nutrient | Per serving | % DV* | Whole recipe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 472 | ||
| Total fat | 12 g | 15% | |
| Saturated fat | 1.6 g | 8% | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% | |
| Sodium | 171 mg | 7% | |
| Total carbohydrate | 74 g | 27% | |
| Dietary fiber | 14 g | 51% | |
| Total sugars | 5.2 g | ||
| Net carbs† | 60 g | ||
| Protein | 22 g | 44% | |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium | 77 mg | 6% | |
| Iron | 6.5 mg | 36% | |
| Potassium | 761 mg | 16% | |
| Vitamin A | 18 mcg | 2% | |
| Vitamin C | 16 mg | 18% | |
| Vitamin E | 1.9 mg | 13% | |
| Vitamin K | 72 mcg | 60% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.74 mg | 62% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.21 mg | 16% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 3.4 mg | 21% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.59 mg | 35% | |
| Folate | 374 mcg | 94% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 mcg | 0% | |
| Magnesium | 94 mg | 22% | |
| Zinc | 3.1 mg | 28% | |
| Selenium | 1.2 mcg | 2% |
Estimated, not verified. These numbers are calculated from typical ingredient data and haven't been checked against a lab or your brands. Check the labels of what you buy and confirm anything that matters to you, especially sodium, sugar and allergens.
* % Daily Value shows how much one serving adds to a 2,000-calorie day. † Net carbs is not on US labels; it is total carbs minus fiber, allulose, erythritol and half of other sugar alcohols. "To taste" amounts are counted as written. Counted items (eggs, cloves, spoons) use the rounded amount shown in the ingredient list. Vitamins and minerals are from raw ingredients; cooking lowers some, especially vitamin C and folate. How this is calculated.
Steps
Rinse the lentils in a sieve. Put them in the pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
Done looks like: Lentils tender outside but still firm in the middle. While the lentils cook, halve the onions and slice them thin. Heat the oil in the skillet on medium-high. Add the onions and a pinch of salt.
Cook the onions 20–25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Turn the heat down to medium once they start to brown. Spread them out in one layer for the last 5 minutes and stir less.
Done looks like: Deep brown all over, with crisp, almost dark edges. Sweet smell, no burnt smell. Stir the bulgur, cumin, cinnamon and 3 pinches of salt into the lentils. The water should just cover them; add a splash of hot water if not. Cover and cook on low 12 minutes.
Done looks like: Water absorbed and small holes on the surface. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in half the onions and the oil left in the skillet. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
Fluff with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice and pepper. Serve topped with the rest of the onions and the chopped parsley.
Equipment
Large pot or Dutch oven, 5 L (5 qt) $30–80
What to look for
- Heavy base so soups and chili do not scorch
- Lid that fits
Skip: Enameled cast iron is lovely but not needed. A heavy stainless pot works.
Large frying pan or skillet, 30 cm (12 in) $25–60
What to look for
- Wide flat base so food cooks in one layer
- Stainless steel or cast iron for high heat
Skip: Woks on flat electric stoves; they do not heat evenly there.
Silicone spatula $5–12
What to look for
- One-piece (no seam where the head meets the handle)
- Stiff enough to scrape, safe on non-stick
Skip: Wooden spatulas for non-stick pans; they work but do not scrape as cleanly.
Chef's knife, 20 cm (8 in) $15–50
What to look for
- Comfortable handle that does not slip when wet
- Blade you can sharpen, or a cheap one you replace every few years
Skip: Knife blocks with 12 knives. A chef's knife and a small paring knife cover almost everything.
Cutting board $10–30
What to look for
- At least 30 × 40 cm (12 × 16 in), so food stays on it
- Wood or plastic; plastic goes in the dishwasher
Skip: Glass or stone boards. They dull knives fast.
What goes wrong
| What | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Onions soft and pale, not crispy | Pan crowded or heat too low, so the onions steam in their own water. | Use the widest pan you have and keep going past golden until they are deep brown. It takes longer than you expect. |
| Onions burnt and bitter | Heat left high once they started browning. | Turn it down to medium as soon as the edges color, and stir more often at the end. |
| Mushy lentils | Lentils cooked too long before the bulgur went in. | Check them at 12 minutes. They should still have some bite, because they keep cooking with the bulgur. |
Notes
Allergies: removing an allergen from the recipe does not remove it from your kitchen or from other products. Check labels for "may contain" warnings.