The easy lentils and rice mujadara recipe has three main ingredients: lentils, rice, and caramelized onions. A little ras el hanout spice mix and allspice are added for a Middle Eastern touch, along with a spray of mint.
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Simple rice and bean dishes are common in many cultures such as this Jamaican Rice and Beans dish. They make satisfying meals and are flexible for adding other veggies you might have on hand. The beans provide excellent protein for vegetarian and vegan diets and the combination of beans and rice offers up all nine of the amino acids we need.
🤓 What is Mujadara?
Mujadara is a lentils and rice Lebanese dish that's very popular in the Middle East. It's essentially 3 ingredients: lentils, rice, and onions. The onions are a very important component of the dish for the flavor they add. The onions are typically caramelized and may be crispy.
My version adds a couple of spices.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Few ingredients. 5 ingredients plus olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Quick dinner. Make it in a little over 30 minutes, depending on the type of lentils you use.
- Healthy. Very good protein and provides all 9 amino acids we need.
- Vegan. This dish is perfect for a vegan diet.
- Side or main dish. Use it as a main dish or side dish for the meat lovers at the table.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Sprouted green lentils or brown lentils. Sprouted green lentils are packed with nutrition and cook in a mere 5 - 7 minutes. I find them easily at my local grocer, but follow the link to purchase them on Amazon. If you can't find them, use brown lentils.
- White basmati rice - If you use brown basmati rice, adjust the recipe for the increased cooking time. Jasmine rice works in this recipe as well.
- Yellow onion
- Spices - I use a combination of ras el hanout, allspice, and salt.
- Fresh mint leaves
🤓 What is Ras el Hanout?
Ras el hanout, sometimes spelled raz el hanout, is a popular spice mix used throughout the Middle East and is common in Moroccan dishes. The spices vary somewhat but cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cumin are usually part of the mix.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Small pot - for the lentils.
- Medium pot - for the rice, and for combining all of the ingredients at the end.
- Sharp chef's knife
- Skillet - for caramelizing the onions.
🧊 Can I make this dish ahead?
Yes, in fact the flavors get even better overnight.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days. To reheat, spritz with a little water and warm back up in the microwave, on the stove top, or loosely covered with foil in the oven.
👩🍳 Tips for Success
The most important part of making this dish is caramelizing the onions. They are your flavor bombs. At least some of them should be very dark with an almost burnt appearance. Some people making this dish cook the onions until they all are very dark.
As they cook down, you'll need to move them around the skillet more often to keep them from sticking to the skillet.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
Variations you might try that are not part of a traditional preparation but are very tasty include adding:
- Dark raisins
- Balsamic roasted tomatoes
- Greens, such as baby spinach, that wilt when stirred in.
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Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice Mujadara Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup white basmati rice
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sprouted green lentils ½ cup brown lentils
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 yellow onion
- ¾ teaspoon ras el hanout spice
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves thinly sliced optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook the lentils according to the package directions in a small pot. I add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the water. When the lentils are tender, drain and add them to the rice when the rice is done.Brown lentils generally take 20 - 25 minutes to cook on the stovetop. Sprouted green lentils take 5 - 7 minutes.
- Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot and add the rice. Toast it in the oil, occasionally stirring, until lightly browned in places.Cook the rice according to the directions on the package, adding ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the water.
- While the rice and lentils cook, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they begin to soften and sink into the skillet, about 7 minutes. Add the ras el hanout, allspice, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and toss to coat the onions. Sauté the onions until they caramelize. Be careful not to move the onions around the skillet too much. They benefit from staying still, while in direct contact with the skillet. It's entirely up to you how caramelized you want the onions. But at least some should be very dark, with an almost burnt look to them.Add half of the onions to the lentils and rice and stir. Correct for any seasoning.
- Serve the mujadara topped with the other half of the caramelized onions. Garnish with mint if desired.
Janet Dsuban
So relieved about your beautiful dog and glad Rika is feeling better. You're right about everyone has to face loss in their lives as we lost our beloved dog Lucy in February and my husband and I are both still grieving.
This dish looks very interesting and I would like to try it. Where would I find ras el hanout spice.
Continued health and happiness to Rika and of course you and your husband.
Janet
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much Janet - and I'm so sorry for your loss. I've been there, and know how painful it is. I've been making this dish for years - it's a real favorite of mine. In the Cook's Notes above, I have some links to where you can either buy it or make it at home. I buy mine at Whole Foods, but I know not all grocery stores carry it. It's an important flavor part of the dish, though, so if you can't find it, it's easy to make. Without it, the dish is on the bland side.
lizthechef
Goodness, what a scare! I had not "seen" you on social media for a while and thought perhaps you were taking a break - SO glad Rika is better!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Liz. By Wednesday of last week I really thought we were losing her. But now you'd never know she was sick. It's amazing how fast they can be sick, and how fast they bound back.
Alison H.
I just stumbled upon your blog today! Rika is such a cutie & I am so glad she is feeling better. Your musings on life & loss really resonated with me...I needed that today! Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Alison! And thanks for stopping by 🙂
Suzanne
I am so glad that Rikka is ok now, I know all too well that feeling of helplessness and despair when your little pet is ill.
I love Mujadara, I also love the tomatoes and greens in your dish. The spicing makes this so special It's delicious,
Eha
First of all, thank the Lord the pup is getting over the infection: been there done that, no thanks if it can be avoided!! Big pat, Rika 🙂 ! A dear girlfriend married to a Lebanese taught me Mujadarra [of a multitude of spellings] some three decades ago . . . love it and it is my 'go-to' dish oh so regularly. Use just turmeric but shall try 'ras' . . . all of them are so different . . .
Beth (OMG! Yummy)
What a wonderful rendition of mejadra Susan. I am so glad we met last summer through the Farmers' Market dinner party and continue to get to know each other through our blogs, pets, and shared love for "Jerusalem" !
Cheese with Noodles
Usually I don't make any comments on posts from my assigned SRC blog before the big reveal, but you know it's me anyway, so I figure it doesn't matter! Has Rika still been healthy? That must have been such a scary experience. I got my first dog earlier this year, she's now 10 1/2 months old. We only planned to have one dog, but found ourselves adopting her a brother 3 months ago, so now we have two. I am a huge animal lover, but didn't expect how deeply I would love my dog. My puppy is my baby girl, I'm pretty sure my heart would break in two if anything ever happened to her. I love our other dog as well (of course), but not with the intensity that I love my girl. So far we thankfully have not had any truly life threatening issues with her, but she did eat a rock that made her sick and had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, both incidents had me very worried but she was okay after a couple of days.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Rika (short for Paprika) is doing great. She's 15 months old now, and wears us out, which is just as it should be since she's a very active puppy, and my husband's and my puppy years are behind us so to speak. It's so scary when you watch the decline and see your puppy give up.We want a second one now, but our house and yard are too tiny, we fear. Many congrats on your puppies!! And I completely understand about your little puppy girl being your little girl. She always will be :-).
Michelle Stern
Hi Susan! Glad your pooch is feeling better - what a relief! This recipe looks delicious - a perfect vegetarian meal for my daughter and me - and it would also pack well for school lunches! xo Michelle
Marie
Always lovely to learn about other parts of the world recipes! This is on my 'to do' list for the summer! Yum!
Susan Pridmore
I highly recommend it - it's so easy and full of flavor. I hope you give it a try!
Tracy
We need more lentils in our life and we absolutely love this dish! Those carmelized onions are just done perfectly and such a great combo
Susan Pridmore
Caramelizing the onion is the key to this recipe. Thank you!!
Molly Kumar
This was so easy to make and loved this combination❤️ The caramelized onions were a perfect hit and added such an amazing crispy sweet flavor to the overall dish.
Susan Pridmore
I'm so very happy you liked it so much! Yes, the onions are really important to the flavor.
Megan
The spice mixture looks great. I look forward to trying it and this recipe, yum! We love beans and rice, and it's nice to have a Middle Eastern variation that we'll enjoy.
Susan Pridmore
I feel the same way. I add ras el hanout to all kinds of dishes now - it's really a great spice mix.
Gwynn
Such a delicious recipe and so easy to make too. My family enjoyed it a lot!
Toni McLean
Hi Susan, as always this recipe is easy to follow, easy to make and just as tasty. I made the ras el hanout for this and it adds a very delicious flavour which was new for me. I am going to use it a lot more from now on.
Toni
Susan Pridmore
I'm so happy you tried the recipe and had such success with it! Ras el hanout adds so much flavor to dishes - I think you'll find lots of uses for it. Thank you for letting me know how this recipe went for you! Have a great week!