Mujadara (Arabic Rice, Lentils and Onions)

Everyone has that go to dish when the fridge is getting empty, you forgot to defrost meat or fish, and you want a quick and healthy lunch or dinner…that hopefully your kids will eat.

If I take out the healthy part, it is usually pita/laffa pizza or some kind of pasta thrown together.

But when I have just a bit more energy, I go for Red Lentil Soup or Mujadara.

For those who aren’t familiar, Mujadara is a “Middle Eastern” or “Arabic” dish of rice, lentils and fried onions. Easy, fast, tasty, healthy, vegan, gluten-free…the list goes on.

(I am still post-partum, hence lots of Mujadara going on these days.😉)

We usually eat it (like below) with either pickled beets or an Israeli salad on the side or right on top.

Mujadara Recipe

What you need:

1 cup of green lentils

1.5 cup rice

2 -3 medium onions sliced

olive oil

salt/pepper

1 tsp cumin

A dash of turmeric

Preparation:

Combine the lentils, 2 cups water, a teaspoon of salt and cumin, and a dash of turmeric in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to meduim-low, and cook until the lentils begin to soften, 20 to 30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, fry the onions in a good amount of olive oil (about 2 TBSP) on low heat for the entire time the lentils cook. (You don’t want them to burn, you want them almost caramelized).
When the lentils are ready, stir in the onions (with all the remaining oil), rice, 1 3/4 cups water, another teaspoon of salt and a bit of black pepper(optional) into the lentils. Let it boil, then simmer on low heat until the lentils and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. 🙂