Lebanese Mujadara Recipe – Lentils, Rice & Fried Onions

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Edyta

Author at Eating European

Recipe developer, photographer and the writer behind the Eating European food blog of European and Mediterranean healthy and delicious recipes

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Lebanese Mujadara Recipe combines lentils with rice for a perfectly balanced protein dish. Seasoned with Middle Eastern flavors and topped with crispy fried onions, makes this a truly irresistible meal.

How is traditional Mujadara made

This Lebanese Mujadara Recipe is my latest addiction. I made a huge batch of it and have been chipping away at it for a few days straight.

While the traditional version of this dish is usually made with brown lentils, unless you buy them online or in a fancy organic store, these type of lentils are not easily available. I checked a number of local grocery stores and all they had were green lentils.

So, in that I want my recipes to be as easy as possible with ingredients found in most grocery stores, I, therefore, used green lentils and Jasmin rice for this Lebanese Mujadara Recipe.

This is a perfect side dish to any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern main course. However, because it contains rice and lentils, it can also serve as a vegetarian main dish.

The special ingredient in this Lebanese Lentil and Rice dish

One of the spices that I used in this Lebanese Mujadara Recipe is cinnamon. While I don’t think this spice in incorporated in the traditional version, I have seen a minority of recipes using it  – and since cinnamon is one of my favorite spices, I didn’t hesitate to add it in here.

If you follow this blog then I’m sure you’re aware that I use cinnamon in a lot of Mediterranean or Greek-inspired recipes, like

• Greek Chicken with Cauliflower,
• Greek Chicken with Cauliflower, Tomatoes, and Feta;
• Turkish Inspired Eggplant with Tomatoes and Feta; or
• Butternut Squash Beef Stew with Cinnamon and Pomegranates.

All of these recipes are superstars in my house!

My guess is that if you like cinnamon and warm spices you’ll definitely love this Lebanese Mujadara recipe.

Ingredients used to make Mujadara

Here’s the list of ingredients that are part of this awesome dish:

• Lentils;
• Rice;
• Onions (you’ll use them twice – first you sauté some and add to lentils & rice, then you’ll fry extra ones and add them to the top of the dish);
• Cumin;
• Coriander;
• Cinnamon;
• Salt & pepper;
• Freshly chopped parsley.

You can alter this Mujadara dish to your liking by:

• Adding lemon juice on top;
• Adding a splash of olive oil;
• Top it with some crumbled feta (I can put feta on anything, but I especially like it on my rice dishes); or by
• Using fresh mint instead of parsley.

You can serve this Mujadara with:

• A side of Greek yogurt or tzatziki for a simple vegetarian meal;
• Grilled Chicken Shawarma;
• Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs;
• Honey Harrisa Chicken Skewers;
• Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs;
• Or these Lamb Koftas from Recipe Tin Eats.

I hope you’ll enjoy this awesome Lebanese Mujadara Recipe. Cheers 🙂

Here is your Printable Recipe

Lebanese Mujadara Recipe

Lebanese Mujadara Recipe combines lentils with rice for a perfectly balanced protein dish. Seasoned with Middle Eastern flavors and topped with crispy fried onions, makes this a truly irresistible meal.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 318kcal

Author: Edyta

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils brown, red or green
• 1 cup rice long grain
• 4 onions 2 sliced, 2 chopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon oil cooking
• 1 tablespoon parsley Italian, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Rinse the lentils and add to the boiling water for about 15 minutes until they are tender; drain;
• In a heavy pan heat up olive oil, add chopped onions and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes;
• Add cumin and coriander, mix well;
• Add rice and lentils and coat with onion & spice mixture;
• Add cold water to cover the grains, season with salt and pepper; 
• Cook for about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and rice and lentils are soft;
• In the meantime heat up cooking oil, add sliced onion and fry until golden brown and crispy; take out of the pan and dry on paper towel;
• Once rice and lentils are cooked, turn off the heat, add cinnamon, cover and let stand for 10 minutes;
• Place the rice and lentils on a serving dish, top with fried onions and parsley; serve immediately.

Notes

You can sprinkle the rice with lemon juice and/or extra virgin olive oil.

Nutrition Facts

Lebanese Mujadara Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 318 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Sodium 7mg0%

Potassium 448mg13%

Carbohydrates 51g17%

Fiber 11g46%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 70IU1%

Vitamin C 7.8mg9%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 7.8mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg

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If you like this recipe you may also like these recipes using lentils or rice:

Greek Lentils Soup with Feta – Fakes

Tomatoes Red Lentils Coconut Soup

Greek Spinach Rice with Feta

Leftover Turkey Spanish Rice

One Pot Chicken Saffron Rice with Peas and Olives