One Pot Mujadara (Middle Eastern spiced lentils and rice with caramelized onions)

This easy one pot Mujadara is a twist on a popular Middle Eastern comfort food where warmly spiced lentils and rice are the base and deeply caramelized onions are the star. Recipes for Mujadara often use three different pots for caramelizing the onions, cooking the lentils, and cooking the rice. Here, we’re doing everything in one pot. It’s incredibly inexpensive to make, super nutritious and healthy, high protein and high fiber, and absurdly delicious. It also happens to be completely vegan/plant-based, if that’s your thing!

In my research for this recipe, I found most Mujadara recipes not only use three separate pots, but also use white rice. I love white rice, but here I’ve opted for brown rice. This not only adds nutrition and fiber, but it cooks in the same amount of time as the soaked lentils. Which makes the Mujadara easy to cook in one pot with less hands-on time. The nutty, earthy flavor of brown rice works really well here.

The caramelized onions are a must here, so be sure to plan ahead. It will take about 40 minutes to caramelize the onions properly, but it’s worth it and pretty hands-off. A slow sauté on low-ish heat will turn the onions a deep golden color and bring out a natural sweetness without the risk of burning them. We’ll remove about half of the onions before continuing to cook. Those are going to top of the Mujadara before serving.

I always think lentils need an acid – it’s why adding red wine vinegar to Greek lentil soup makes it so delicious. So for serving, I squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over each serving, which to me really balances everything out. I also add a little Aleppo pepper for some heat to balance out the sweetness of the dish from the caramelized onions. Yum!

Ingredients and Substitutions

A disclaimer before this list of ingredients that there are SO many versions of Mujadara throughout the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. It’s called a few different things. It can be made with different types of spices, and sometimes uses bulgur instead of rice. Some are more stew-like, and some are more pilaf-like. This ingredients list represents only one version of this very diverse dish.

• Green, brown, or pardina lentils – I used pardina (I love the flavor and texture of them). Don’t use quick cooking lentils like red lentils here as they will completely disintigrate. Black can be used, but take only about half the time to cook (see below for more).
• Brown basmati rice – other long grain brown rice can be used, but basmati has the fastest cooking time that I’m aware of. Keep in mind other rice varieties may take longer to cook. You can use white if you want – more on that below.
• Onions – I use yellow here, but you can use red if you want. I would avoid sweet onions, as the caramelization process already makes the onions sweet.
• Olive oil – ghee or another oil of choice is fine.
• Spices: fresh garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, and ground cinnamon. There are many Mujadara recipes out there with many kinds of spice combinations. Feel free to experiment with other warming, fragrant spices like cloves, nutmeg, etc.
• Vegetable broth: I recommend low sodium – you can always add more salt to the dish later. You can use water if you want, but do be sure to season everything more if you do. At the very least, you’ll need more salt.
• For serving: lemon juice, chopped parsley, and Aleppo pepper. These are optional, but if you are only going to do one of them I recommend the lemon. The acidity is really welcome with the earthy lentils, sweet onions, and warm spices. Greek yogurt or labneh is sometimes served with Mujadara, too.

Prep tip: don’t skip soaking the lentils and rinsing the rice!

Soaking the lentils does two things. It shortens the cooking time, AND it helps aid in digestion. With almost all dried legumes, soaking in water then draining and rinsing helps break down and remove some of the indigestible fibers that beans are notorious for. I soak mine in salted water, which helps maintain an ideal texture by breaking down the tough skins more effectively.

Rinsing rice also does two things. First, it cleans it (just as you give produce a rinse off before cooking with it, you can do the same with rice). It grows in a muddy rice paddy. It’s a reasonable assumption that there may be a little grime and debris left on the grains. Rinsing also helps remove some harmful substances from the surface, especially in non-organic varieties, like arsenic. Secondly, rinsing helps remove some of the starches from the outside of the rice. This can help make the rice fluffier and less sticky. Fluffy rice is ideal for this version of Mujadara, which has a pilaf-like texture.

This is a summary of how to make this recipe. Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions, written in traditional recipe format, or Jump to Recipe.

How to make one-pot Mujadara

First, caramelize the onions. You’ll need some time and patience, but almost no skill – it’s so easy. Give the onions a low to medium heat sauté in olive oil with salt for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toward the end, it will be especially important to keep an eye on them. This is when they are more cooked, there’s less liquid, and they will be more likely to burn. The onions should be a deep, deep golden to dark brown color by the end, and will have shrunken in size significantly.

Remove half of the onions to a paper towel lined plate. You’ll use these later. Leave the rest in the pot. To the pot, add garlic, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon, and sauté for a little to toast the spices and soften the garlic. Then, add the rinsed rice and the soaked, drained, and rinsed lentils to the pot. Sauté those for a little while too to coat in the oil and spices. Then, add vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for about 40 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are fully cooked. Serve topped with the reserved caramelized onions. Ta-da! Easy peasy lemon squeezy (which reminds me, don’t forget the squeeze of lemon juice when serving!).

Can black lentils or other quicker cooking lentils be used?

Aside from red lentils – which are a definite “no” here – lentil varieties that cook faster than brown or green can be used. Black lentils, petite French lentils, or other dry lentils that cook in about 20 minutes and maintain their shape are fine. These can be a bit harder to find at run-of-the-mill grocery stores.

To use them, simply pair them with white rice instead of brown, which also cooks faster, or add them halfway through cooking the brown rice (about 20 minutes in to cooking).

Can I use white Basmati rice instead of brown?

Sure! You can pair the white rice with a faster cooking lentil, as described above, and add both at the same time as per the original recipe. You’d cook everything for about 20 minutes total here. Or, you can start the lentils cooking and about 20 minutes in, add the white rice to the pot for the final 20 minutes.

Keep in mind not all white rice cooks in the same amount of time. I recommend Basmati or another long grain rice regardless of whether you use brown or white, as it has a fluffy, less starchy, pilaf-like texture and are relatively quick cooking. If you want to try to use a short grain white rice or brown rice, please use your best estimate on timing and liquid amounts based on the package instructions or your own experience.

What to serve with Mujadara

One pot Mujadara is a lovely meal on its own, but if you want a little extra something, try serving it with a simple Mediterranean salad, such as a cucumber, tomato, and feta salad. It’s already pretty high in plant-based protein, but you can add a fried egg on top or serve with Greek chicken bites for a bit more substance. A simple roasted veggie on the side, like crispy roasted asparagus, would also be delicious, as would a dollop of tzatziki sauce!

Other easy one pot recipes