- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 4 bowls
- Serving size: 1 bowl
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Mujadara is a Middle Eastern medley of lentils, rice, and caramelized onions. This version uses bulgur wheat instead of rice. Add roasted vegetables, chopped lettuce, and homemade tahini sauce for a hearty meal in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup ½-inch pieces zucchini
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Sea salt, to taste
- 1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- 1 cup dry bulgur wheat
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups torn lettuce (any variety)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a 15×10-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange onion slices on one half of the prepared pan; arrange zucchini, carrot, and tomatoes on the other half. Roast 15 minutes. Remove from oven; gently stir vegetables, keeping onion slices separate from other vegetables. Return pan to oven. Roast 15 to 20 minutes more or until vegetables are browned on edges.
- Meanwhile, make Parsley-Tahini Sauce: In a medium bowl combine tahini, 2 Tbsp. of the lemon juice, the parsley, and garlic. Whisk in ¼ cup water until smooth and creamy, adding more water if needed to achieve drizzling consistency. Add sea salt to taste. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan bring 3 cups water to boiling. Add lentils and cumin; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in bulgur. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.
- Stir roasted onion, the remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and salt and pepper into lentil mixture. Fluff with a fork.
- To assemble, spoon lentil mixture into bowls. Top with remaining roasted vegetables and the torn lettuce. Serve Parsley-Tahini Sauce on the side.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (1 bowl): 233 calories, 33 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 8.7 g total fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 102 mg sodium, 9.5 g fiber, 6.2 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (15)
(5 from 9 votes)Tahini is a whole food. It’s ground sesame seeds. Nothing else. It’s the oil that’s been removed from the whole food is what’s not ok. The process of making oil removes all the good nutrients and fiber and leaves you with only the fat and empty calories. Eat the tahini, not sesame oil. Eat the olive, not olive oil. Eat the peanut, not peanut oil. Eat the avocado, not avocado oil.
Not sure what I did wrong, but this was a disaster! I followed the recipe to the letter but the onions were almost burnt and the tomatoes were mush. The carrots and zucchini were ok. When the bulgur was added, it needed way more than ten minutes to get rid of the water. So disappointed.
Loved this recipe. I did use rice instead of bulgar to keep it gluten free. Next time I'll double the roasted veggies so it's more veggies compared to lentil mixture. Thanks for another great recipe.
I will double the veggies next time.! Excellent!!
Due to heart disease what can we substitute for the tahini, remember no oils!
We have always had our mujadara with a roasted red pepper sauce. The original version was high in oil, but you can omit that, which is what I do now. It also has some nuts, which I use, but if you don't want those, I bet they can be omitted, too. I use roasted red peppers from a jar if you don't want to roast your own. It's absolutely delicious! Recipes are available online. I saw one on Minimalist Baker. FOK has a red pepper sauce that uses tofu.
Current recommendations for heart disease include oils from nuts and seeds (as well as avocado) as part of a healthy diet with mono and polyunsaturated (rather than saturated) fats. Avocados are also good. One thing to keep in mind is that they are high in calories, as all fats are, so keeping the amount of healthy fats reasonable is important.
Do you cook bulgar before combining with lentils? Is tahini ok for reversing heart disease diet?
Bulgur wheat is already cooked before being dried, so no need to cook it before mixing into the lentils, covering it and letting it stand rehydrates, steams, and heats it through to perfection.
This is a recipes I will use again and again.... It is easy, it is cheap and the taste is fantastic....
Delicious! Great flavors! We added arugula too. The tahini sauce has a nice zingy flavor with the lemon and garlic and brings all the ingredients together really nicely. Definitely satisfying and hearty, we will make this again.
Excellent! I also added some flaked almonds, fresh avocado, and a little balsamic drizzle on top.
Super easy and DELICIOUS! We will be making this again! I loved using bulgur with this! I did make some small adjustments: Tahini dressing I added 2tbsp white miso paste, 2tbsp white vinegar. I also added 2 cloves of pasted garlic to the lentil mixture in the last step.
This recipe is one of my all-time FOK favorites. It's quick, easy and a complete meal. I don't usually bother with the lettuce, but do add extra veggies to roast.
OMG we get this all the time at the middle eastern restaurant. I LOVE Mujadara. The key is to use a ton of Tahini, so make sure to get extra for drizzling. Trust.