Mujadara is a Middle Eastern dish made with rice and lentils. The first recorded recipe for mujadara appears in Kitab al-Tabikh (Book of Dishes), a cookbook published in Iraq in 1226. It is unclear whether the Persians, who brought rice to western and central Asia from India, created the dish or borrowed it from India. While it is traditionally made with basmati rice and brown lentils, different countries have their own unique versions – for example, Bukharans are known to use mung beans in lieu of lentils and Iraqis like to top theirs with fried eggs. Some regions use chickpeas instead of lentils. Nearly all versions incorporate soft caramelized onions, as their sweet flavor really enhances the dish.
Recently I decided to try my hand at making mujadara with quinoa instead of basmati rice. Quinoa has more nutritional value than rice. It is closely related to spinach; much like spinach, it is packed with nutrients. Quinoa is a wonderful source of protein, amino acids, insoluble fiber, magnesium, riboflavin, and phytonutrients. Regular consumption of quinoa can improve your cardiovascular health, reduce the frequency of migraine headaches, and even decrease your risk of certain cancers.
To make this Quinoa Mujadara, I used my regular mujadara recipe as a base and improvised from there. While quinoa does not cook up quite as fluffy as rice, it does provide a nice texture for the lentils, and it’s got a lot more protein than rice. The result is filling, comforting, vegan and gluten free with lots of fiber. It can be served either as a vegetarian main course or as a side dish. As you cook, you may feel like you’re adding too much salt, but don’t worry… much of the salt is rinsed away with the cooking liquid. The end result will be moderately salted. I use more black pepper in this quinoa mujadara than I do in my regular mujadara, I find it enhances the overall flavor of the dish. If you’re not a black pepper fan, feel free to cut back to taste. As a dairy variation, try topping the caramelized onions with a dollop of Greek yogurt– delish! Enjoy!
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Quinoa Mujadara
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or green lentils
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 strips lemon peel, each about 2 inches long
- 2-3 large onions, peeled and sliced thin
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or mint for garnish (optional)
- Greek yogurt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse and sort the lentils, removing any small stones or impurities.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 2 tsp salt to the boiling water, then add the lentils. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the lentils till they are tender, but not soft or mushy (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and drain, then rinse in a colander with cold water. Shake vigorously to remove excess water.
- Rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer for about 2 minutes.
- In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium till warm. Add the lentils to the pot all at once along with the cumin, 1/2 tsp salt (if you are watching your sodium intake, use 1/4 tsp salt), and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat up the mixture till it begins to fry. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the rinsed quinoa to the pot and stir. Reduce heat to low.
- Rinse out the other saucepan where you cooked the lentils and pour in 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. When the water in the saucepan boils, pour it over the lentils and quinoa. Stir. Add bay leaves and lemon peel to the pot and bring all ingredients to a boil. Cover the pot. Reduce heat and let the quinoa steam at a low simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the little tails release from the quinoa seeds. Remove from heat and leave the pot covered for 5 minutes longer.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat up 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Fry the onion slices over medium heat until they are soft and nicely caramelized.
- When the quinoa is done steaming, remove the bay leaves and lemon peel and fluff the mixture with a fork.
- Serve topped with the caramelized onions and chopped parsley or mint. Add Greek yogurt, if desired (dairy). You can substitute melted butter for olive oil, if you like. If you do this, please keep in mind that the dish becomes dairy rather than parve.
Nutrition
This was phenomenal. Very easy to make, and extremely flavorful. This one is going into my favorite recipes pile and will be in future heavy rotation. Very similar to my beloved polo adas (Persian lentils with rice), but way healthier with the quinoa substitute.
So delicious! I’ve also had it with slivers of fresh red pepper cooked in with the onions and coriander. Made it a bit sweet super yummy. Keep pumping out those recipes we love it
HI Tori,
Can this be made with all Quinoa and no lentils? What is the correct amount? I want to prepare it for my Seder. Love your site and recipes!!!
Kind Regards, Beth
Hi Beth, I suppose you could but then it wouldn’t really be mujadara 🙂 I’m not sure of the correct amount, because I’ve never made it this way. You might be able to sub 1 additional cup of quinoa for the lentils, but you should keep an eye on liquid levels as it cooks, because it might absorb more liquid than the lentils.
Dear Tori
My family like Mujaddara. I did see the recipe with quinoa. Can I used brown rice instead? Will the recipe be the same?
Hi Raquel, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not tried this recipe with brown rice, though I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The recipe won’t be exactly the same, but I imagine it would still be tasty.
Hola! Could this be served Cold? As a salad? Thank you.
i cut down the quinoa to 1 cup and kept everything else the same only because i wanted more lentil and it was delish! i’ll keep this recipe for sure.
I just got data on my phone. Unfortunately I have been w/o a computer since September. I have so missed your site + am very happy to be able to experience I once again. I will definitely be making this. I didn’t notice any comments about making this into a full meal for non vegetarians. For them just include protein of your choice.
HEY THERE.. MY BOYFRIEND’S FAMILY ARE FROM IRAQ AND SIRIYA. THEY COOK THE MUJADARA USING RICE AND LENTILS, AND ADD TO THAT CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND FRESH CORIANDER(add the coriander to the onions while they fry). MIX IT ALL TOGETHER, AND ENJOY LIFE. 🙂
Coriander sounds like a great addition Yael. 🙂
This was the first recipe that led me to your hidden jewel of a site. I loveed this quinoa mujadara, I’ve made it for the last three days straight. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, the pictures, and the history lesson. I have fallen in love with your recipes overnight. I made a list of all the ones I’m going to try.. I will be on here almost every night!
So happy you liked it Sara, welcome to the site!
Just made this! So yummy!!!!
Made this with a fried egg on top…delicious!
Dear Tori
Please be careful when putting lentils into hot oil, as it splashes and burns. I just got burned following this recipe.
Also, check out the Mejaderas recipe in Sarah Woodwards Classic Mediterranean cookbook
Sorry to hear that Jose. I’ve had lots of readers make this recipe with great results, and I’ve never heard your comment about the oil splattering before. The lentils shouldn’t splatter, it means your oil was much too hot. Did you use a large pot, as pictured? This would also help to protect from any splattering. I have revised the recipe method to make extra certain that it won’t happen again.
YUM! This makes a ton, and was gobbled up by my family (except my carnivor husband!), cut way down on the olive oil to keep it a little healthier, and used my homemade yogurt! Left overs were great today too! Thanks I will be making this often!
Delicious! Just tried it with mung beans instead of lentils… Will definitely be making it again…
You made my blog this week with this tasty recipe. It was a winner and I quote my entry: I just love being able to use up vowels and the letter ‘q’ using the word ‘quinoa ‘in playing Scrabble AND I also am thrilled when I find a new recipe to use it in cooking.
I really love your recipes,,,,,!!!!!!! I love your site.
Congratulations… Waiting your book,,,,!!!!!!
I really like your site. The quinoa recipe sounds wonderful! I enjoy the history that you include with your recipes. Wishing you continued success and keep the recipes coming.
I am thinking about adding some squash to the dish when I make it. 😉
This is similar to an Egyptian dish called Kushari (not sure I have the correct spelling). I saw it on Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations and googled it until I found a recipe that resembled what I saw on TV.
I use equal parts brown rice, lentils, and pasta. There is a topping made with tomatoes and onions and garlic. Sometimes it is topped with garbanzo beans and a cooked egg and the final topping is carmelized onions. My wife loves it. I like it with hot sauce.