Lentils and rice with caramelized onions is a hearty and flavorful dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. The combination of lentils, rice, and caramelized onions creates a delicious and satisfying dish that is sure to please everyone at the table. This dish is also a great way to get your daily dose of protein, fiber, and vitamins. If you're looking for a delicious and healthy recipe that is easy to make, then you'll love this lentils and rice with caramelized onions recipe. It is a versatile dish that can be served as a main course or a side dish, and it can be easily customized to your liking.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
MUJADARA (LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS)
Mujadara is a classic Arabic recipe featuring cooked lentils and rice, caramelized onions, herbs and yogurt. It's a delicious vegetarian main dish! This version calls for brown rice instead of white (if you want to use white, see recipe notes). Recipe yields 4 generous servings.
Provided by Cookie and Kate
Categories Main Dish
Time 1h
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, stir in the rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a controlled simmer, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils and let the mixture return to a simmer. Cover again, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 to 23 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When it's warm enough that a slice of onion sizzles on contact, add the remaining onions. Stir to combine.
- Stir only every 3 minutes or so at first, then more often once the onions at the edges of the pan start browning. If the onions are browning before they have softened, dial down the heat to give them more time. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized and starting to crisp at the edges, about 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, line a large plate or cutting board with a couple paper towels.
- Using a slotted spoon or fish spatula, transfer the onions to the lined plate and spread them evenly across. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over the onions. They'll crisp up as they cool.
- When the lentils and rice are done cooking, drain off any excess water (if there is any) and return the mixture to the pot, off the heat. Lay a kitchen towel across the top of the pot to absorb steam, then cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan with a fork. Add about 3/4ths of the green onions and cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish. Gently stir and fluff the rice with a fork. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Transfer the rice and lentil mixture to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining green onions and cilantro. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and spicy sauce (optional) on the side.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 generous serving, without yogurt or hot sauce, Calories 471 calories, Sugar 4.7 g, Sodium 936.3 mg, Fat 16.3 g, SaturatedFat 2.1 g, TransFat 0 g, Carbohydrate 70.5 g, Fiber 8.5 g, Protein 16.9 g, Cholesterol 0 mg
CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND LENTIL RICE
Steps:
- Melt the butter with the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar, and some salt and pepper. Cook until the onions become deep brown and sticky, about 20 minutes, stirring every 4 or 5 minutes (if the onions color too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low).
- While the onions caramelize, make the rice. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the rice and stir, cooking it until the grains begin to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the water, lentils, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes. Serve topped with the caramelized onions.
LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS RECIPE BY TASTY
Here's what you need: medium red onion, olive oil, water, medium red onion, garlic, olive oil, green lentil, long grain rice, salt, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf, fresh parsley, lemon, greek yogurt
Provided by Andrew Ilnyckyj
Categories Dinner
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- In a large pot, sauté the diced red onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the water, green lentils, and salt to the large pot. Bring to a boil.
- Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- To make the caramelized onions, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat and add the onion slices, stirring occasionally until completely soft, dark brown, and caramelized.
- NOTE: This will take about 30 minutes. The onions should become very dark and tacky when finished. Stir often to avoid burning.
- Add the rice, cumin, cinnamon, and bayleaf to the lentils. Stir.
- Cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
- Serve lentils and rice topped with the caramelized onions, chopped fresh parsley, lemon wedges, and Greek yogurt if desired.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 473 calories, Carbohydrate 82 grams, Fat 8 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 20 grams, Sugar 8 grams
LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)
Provided by Aarti Sequeira
Time 1h25m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
- Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
- Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
- Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
- Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
- Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.
LENTILS AND RICE WITH FRIED ONIONS (MUJADARRAH)
This may sound like a plain recipe, but believe me, it's wonderful! It is an easy-to-make Middle Eastern comfort food that combines lentils, rice and delicious fried onions. The yogurt really gives it a super flavor!
Provided by Melissa Mueller
Categories Main Dish Recipes Rice Beans and Rice Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Place lentils in a medium saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes.
- Stir rice and enough water to cover into the saucepan with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cover saucepan, and continue to simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.
- Mix half the onions into the lentil mixture. Top with yogurt or sour cream and remaining onions to serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 534.8 calories, Carbohydrate 69.1 g, Cholesterol 0.9 mg, Fat 22.1 g, Fiber 10.6 g, Protein 17.3 g, SaturatedFat 3 g, Sodium 311.9 mg, Sugar 4.1 g
LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Steps:
- Put the onions in a large skillet with a lid and turn the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, about 20 minutes. Add the oil and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the lentils in a 4-quart or other medium saucepan and add 1 quart water; turn the heat to medium-high, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat if the lentils become tender before the onions are done.
- Coarsely chop half the onions, making just a few passes with a knife. Add these and the rice to the lentils and stir. Continue cooking until both the rice and lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed, another 15 minutes or so. If the mixture begins to dry out before it is completely cooked, add another 1/2 cup water, repeating as necessary. When the mixture is done, taste and adjust the seasoning; keep warm over low heat.
- Meanwhile, continue to cook the onions left in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are a dark brown and threatening to burn, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Garnish the rice and lentils with the caramelized onions and serve.
LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS
This can be served either warm or room temperature as an appetizer (good with toasted pita chips), or as a side to chicken. As suggested by some reviewers, add cumin and allspice to taste, if desired!
Provided by Outta Here
Categories Long Grain Rice
Time 1h15m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Peel and slice onions vertically.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add onion; cover and cook 15 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and increase heat to medium; cook 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and keep onions warm.
- While onion cooks, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Add lentils; return to a boil and reduce heat to keep at a low boil and cook 20 minutes.
- Stir in 1/2 cup caramelized onion, rice, salt, and pepper. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, until lentils and rice are tender.
- Spoon lentils and rice into a shallow dish; top with remaining onion.
- Drizzle remaining oil over lentils. Serve with yogurt, if desired.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. Fresh, flavorful lentils and rice will make a big difference in the overall taste of the dish.
- Don't skip the caramelized onions. They add a delicious sweetness and depth of flavor to the dish.
- Season the dish to taste. Add salt, pepper, and other spices as desired.
- Let the dish rest for a few minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve the dish with your favorite sides. Some popular options include yogurt, raita, or chutney.
Conclusion:
Lentils and rice with caramelized onions is a delicious, healthy, and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is also a great way to use up leftover lentils and rice. With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can create a meal that the whole family will enjoy. So next time you're looking for a quick and easy meal, give this recipe a try. You won't be disappointed!
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