Mujaddara (also spelled mujadara, mjedra, mejadra, mjadra) is an unbelievably tasty lentil stew that originated in Lebanon. In the country itself, it is known as "poor mans stew" because it is a cheap meal, but also full of nutrients.
Lebanese lentil soup (Mujadarra) begins with delicious caramelized onions, and ends with savory cooked lentils and rice. This is a vegan dish, but I promise you will not miss the meat! Lebanese Lentil stew is hardy, tasty and perfect for meatless Mondays!
If you want to find out more about Lebanese food, read my article on "The Ultimate Guide to Lebanese Food", which also contains a list of more Vegan Middle Eastern Foods!
Every year on Easter break, our family would travel to Texas to stay with family and spend the Holiday celebrating the Resurrection together. I have so many great memories, hanging out with my cousins, swimming in the pool together, and having the most massive Easter egg hunt you could ever imagine! It was a week of fun, food and Lebanese tradition.
On Good Friday we would usually spend the day hanging out by the pool if the weather permitted. I vividly remember my aunt getting out a HUGE stock pot in the morning after breakfast to begin the process of making mujaddara. By lunchtime it would be ready, we would all sit poolside and eat a bowl of this lentil stew along with cheese pizza (remember it's LENT!). Every time I make mujaddara it takes me back to those good memories.
Place 1 cup of dry lentils into a large pot and fill with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook it for 30-45 minutes before adding anything else.
How to caramelize onions for lentil soup
FINELY dicing 1 very large onion (or 2 medium sized onions). The key here is to finely dice them, they should almost be minced. You will be crying your eyes out if you do it right!
In a large skillet, add the diced onions with ½ cup of olive oil. Saute it, stirring frequently until it is very caramelized. You ALMOST want to burn it. There is a very fine line between being well caramelized and burned. The onions will begin to clump together before it is done.
I love using this basting spoon for almost all of my sautéing needs. It has a flat end kind of like a spatula, but it is a spoon as well, perfect for sautéing onions!
As soon as you attain the right caramelization needed, remove the skillet from the heat and CAREFULLY add the water to stop the cooking process of the onions. ****USE CAUTION AS THE HOT OIL WILL CAUSE THE WATER TO SPLATTER
If you are unsure how much to caramelize your onions, check out my video here. This is a very important step to perfect lentil stew. This will show you how I do it.
Video how to make Lebanese Lentil Soup (Mujaddara)
Pour the onion mixture and the rice and spices into the pot with the lentils and simmer it all together, stirring frequently to make sure it's not sticking on the bottom, for about 45 minutes and the rice is tender. Served with Lebanese flatbread and tabbouleh salad on the side. Add a dollop of Mint Yogurt Sauce!
**Note: there are some other variations to this savory lentil dish, some of which add swiss chard and other things. Check out this recipe for Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard.
Like this recipe? Check out other these popular recipes by A Pinch Of Adventure!
- Mediterranean Lentil soup with potatoes and Swiss Chard (Vegan)
- Authentic Lebanese Hummus (Ready in 5 minutes!)
- Moghrabieh - Lebanese Couscous Stew
📖 Recipe
Lebanese Lentil Stew (Mujaddara)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Lentils
- 4 cups Water
- 1 Large Onion finely diced
- ½ cup Light Olive Oil
- 4 cups Water
- ½ cup White Rice long grain
- 2 teas Salt
- ½ teas Pepper
- Plain yogurt for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Put lentils in pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-45 minutes while prepping other ingredients
- Finely dice the onions and place in the skillet with olive oil
- See video above, caramelize thee onions until very brown and until they begin to clump together
- Remove from heat and immediately add water to stop the onions from cooking **USE CAUTION SINCE IT MAY SPLATTER WHEN THE WATER HITS THE HOT OIL!!!
- Add the onion mixture and rice and spices to the cooking lentils
- Simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes or until rice is tender and it is a thick consistency
- Enjoy with Lebanese flat bread!
Patti Schniedwind
I love your memories and the recipe!
Great job, Emily!
Emily A
Thank you Aunt Patti!
Beth Shields
great recipe. Nice to do while home. Thanks for sharing.
Emily A
Thank you so much!
Linda
This looks delicious. I pinned it for later.
Emily A
Thank you!
LoyalLocavore
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I can't wait to try it out. If I only have green lentils on hand will it still turn out as delicious as it sounds?
Emily A
I would think it would still turn out great. The texture may be a little different??
Kim
This soup looks delicious! It’s still chilly where I live in Canada, so perfect soup weather. Thanks for the video on caramelizing the onions!
Emily A
Thank you!
Natalie
I've been obsessed with finding lentil recipes since they are cheap and good for you! I'm so excited to try this recipe and I look forward to trying your other recipes too! I'll be pinning this for the future!
Emily A
Thank you! You won't be disappointed!
Treasure Proctor
This sounds delicious! I look forward to trying it
Emily A
It is delicious!
Michelle Hearne
Oh thanks for sharing! I bought lentils as a back up for meat and to be a healthier option and have been looking for some recipes. I will definitely pin this one.
Damaris
That recipe looks amazing, I am adding this one to my list. Definitely one to try.
Melissa
I made this today exactly as written and, Wow! This is a fantastic recipe and so flavorful. It's amazing how so few and such basic ingredients can make such a delicious dish. My husband and I loved it and will definitely be making it again. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Emily Ackerman
THANK YOU for letting me know! I am so glad you and your husband liked it!
ashok
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope they will like it.
Emily Ackerman
I am so glad you liked it!! It's a go to comfort food for me 🙂
Kate
Can I use long grain brown rice in this? Would I just simmer it longer or should I perhaps cook the rice separately and then combine into soup?
Emily Ackerman
You can, but you would have to cook it quite a bit longer
Lydia
I cooked mjaddarah many timesbut instead of rice we used to cook it with "burgul" cracket wheat .. we lived in a Lebanese village and that is how I learned to cook it. Have you ever hear it that way? It is very delicious also with the onion and yougurt on the side..I am cooking it tomorrow for dinner.
Emily Ackerman
Some of my family would cook it this way, however I don't think I have ever had it like that. It sounds really yummy :). My family was also from a small village in Lebanon in the mountains.
Zendegy
Mujaddara is my favorite dish in the world. I am also a big fan of soup and like to make it often, as I live the desert and it's good to hydrate in all kinds of ways. So, I started dreaming of a soup version of mujaddara, typed it into the search bar and arrived here. I'll be making this tomorrow and look forward to culinary bliss. Thank you for sharing this.
Emily Ackerman
Awesome! I hope it is what you were looking for. It's a regular in my house, especially during the colder weather
Anna Merritt
I adore this recipe!! I've probably made it about 7 times now since I came across it last year. I always add extra onions as they are so good and I often double the recipe so I came leftovers.