Although this dish appears simple, trust me—it’s delicious! It is a simple to prepare Middle Eastern comfort dish made with lentils, rice, and mouthwatering fried onions. It has a great flavor thanks to the yogurt!
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, sliced into rings
- 1 ⅓ cups uncooked green lentils
- ¾ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream (Optional)
Instructions
- 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 | 535 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 69 g |
| Cholesterol | 1 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 312 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Easy to make and very delicious, I added a bit of cumin and chicken bullion. It pairs great with any protein. I paired it with a pork chop.
this recipe is great…for “those of you who are confused about cooking the lentils AND rice in the same pot…Here is a great tip I have done for years… cook lentils and rice in Separate pots! make sure to NOT over cook the lentils or the rice…follow the directionss of each for cooking also “Walmarts “instant rice is devious and quick… I cup water to 1 cup rice into a microwave SAFE bowl…cook 5 minutes.PERFECT Add to cooked drained lentils(I used one package That said “Always use a LOT of onions as they melt…just use cooking onions, as yes, they may sting your eyes when cutting them…but once you put them in the frying skillet to cook down…They become so sweet! PLUS, (pay attention) you WANT lots of these caramelized onions to go over the top, besides mixed into the mixture. to add a bit or sugar while sautéing, gives the onions(along with a bit of Cinnamon) the best flavors…and yes(though its NOT needed, the ethnic way is to add “cumin and garlic power “to taste! Enjoy! My hubby is a BIG meat eater…and for “him to eat a dinner without meat…Well, THAT tells you how good(and healthier) this dish is!Enjoy! hope this helps!
My mother always said “just some, Idk how much exactly!” That’s Lebanese cooking! I made this all the time when I was single. U can never have too many onions imo. I would reheat it and add veggies (frozen or fresh) The lentils with greens and rice are a complete protein plus the yogurt also has protein. It is very a comforting dish!
Delicious with the recommendations!!
This is a staple in my household! OMG! Soooooo good!
I made it and I added cumin and garlic, and some stock. So Good…..Loved it.
Surprisingly Delicious! I added the chicken bullion and cumin as mentioned in other reviews. It was so simple to make, inexpensive, healthy, and delicious.
So unexpectedly good. Rich but not sure why/ Vegan granddaughter loved it and me for cooking it for her!
I put too much water so my dish turned out mushy but I still loved it. Especially with a dab of sour cream! I’ll continue to work on this recipe but this was a good base.
This was great. I mixed some cut up leftover chicken into and it made a great main dish. Will make again.
Definitely add spice. I added 1 TBSP cumin to rice and lentils and a dash of cinnamon to onions per other suggestions. I use a vegan sour cream on top, otherwise it’s too dry.
Made it just as written, it is delicious. I do, however , like to spend just a little extra time making sure the onions are well caramelized. and sometimes add just a bit (
Love it.
Very easy and delicious!
I am allergic to garlic, so very grateful for a lentil recipe without it. This is easy, tasty, no fancy ingredients and healthy. IMO, you don’t need to add a lot of extra stuff, but the cumin is a nice addition and be sure to cook the onions long enough. Thank you for posting this! More garlic-free recipes, please!
I double the onions and cook them long and slow in nice olive oil so that there are lots of crispy bits for the top and through the rice and lentils. I added a tsp of cumin and garlic to the rice and lentils. Yummy!!
Bordering on tasteless. Don’t bother.
I find this very tasty and satisfying. I do use 3-4 onions and top with plain Greek yogurt. This is one of those great “I forgot to thaw something what do I cook?” recipes and the leftovers are just as good the next day
It’s a delicious and super simple meal! But, it’s true that the directions are a bit lacking. Definitely add cumin and bouillon to lentils. And, frying/caramelizing onion prob takes more than 10 mins, but once they start to brown, the onions can burn in an instant, so be very attentive and STIR them around. Definitely worth doing this step–I love the flavor of the onion with the lentils!! Oh, and I just cooked the rice and lentils separately.
I have eaten and made this for years!!!!!!!! Today I just wanted to see how much water to add because mine is either too runny and mushy or not enough water. So I am going to add the water just as it says, enough to cover the lentils then enough to cover when the rice is added… Wish me luck!! (gve it 5 stars cause I love this!!)
Like the others, I added cumin and garam masala and used three onions. I would probably even use more onions next time. You can never have enough carmelized onions!