Instant Pot Mujadara – a nourishing vegan meal of lentils and rice, infused with fragrant Moroccan spices, served with caramelized shallots and seasonal veggies. This can also be made on the stovetop! See Recipe notes!
Few desires, happy life. ~Moroccan Proverb
While in Morocco last winter, we hired a guide to take us high up into the Atlas Mountains to visit the beautiful old Berber villages. Our guide, Rachid was not eating meat during this time and would often stop at roadside cafes for a quick bowl of Mujadara- a humble, nourishing meal of lentils and rice, seasoned with flavorful Moroccan Spices. He described it as Moroccan comfort food – filling, nourishing and very affordable.
This meal was very similar to what my Egyptian father used to make, but he called it “Kushari”. He would tell me stories of growing up in his tiny village, and how my grandmother, a Copt (old Christian religion) would make this lentil -rice dish for them during their “Holy Great Fast” which lasted almost two months. Years later, after moving to America, my dad would often make his version of lentils and rice, because it reminded him of his mom, and was his comfort food and very affordable when times were lean.
Now that I think about it, this is actually very similar to Khichari, the healing Indian Ayurvedic Bowl I posted about a few years back. It seems many regions of the world have very similar versions of this!
The Mujadara we experienced in Morocco was different from my father’s – it was flavored with fragrant Moroccan spices and this recipe here is inspired by the Moroccan version.
This Mujadara recipe can be made quickly and easily in an Instant Pot. I like to make a batch and have it in the fridge for midweek lunches. I thought my husband Brian would shun the Mujadara, but to my surprise, he happily gobbled it up and wanted seconds – the true test!
The basic recipe is easy and quick, and feel free to add any seasonal veggies you like. Tomatoes are delicious in summer, but roasted root veggies or winter squash would be nice in winter.
The shallots are a must – so don’t leave them off.
I added pine nuts but feel free to leave them off or sub other toasted nuts or seeds. A little crunchy texture is nice.
Then simply drizzle with olive oil, and add a squeeze of lemon. You can also serve this with yogurt or tahini sauce.
This can be made ahead and reheated for easy healthy midweek meals. A healthy delicious base. To keep this vegan, top with tahini sauce instead of yogurt. Or add avocado!
During the colder months, add seasonal roasted veggies, (cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, butternut) instead of tomatoes. You can also add shredded raw veggies like carrots, beets or cabbage.
So a warm base of lentils and rice, topped with cool, crunchy raw veggies. Add tahini sauce or tzatziki, plain yogurt or zhoug yogurt! Yes I know these are not “Moroccan sauces”, but they taste good here.
An energizing healthy bowl!
The fresh herbs and olive oil really elevate the Mujadara, so don’t skip this step.
Moroccan Mujadara! A quick and easy vegan meal that can be made in an Instant Pot. You will love this!
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Instant Pot Mujadara
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5
- Category: Main, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, instant pot,
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: middle eastern
Description
Instant Pot Mujadara – a comforting, healthy vegetarian meal of lentils and rice, with fragrant Moroccan spices, served with caramelized shallots, fresh veggies, pine nuts and optional yogurt. Gluten-free and Vegan adaptable. To make this on the stove top…see recipe notes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils (do not split lentils) see notes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–3 fat shallots, thinly sliced ( or 1 red onion)
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric, optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried mint or parsley ( or use a tablespoon of fresh)
- lemon zest from one small lemon
- 3 cups water (updated from 3 1/2 cups- see notes if using white rice)
- 1 cup brown basmati rice (rinsed and drained- see notes for white basmati rice)
Garnishes: caramelized shallot or onion, diced tomato, simple roasted veggies, diced avocado, sprouts or greens, sliced cucumber, pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil, yogurt, vegan yogurt, zhoug yogurt (amazing), lemon wedges, fresh parsley, aleppo chili flakes. (In winter, serve with roasted root veggies, shredded kale, carrots, or cabbage or beets!
Instructions
- Place lentils in a bowl and cover with hot tap water (or boiling water), letting them soak until time to add to the instant pot.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute function. Saute shallots in the oil, 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until tender and fragrant and slightly caramelized. Remove half, saving for the topping. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add all the spices, salt, lemon zest and water. Stir. Drain the lentils and add them along with the rinsed rice to the instant pot. Give a good stir.
- Cover the instant pot and set to Normal Pressure, High for 11 minutes. Let naturally release for at least 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prep any garnishes you like.
- To serve, gently fluff the Mujadara with a fork (do not over mix, or it will get mushy ). Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil, add tomatoes, avocado, caramelized shallots, sprouts, a spoonful of yogurt or zhoug yogurt, or tahini sauce – and fresh parsley or mint.
- Feel free to serve with other seasonal veggies ( roasted root veggies, shredded cabbage or carrots, etc).
- Enjoy!
Notes
LENTILS & RICE: If you use different lentils (like small ones) or different rice (like white basmati) you will have to adjust the liquid down a bit. Please read your packaging directions to calculate both. Otherwise, your mujadara may be too runny.
WHITE RICE If using white basmati rice, shorten the cooking time to 11 minutes and reduce water to 2.5 cups.
This can be made ahead and refrigerated and used as a healthy base for mid-week lunches.
In fall, winter you could serve with roasted winter squash or root veggies.
STOVE TOP: To make this on the stovetop, and if using large brown lentils, par-cook them in boiling water for 15 minutes. While the lentils are boiling, heat oil in a dutch oven and cook the shallots, stirring often until golden and caramelized. Remove half and continue with the recipe. Drain the lentils and add it along with rice, spices, salt, water to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Check to see if lentils and rice are tender. If not, continue to cook a few more minutes, adding more water if necessary. If using small black or green lentils, check cooking directions for cooking time. Adjust par cooking time according to the size of a lentil. For example, tiny black beluga lentils take 20 minutes to cook, so you would not need to par-cook. Please leave your adjustments below to help other users, thanks!
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Delicious. Recipe doubled easily. In used white basmati rice and reduced the water. It was perfect.
★★★★★
Hi, thanks for this fabulous and quick recipe. I would like to inquire whether it would it would work with wild rice. What modifications would need to be made to the length of cooking time and amount of water added please? I intend to soak the wild rice and lentils half an hour before cooking. Thanks.
Hi Nancy, the Wild Rice will take much longer than the lentils to cook here – at least 20 minutes, followed by a 10 minute release. By then your lentils will be way over done. I don’t recommend cooking them together in the instant pot at the same time. That being said, of course feel free to try it- I have not tried it, so only guessing here! I would almost cook one one the stove top, then conbine after.
Thanks Sylvia. I tried it with brown rice. It was delish.
★★★★★
Loved this – combined with yoghurt, cucumbers, avocado and pine nuts. Thank you!
★★★★★
I’m excited about trying this recipe, but I could only find canned brown lentils. Any suggestions as to how I should adjust the recipe if I’m cooking on a stovetop? Thanks!
I would cook the onions, rice and spices on the stovetop (covered) using only the amount of liquid needed to cook the rice (read your rice package). After the rice is cooked gently fold in the cooked, drained lentils and warm.
Thank you! It turned out great 🙂
I really loved the flavours in this dish. Delicious! Just a bit confused re: amount of lentils to use. I usually soak brown lentils overnight before using. So is the amount to add to recipe for dried or soaked lentils?
★★★★
Dried!
So easy, my family loves this dish.
★★★★★
I love this recipe..but I struggling with it coming out very soggy instead of fluffy. I am using regular brown rice and brown lentils. Would love some guidance on time and liquid amount so it won’t be so “goopy”.
Thank you
Try cutting back the water by 1/2 cup. Rice can vary so much as well as lentils.
can i freeze this? i made too much .. and we cant finish it all.
It will freeze fine!
This was sooooo delicious!!! I’ll be making it again for sure!!!
★★★★★
I’d like to try this recipe for tonight’s dinner, however I could only find green lentils at our local grocery store. How would you suggest modifying the recipe for this substitute?
Thank you! 🙂
The green lentils are proably smaller so require a little less cooking time. But the brown basmati rice proably needs the full time. I would either go with white basmati.. or just give it a go as is, and see what happens. It still might be ok.
Definitely a winner dish for our family!
★★★★★
Our whole family enjoyed this (including my pickiest, youngest children). Very easy and delicious!
★★★★★
My whole family, even the picky eater, loved this! We are a family of 6 and I did 1 1/2 times on the recipe which fit in my instant pot and fed us with no leftovers
★★★★★
How much less water for white basmati rice?
I’d try 1/2 cup less!
Delicious! The blend of spices worked perfectly, and your suggestions for garnishes made it a real meal in one. Thanks. I will recommend this!
★★★★★
Thanks so much and so happy you liked it!
Thank you for sharing such a tasty recipe! We tried this recipe this past winter and it’s now regular rotation for dinners. Leftovers reheat well. I’m pretty sure we make this at least twice a month. I like how versatile and quick the recipe is as well – we prepare with roasted veggies until the weather warms up and then switch to garden cherry tomatoes and sauteed kale, purple cabbage, and carrots. Thanks!!
★★★★★
love it!
It’s the 3rd recipe that I do in 2 days, and this one too is just delicious!
I love how easy and clear are your instructions .
★★★★★
Thanks so much Leonie! Appreciate this!
Amazing at first bite! I combined it with some leftover dish that gave it an umami taste. This is going to be my new kitchen staple. 🙂
★★★★★
This was seriously incredible. Made exactly as described. We loved it so much we’re making again in 3 more days for company.
★★★★★
Could I do this in the slow cooker? Do you think 4 hours on high would be okay?
I’m honestly not great with slow-cookers, so I don’t know for sure. Please let us all know the timing if you do try, super curious!
Delicious! Made the rice and lentils as directed as they came out perfectly. Topped with cherry heirloom tomatoes, cuc’s, avocado, mint, lemon and tahini sauce. The whole family loved it. Thank you!
This was so delicious and easy. While it was cooking I just sauteed some portobello caps on the stove top and put on top of it. Yum yum yum.
★★★★★
Excellent option as an intro to vegan meals for my kids and it was a hit all around! Thank you for sharing ☺️
★★★★★
Oh man! First time making this and wow! Coming from someone who doesn’t like lentils or brown rice by themselves… The flavors were amazing! I almost ate the whole pot! My new favorite dish to pair with chicken breasts for my post workout meal. Thank you so much
★★★★★
Thanks Damien, glad it worked for you! 🙌
Hello! I am from Argentina and I don’t have an instant pot, is there any othee way to make de recipe?
Yes! See the recipe notes! There is a stovetop version. 😉
I really can’t wait to try this recipe, but I have a question. If I want to include sweet potatoes to the Instant Pot, what kind of changes shall I make if any?
Sweet potatoes tend to get really mushy, so I personally don’t add to the instant pot. So I’d be guessing here!