Lebanese Lentils and Bulgur (Mjadra bil-Burghul)! Whether you’re meal-prepping for the week or serving a cozy weeknight dinner, Mjadra bil-Burghul delivers comfort, tradition, and a robust, plant-powered punch that keeps you full and energized.
Hearty and comforting, this Mjadra bil-Burghul, or Lebanese Lentils and Bulgur, is a healthy staple that proves budget-friendly comfort can be incredibly delicious. Made with modest ingredients—brown lentils and crushed bulgur—this traditional Middle Eastern dish shines with warming aromatics, savory onions, and a gentle kiss of spices. Often affectionately dubbed the “poor man’s meal,” it’s beloved across Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria for its nourishing, protein-packed profile and high fiber content, making it a satisfying option for Lent or meat-free meals.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.
Hi there, Ameera here!
This tasty Lebanese classic is refreshingly simple, wonderfully delicious, and deeply hearty, and it’s one of those plant-forward dishes that never disappoint. The beauty of this recipe is in its unassuming ingredients: affordable brown lentils and bulgur come together to create a satisfying texture and a protein-packed bite.
Give this recipe a try—your taste buds and your wallet will thank you.
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Lebanese Lentils and Bulgur (Mjadra bil-Burghul) is hearty and delicious. Using simple ingredients, this budget-friendly Lebanese dish is made with brown lentils and bulgur. Often called “poor man’s meal”, this dish is a traditional Middle Eastern dish often served in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Satisfying, protein-packed and full of fiber, this dish is often served during Lent.
- Consistency: This Lebanese dish has a semi porridge-like consistency. Often times after it has sat in the refrigerator (if there are leftovers), it will thicken up. You can add some water or vegetable broth to loosen it up back into a porridge-like consistency when reheated.
- Amount of Water: If the lentils and bulgur are still not tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, feel free to additional water and allow to continue to cook.
- Spices: Feel free to ramp up the spices if you wish to suit your own personal preferences, but this dish is traditionally only seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Bulgur: Bulgur comes in a variety of sizes. We used #2 bulgur cracked wheat. You can use other sized (grades) bulgur; however, using different grades of bulgur will impact the cooking times and liquids accordingly.
- Brown Lentils: We LOVE brown lentils. This recipe traditionally uses brown lentils. We love Palouse Brand Brown Lentils. They work really well in this recipe. We do not recommend substituting the brown lentils for green or red lentils.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is used here to speed up the cooking time of the brown lentils and bulgur.
- Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completely divided over the amount of sea salt needed to properly flavor this soup. For most palates, we felt 1 ½ teaspoons worked well.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
- Gluten Free: This recipe is not gluten free. You can substitute the bulgur with a ½ cup of rice.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
This dish freezes well.
Pantry Products:
- Bulgur: We used Spicy World Bulgur #2 Medium Coarse Grind. Feel free to use your favorite bulgur.
- Lentils: We used Palouse Brand Brown Lentils. They are delicious. They hold their shape well and have a slightly nutty taste to them. Feel free to use your favorite brown lentils.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large stock pot with a lid
If you try this flavorful dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Lebanese Lentils and Bulgur (Mjadra bil-Burghul)
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Yield: 6 Cups 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Hearty and comforting, this Mjadra bil-Burghul, or Lebanese Lentils and Bulgur, is a healthy staple that proves budget-friendly comfort can be incredibly delicious.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
- 1 cup uncooked brown lentils, rinsed *
- 5 cups water
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cumin (+/-)
- ¼ to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
- Pinch to ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Other Ingredients:
- ½ cup dry bulgur (size #2 bulgur), rinsed and soaked *
Optional Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, sauté the diced onions over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes until they start to become tender. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking/burning if needed.
- Next add the uncooked brown lentils, 5 cups of water, and all the Spice/Herb Ingredients. Stir well, bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a low-percolating boil. Add the baking soda, stir well, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and boil with a low-percolating boil for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, rinse the bulgur, then place in a bowl and cover with 3 cups of water to soak while the lentils are cooking.
- After 15 minutes, drain the water (discard) off the bulgur. Add the bulgur to the pot with the lentils, stir well, bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and boil with a low-percolating boil for 17 to 20 minutes or until the brown lentils and bulgur are perfectly tender.
- Once tender, remove from the stove, cover with the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes undisturbed. This allows the liquids to be fully absorbed.
- After 10 minutes, stir in the finely chopped fresh parsley and allow to sit for another 5 minutes. Serve. Enjoy with crusty bread, pita bread, or naan, and/or with a simple side salad.
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Serving: 4 to 6 (makes 6 cups)
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