Turkish Red Lentil Bulgur Stew! Each spoonful delivers a comforting depth of flavor, with the lentils providing protein and creaminess, and the bulgur adding hearty body that keeps you full and satisfied.

Warm, comforting, and incredibly easy to make, this Turkish Red Lentil Bulgur Stew is the ultimate cozy-season staple that tastes like a hug in a bowl. Silky red lentils melt into a rich, savory base while fluffy bulgur swells to create a hearty, satisfying texture. A carefully balanced blend of Turkish spices—think cumin, paprika, mint, and a pinch of spicy pepper—infuses the stew with warm, aromatic notes that linger on the palate. Perfect for weeknight dinners, meal-prep lunches, or a soul-soothing weekend plate, this dish proves that simple pantry staples can transform into something deeply flavorful and nourishing.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi there, Ameera here!

This dish is so delicious! You’ve got to give this one a try because it hits all the right notes: cozy, nourishing, and remarkably easy to make. The creamy red lentils mingle with hearty bulgur to create a stew that’s rich in texture and packed with fiber and protein. I love how a humble pantry lineup—red lentils, bulgur, garlic, onions, and a few spices—can come together into something so comforting and satisfying.

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This Turkish Red Lentil Bulgur Stew is hearty and delicious. Perfectly seasoned with warming Turkish spices and red lentils melt into this delicious stew filled with hearty bulgur.
• Consistency: This Turkish stew has a porridge-like consistency. Often times after the stew has sat in the refrigerator (if there are leftovers), it will significantly thicken up. You can add some water or vegetable broth to loosen it up back into a porridge-like consistency when reheated.  Or as many Turks do, when it has thickened, it can be eaten cold on top of Romaine lettuce boats as an appetizer.
• Spices: Feel free to ramp up the spices if you wish to suit your own personal preferences.
• Dried Mint: The dried mint adds a hint of freshness to the stew. You can leave it out if you wish; however, you may need to adjust spices or ingredients to compensate for leaving it out.
• 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.
• Tahini: The small amount of tahini is used to balance out the flavors.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the tomato paste) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. If you prefer that tinny taste that is typically associated with canned tomatoes, feel free to leave it out or only add a pinch. Additionally, the baking soda speeds up the cooking of the red 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 ¼ 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. There are no substitutions as the main ingredients in this dish is bulgur.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered air-tight container.

This stew freezes well.

Pantry Products:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.  Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
• Bulgur: We used Spicy World Bulgur #2 Medium Coarse Grind. Feel free to use your favorite bulgur.
• 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 delicious 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.

Turkish Red Lentil Bulgur Stew

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Total Time: 60 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 4 Cups 1x
• Category: Stew, Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Turkish Inspired
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Warm, comforting, and incredibly easy to make, this Turkish Red Lentil Bulgur Stew is the ultimate cozy-season staple that tastes like a hug in a bowl.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• ½ red bell pepper, minced
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons water
• ½ cup dry bulgur (size #2 bulgur), rinsed *
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika (+/-)
• 1 teaspoon dried mint (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon cumin (+/-)
• ¼ to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
• Pinch to ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (+/-)
• Pinch cayenne pepper (+/-)

Other Ingredients:

• ½ cup dry split red lentils, rinsed
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon tahini 

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)

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Instructions

1. Add all the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper), mix well, set aside.
2. In a large skillet, sauté the diced onions and minced red bell peppers, saute 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.
3. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste to the skillet, continue to sauté over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
4. Next add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda), the Spice/Herb Mix, stir well, bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a low-percolating boil. Add the baking soda, stir well, tuck in the bay leaf, then boil with a low-percolating boil for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, add the split red lentils and boil for another 15 minutes.
6. Stir in the lemon juice, tahini, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, stir well until the tahini is completely dissolved into the stew broth, simmer for another 3 to 7 minutes or until the bulgur and red lentils are perfectly tender.
7. Check the consistency of the stew broth, if needed, add more veggie broth or water to achieve the desired consistency and cook for several more minutes, if needed. The stew will thicken as it sits.
8. Remove the skillet from the heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for 7 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. After 7 minutes, then remove and discard the bay leaf.
9. Top individual servings with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro). Enjoy with crusty bread, pita bread, or naan, and/or with a simple side salad.

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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 (makes 4 cups)

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