One-Pot Mujadara With Leeks and Greens

By Melissa Clark

Updated June 20, 2017

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(2,588)
Comments
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Cookbooks will tell you that, in the Middle East, mujadara is the essence of comfort food, a humble dish made from pantry staples. To that I will add how easy it is to make. The only part that needs some attention is the frying of the onions (or in this case, leeks). To get them crisp, you have to cook them until they are deeply brown and darker than you might be comfortable with. But without the deep color, you don’t get the crunch. Just make sure to take them off the heat before they burn. You want the majority to be mahogany, not black (though a few black strands would be O.K.).

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 1 cup brown or green lentils

  • 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, roots trimmed

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons salt, more as needed

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • ¾ cup long-grain rice

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice

  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 4 cups trimmed and chopped spring greens (chard leaves, spinach, kale, mustard or a combination)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

34 grams carbs; 228 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 209 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place lentils in a large bowl and add warm tap water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise; run under warm water to release any grit. Thinly slice leeks crosswise.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer half the leeks to a bowl to use for garnish and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.

  4. Step 4

    Stir garlic into the pot with the remaining leeks and cook for 15 seconds until fragrant. Stir in rice and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, allspice and cayenne; sauté 30 seconds.

  5. Step 5

    Drain lentils and stir into pot. Add 4 ¼ cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Rinse greens in a colander and spread damp leaves over lentil mixture. Cover and cook 5 minutes more, until rice and lentils are tender and greens are wilted. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with reserved crispy leeks.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,588 user ratings
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Comments

Rosemary

I grew up w/ Lebanese grandparents nearby & this was 1 of our staples. It's a complete protein too. I also often use bulgur wheat instead of rice, & have never used anything but yellow onions cooked dark brown in oil. Some saved for the top. It's meant to be eaten at room temp, after a few hrs on counter, & is often better next day. We had a gr. salad w/ oil & lem. dressing, & lots of my g'ma's homemade "Syrian" bread, as she called it. So good

Mark

Swap out the rice for bulgar wheat and I find that the texture of the dish is far superior.

NK

This is a staple dish from my husband's side of the family, but we brown onions not leeks, and do it separately. Therefore we use much less oil for the mujadara itself. My family seasons it as they like at the table, using the onions, Greek yogurt, and/or Siracha Melissa-style.

ae

Added greek yogurt whipped with minced garlic as a topping. Absolutely fantastic recipe - though crisping the leeks took much longer than 5-10 mins, more like 30 mins since I had to go in batches. Another winner from Melissa Clark!

Harrison

This was way, way too much cinnamon flavor for my liking. I'll try this again with onions instead of leeks, and no cinnamon. Learned a lot about my relationship to cinnamon with this one.

FG

Can this dish be frozen?

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