Mujadara Baked Rice and Lentils

Ginny McMeans

Published:

July 8, 2023

Last Modified:

August 11, 2025

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Mujadara Baked Rice and Lentils is straight up comfort food. Made richer with full-flavored spices and brought to your dinner table in a pretty casserole.

mujadara baked rice is garnished with fresh herbs and served alongside crusty bread

If you’re looking for an inexpensive and easy recipe then this is the one. Mujadara is a classic recipe and is a staple in the Middle East. People have been making it for over 500 years.

Because this dish consists of a legume and grain it is a complete protein and also very high in protein per cup. It’s just one of those perfect dishes.

Mujadara is not normally baked but it is so easy this way and it comes out perfect every time. About all you have to do is combine everything in a casserole and then it just takes care of itself in the oven.

Baked brown rice seems to come out so much more substantial and satisfying. It certainly has more nutrition than white rice.

I did pre-saute the onion before I added it to the mixture because I just like the extra sweetness that comes out of the onion that way.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ cup onion, diced
3 cups vegetable broth – use low sodium to watch for your sodium intake
1 cup dried brown lentils
⅔ cup brown rice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Mujadara as a Side Dish

You can serve it as a main dish with other smaller sides. It is actually fun to have only side dishes for dinner.

I’m not sure is mujadara is considered a side dish in Palestine but it sure is delicious. You could add a loaf of crusty bread too and definitely a salad. So good!

Now you have it. Lentils and rice made richer with full-flavored spices and brought to your dinner table in a pretty casserole.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Heat oil. Preheat the oven to 325℉. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add diced onion.
Saute onion. Cook the onion, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until it is mostly translucent. Slight golden-browning is ok! Once the onion is cooked, remove it from the heat and set aside.
Boil broth. Bring vegetable broth or stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.
Combine ingredients. Meanwhile, in an 8″ x 10″ casserole (or any baking dish of similar size) combine brown rice, dried brown lentils, and all of the spices: ground cumin, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to make sure the brown rice and lentils are well mixed and that the spices are evenly distributed.
Add onion. Stir the sauteed onion into the rice and lentil mixture.
Pour broth. Carefully pour the hot vegetable broth over everything in the casserole dish, then stir until evenly dispersed. The rice and lentils will settle on the bottom.

Cover and bake. Cover the baking dish with a fitted lid if you have one, or use aluminum foil to cover tightly. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour.
Check. Remove the lid to check and see if the liquid has absorbed and the rice is tender. If not, add another 10 minutes. The finished mujadara will be very moist and the lentils and brown rice should be soft without any crunch.
Stir. Once cooked, stir your mujadara well to evenly distribute the onion, which will have floated to the top during cooking.
Garnish and serve! Serve your mujadara right away, sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley if you like!

Watch Us Make Mujadara Baked Rice and Lentils