Name: Mujadara
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; 4 or 5 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (use the slicing blade on your food processor, or a mandoline if you have one); Salt and pepper; N/A freshly ground black pepper; 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils, sorted and rinsed; 1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice; Plain yogurt or sour cream, optional, for serving

Image may contain Plant Food Meal Dish and Bowl

Lentils, rice, olive oil, and onions—this Middle Eastern standard is the ultimate pantry recipe. It's also the classic example of a dish that's greater than the sum of its parts. There are literally dozens of recipes for mujadara out there—each country, possibly even each family, seems to have its own version. The one I like best is adapted from Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food. The crispy onion topping is the best part, so go ahead and make a lot.

NOTE: Lentils, like all dried beans, vary in their cooking time depending on several factors, including age. Yours may take longer to become tender, but they shouldn't take much more than an hour. Hard water can also affect the cooking time—if your water is hard, use bottled water.

MAKE BABY FOOD:

Puree the entire thing with an additional splash of water. For finger food, skip the browned onion topping, which may be challenging to young eaters.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

31 Hearty Lentil Recipes to Keep You Nourished
From quick pantry dinners to a company-worthy Instant Pot stew.
43 Easy Pantry Recipes
Pasta, bean, tomato, and tinned fish recipes for those days when you just can't get to the store.

Classic French Bouillabaisse With Rouille

This flexible recipe is all you need to bring this iconic Provençal seafood stew to your table.

Salmon With Sizzled Nut Salsa

A savory-hot salsa made with mixed nuts (like the kind dubbed cocktail nuts meant for snacking) gives roast salmon a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Dulce de Leche

Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Cilantro Rice and Beans

This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.

Recipe notes

31 Hearty Lentil Recipes to Keep You Nourished

43 Easy Pantry Recipes