Hearty tray-baked mujadara-style rice and lentils layered with deeply caramelized onions, tender chickpeas and baked eggs; earthy, slightly smoky, and brightened with lemony yogurt and parsley.
Tray-Baked Mujadara with Chickpeas and Baked Eggs
A no-fuss, pantry-friendly tray meal that layers tender rice and lentils with deeply caramelized onions, chickpeas and baked eggs for a filling weeknight dinner.
Think of this as mujadara made easy for the oven: long-grain rice and brown lentils cooked separately for perfect texture, then spread in a single tray with tomatoes and chickpeas and finished under the oven with eggs. The trick is the onions—slow-cooked until they’re richly browned and almost jammy—half go into the base for savory depth and half are saved to scatter on top for crunchy, sweet contrast. Smoked paprika, cumin and coriander give the dish that warm, slightly smoky backbone without needing fresh herbs or fancy stock. A spoonful of lemony yogurt and a shower of parsley at the end brightens every bite.
A few practical notes make this reliably good: rinse rice and lentils until the water runs clear to avoid gummy rice and dusty lentils; cook lentils until just tender and drain any excess so the tray doesn’t get soupy; and caramelize the sliced onion over low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, rather than rushing it. The chopped onion gets a quick sauté with garlic and spices so the whole tray smells fragrant before it even goes into the oven. Canned chickpeas add body and protein—an economical shortcut that keeps this dish hearty and pantry-friendly.
This recipe is ideal for weeknight dinners and leftovers. You can make the rice, lentils and caramelized onions ahead, assemble and pop the tray in the oven when you’re ready; tuck the eggs in during the last 10–12 minutes so the yolks stay jammy, or bake them longer if you prefer firm yolks. Serve with a cooling lemony yogurt sauce and parsley for lift. Leftovers reheat well in the oven or a skillet—top with an extra spoonful of yogurt to freshen things up.
Ingredients
How to Make Pantry Rice Lentil mujadara Style Tray
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear; rinse the lentils and pick out any debris. Add lentils to a medium pot with 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered until just tender, about 20–25 minutes; drain any excess and set aside.
- While lentils cook, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a separate pot, add rice and 1/2 tsp salt, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes or until water is absorbed; remove from heat and let sit covered 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Thinly slice one onion and finely chop the other; heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low and cook the sliced onion slowly, stirring every few minutes, until deeply brown and caramelized (20–25 minutes). Remove half of the caramelized onion to a small bowl for topping.
- Increase skillet heat to medium, add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, add chopped onion and cook 3–4 minutes until translucent, then add minced garlic, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in drained chickpeas and canned tomatoes (with their juices), break up tomatoes slightly, simmer 5 minutes to heat through and concentrate flavors; season with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (adjust to taste).
- In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, cooked lentils, and the chickpea-tomato-onion mixture; fold gently so ingredients are evenly distributed and season if needed.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9x13-inch or similar tray, make four shallow wells and crack an egg into each well, scatter the reserved crispy caramelized onion over the top, then bake at 375°F (190°C) for 12–15 minutes until egg whites are set but yolks still slightly runny (or longer for firm yolks).
- While baking, whisk yogurt with the juice of half the lemon, a pinch of salt and a little black pepper. When tray is done, sprinkle chopped parsley, squeeze remaining lemon over the tray, and serve portions with a dollop of lemony yogurt alongside.
Recipe Card
Pantry Rice Lentil mujadara Style Tray
Hearty tray-baked mujadara-style rice and lentils layered with deeply caramelized onions, tender chickpeas and baked eggs; earthy, slightly smoky, and brightened with lemony yogurt and parsley.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear; rinse the lentils and pick out any debris. Add lentils to a medium pot with 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered until just tender, about 20–25 minutes; drain any excess and set aside.
- While lentils cook, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a separate pot, add rice and 1/2 tsp salt, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes or until water is absorbed; remove from heat and let sit covered 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Thinly slice one onion and finely chop the other; heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low and cook the sliced onion slowly, stirring every few minutes, until deeply brown and caramelized (20–25 minutes). Remove half of the caramelized onion to a small bowl for topping.
- Increase skillet heat to medium, add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, add chopped onion and cook 3–4 minutes until translucent, then add minced garlic, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in drained chickpeas and canned tomatoes (with their juices), break up tomatoes slightly, simmer 5 minutes to heat through and concentrate flavors; season with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (adjust to taste).
- In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, cooked lentils, and the chickpea-tomato-onion mixture; fold gently so ingredients are evenly distributed and season if needed.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9x13-inch or similar tray, make four shallow wells and crack an egg into each well, scatter the reserved crispy caramelized onion over the top, then bake at 375°F (190°C) for 12–15 minutes until egg whites are set but yolks still slightly runny (or longer for firm yolks).
- While baking, whisk yogurt with the juice of half the lemon, a pinch of salt and a little black pepper. When tray is done, sprinkle chopped parsley, squeeze remaining lemon over the tray, and serve portions with a dollop of lemony yogurt alongside.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 87
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Sodium
- 1030
- Fiber
- 19
- Unsaturated Fat
- 14
- Protein
- 26
- Fat
- 16
- Cholesterol
- 190
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 635
- Sugar
- 4