PBS Chef Pati Jinich’s Rice With Lentils and Caramelized Onions Is a One-Pan Wonder

If you’re looking for a quick and inexpensive meal that’s also flavorful, PBS chef Pati Jinich’s rice with lentils and caramelized onions fits the bill.

Jinich’s recipe may be easy to make but it’s anything but simple in flavor: protein-packed lentils are paired with melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions and combined with rice and bold spices for an amazing dish that will become a staple in your home.

Pati Jinich puts a dash of Mexican flavor in this Middle Eastern-inspired dish

The Pati’s Mexican Table host’s immensely satisfying meal is her version of the popular Arab dish, mujadara. It requires no fancy ingredients or kitchen appliances. Just a stovetop, lentils, onions, rice, and a healthy spice rack.

In addition to those essentials, you’ll also need for this recipe: bay leaves, olive oil, cumin, oregano, turmeric, coriander, kosher or sea salt, and chicken broth (vegetable broth or water are fine, as well). In addition, a small amount of ground ancho chile gives the recipe a Mexican boost in flavor.  

Get the full recipe and reviews on Pati Jinich’s website.

Jinich’s spin on the hearty, plant-based meal

The chef starts the dish by cooking the lentils with bay leaves in a pot filled a little over halfway with water “at medium heat,” she notes in the YouTube video (below) for the recipe.

“I’m not going to add any salt,” she adds. “Because I want the lentils to soften.”

It’s time to get started on the onions and so, two large, “coarsely chopped” onions are placed in a pot with olive oil. 

“Does this seem like a lot of onion?,” Jinich asks of one of the stars of the dish. “Well, it’s not! Because it’s going to cook in this olive oil for a while until it softens and caramelizes and becomes completely irresistible.” The onions are also cooked over medium heat, for about 10 minutes.

As for the lentils, they need to be drained when they’re something along the lines of al dente: “We want them to be soft, but we want them to still have a bite.”

The onions are ready when “they’re super soft and translucent inside. You want to take the onion almost to the extreme. Not burned but like charring almost.” 

Add the cooked lentils to the onion mixture, followed by the cumin, ancho chile, dried oregano, ground coriander, turmeric: “So, kind of Middle Eastern, but then it has that Mexican thing in there.”

The uncooked jasmine rice is stirred in the center of the lentil mixture, allowing it to cook a while  (along with a little extra olive oil): “I want the rice to get enrobed and coated in the oil.”

At this point, “a very generous teaspoon of salt” is added, followed by the broth (or water).

Don’t skip this step, Jinich says

The chef noted the importance of remembering to “scrape the bottom” of the pot, “which is going to make for a much more flavorful dish.”

Once the mixture begins to fill with “aggressive” bubbles, place the heat on “the lowest possible setting” and let it cook for about 20 minutes. 

Jinich’s recipe received quite a few big thumbs-ups on her site, including one fan who wrote, “Absolutely fantastic! Have not been able to find a really good lentil recipe … I have now. The caramelized onions make this dish. Thanks, Patti!”

The PBS star is unlike many celebrity chefs who prefer a distance between themselves and their fans. Jinich responds to home cooks on her site and social media.

In this instance, she heartily responded, “Happy you liked it, yay!”