This post contains affiliate links.
This easy bulgur pilaf recipe is packed with Mediterranean spices and vegetables and ready in just 25 minutes. It’s a classic Middle Eastern dish made in just three steps.
save this recipe!Bulgur pilaf is one of my favorite “throw-together” recipes. After chopping the veggies, you add everything to a pot. It’s a very easy dish, which makes it that much better!
This naturally vegan meal is best served warm and topped with parsley, red onions, and olives (as you see here). It’s also great with feta!
Reader rating
“Great source of information! I m from Cyprus, which is the island in the middle of Lebanon and Anatolia and we make it with tomato too 🙂” —Gursal
types of bulgur
For our recipe, we’ll use bulgur. This bulgur pilaf dish is common in Turkish and Lebanese cuisine. Turks call it bulgur pilav and cook it without a tomato base and sometimes with the addition of vermicelli.
The Lebanese call it sayeth and typically make it with a tomato base. This bulgur pilaf is closer to the Lebanese version, with a taste and feel similar to Spanish rice!
Here’s What You’ll Need
The ingredients for this dish are nothing crazy and consist of what you’d expect – veggies, bulgur, and spices! After you cook this meal, feel free to get creative with your toppings. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements, this is just an overview!
- Olive Oil: Sauté the vegetables using olive oil. You can also use butter.
- White Onion: This recipe calls for one cup of chopped white onion (equal to about one medium-sized onion).
- Garlic: Garlic will add flavor and zest to this recipe. We’ll be using 2 cloves of minced garlic.
- Green Bell Pepper: Bell peppers add a great soft crunch to this meal.
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes and tomato paste are the base of this recipe.
- Uncooked Bulgur: This dish uses uncooked bulgur as the bulk of its ingredients. It’s cooked in just water.
- Salt and Pepper: Add salt and pepper to taste, starting with about ¼ tsp of each.
- Serving Options: Finally, olives, sliced red onion, parsley, slivered almonds, and feta cheese all work well to top this dish!
How to make bulgur pilaf
Bulgur pilaf is a simple dish that requires only three basic steps to prepare. It only takes about 25 minutes to create (jump to the recipe card for the full printable instructions).
- Prepare the base by sauteing the garlic, tomatoes, and onion in oil.
- Add the bulgur to the pan and simmer.
- Serve and enjoy warm or cold, optionally topped with olives, sliced red onion, parsley, slivered almonds, or feta cheese.
Pilaf variation options
Here are some ideas for switching up your bulgur pilaf. There’s really no messing up this recipe, so experiment with it and add your favorite flavors!
- Add vegetables: The more veggies, the better! You can add broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers, corn, cherry tomatoes, and even black beans!
- Switch the grain: In place of bulgur, you can use rice, couscous, cracked wheat, quinoa, or freekeh.
- Use broth: To add extra flavor, you can use broth instead of water. A nice veggie broth should do the trick!
Mediterranean dishes that pair well with pilaf
Looking for some sides to eat along with bulgur pilaf? These Mediterranean recipes are perfect!
- Tzatziki Cucumber Salad: Served on the side of this bulgur pilaf, it’s a refreshing side dish.
- Greek Baked Feta: This dish can be tossed in the oven to bake while you make the bulgur pilaf.
Easy Bulgur Pilaf Recipe (25 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil , or butter, 15 mL
- 1 medium white onion, diced, about 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste, 40 g
- 1 ½ cups uncooked bulgur, 340 g
- 2 ½ cups water, 590 mL
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
- Serving suggestions: olives, sliced red onion, parsley, slivered almonds, feta cheese
Instructions
- Base: Heat oil over medium heat in a large saute pan or pot. Add onion, garlic, peppers, and roma tomatoes, cooking until the peppers are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Bulgur: Add bulgur and water, stir to combine, cover, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender (add more water ½ cup at a time if bulgur is still tough). Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Warm or cold, optionally topped with olives, sliced red onion, parsley, slivered almonds, or feta cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Hi you are using wrong type of bulghur to make pilaf. You should use durum wheat big chunky bulghur to get good texture and taste. This one is more like a salad which is called “KISIR” in Turkish.
Thanks for the tip, Marko!
Great source of information! I m from Cyprus, which is the island in the middle of Lebanon and Anatolia and we make it with tomato too 🙂
As Marko said, in the explanation it is written right, but in the photos what you used looks like fine bulgur. You can even just pour boiled water over that and wait. It is the way kisir or tabbouleh is done. But if you boil fine bulgur, it becomes mushy. And with coarse bulgur, that water ratio wont work. You need at least 1,5 water for 1 bulgur. We use 2 for 1 + fresh tomatoes. Also i like bulgur with chopped mushroom or eggplant, cooked or roasted before adding the bulgur 🙂
Wonderful recipe–congrats!! Especially, the flexibility & tips that
are included. Any way you make this will be a BIG winner!! Coarse bulgur with 1/2 broth & 1/2 water works best. Jim. Las Vegas.
Very informative. I would definitely try bulgur pilaf with added vegetables.
Thanks for the recipes
Turks also eat bulgur pilavi with a tomato base (salcali) and use onion and peppers, although the version with vermicelli is also popular. Certain versions may be more popular in certain regions. My husband is Turkish and I lived there for a decade, and we always made it in a covered pot like rice. It’s great with garlic yogurt!
This was really, really good, and we had honestly not used bulgar before. Thanks for expanding our palate.