Turkish bulgur pilaf with chickpeas

Name: Turkish bulgur pilaf with chickpeas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp butter; 1 yellow onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tomatoes, diced; 1½ cups bulgur; 3 cups vegetable broth; 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 tsp paprika; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; ¾ tsp salt; 1 cup plain yogurt; 1 cucumber, diced

Nutty bulgur simmered with tomato, peppers and chickpeas the way it’s made in Turkish homes, served with a cool garlicky yogurt and cucumber.

45 min total
15 min hands-on
Anyone can make this
Serves 4
About $2.74 a serving
490 calories
Good the next day
Vegetarian

Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

1 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tomatoes, diced
1½ cups bulgur
3 cups vegetable broth
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cucumber, diced

From your pantry

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¾ tsp salt

Each serving has about 490 calories, 19 g protein, 73 g carbs and 14 g fat, and costs about $2.74 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No butter? Ghee works.
No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
No tomatoes? Roma tomatoes work.
No plain yogurt? Plain Greek yogurt works.
No cucumbers? English cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring now and then, 5 minutes, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Stir in most of the garlic for 30 seconds, then the tomato paste for 1 minute, until it darkens a little.
Medium heat
Add the tomatoes and cook 3 minutes, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Stir in the bulgur for 1 minute, then add the broth, chickpeas, paprika, pepper flakes and salt and over high heat.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Take the pot off the heat, lay a clean kitchen towel over the pot, put the lid back on top and leave it 10 minutes.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: The towel soaks up the steam, so the bulgur turns fluffy instead of wet. It’s how Turkish cooks do it.
Meanwhile, stir the yogurt with the cucumber, the rest of the garlic and of salt.
Fluff the pilaf with a fork and serve with a big spoonful of the yogurt.