Bulgur with beans and vegetables

Ingredients

For 7 servings · 2294 g cooked

• Garlic, raw9 g
• Onions, raw160 g
• Olive oil14 g
• Salt, table, iodized18 g
• Tomato Pulp200 g
• Bulgur200 g
• White cabbage, raw575 g
• Zucchini272 g
• Carrots, mature, raw128 g
• Butter Beans244 g
• SucukEfepasa50 g

Method

1. Step 1

   Prepare all of the vegetables

   Start by getting everything ready before you begin cooking. Slice the onions and garlic, cut the carrots and zucchini into bite-sized pieces, slice the cabbage into generous strips, and drain the beans.

   There is quite a bit going into the pot, so having everything prepared beforehand makes the cooking process much more relaxed. Keep the carrots slightly smaller than the zucchini if possible, as they will take noticeably longer to soften.

   

2. Step 2

   Start with the onions and garlic

   Heat a little oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the sliced onions and garlic.

   Let them cook gently for a moment before adding the seasoning: salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and curry powder.

   Stir everything together so that the onions are completely coated in the spices. As the spices hit the warm oil, they begin to release their aroma and colour the onions a deep golden yellow. This simple base is what gives the entire dish its warmth and character.

   

3. Step 3

   Let the onions soften

   Continue cooking the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, glossy, and just beginning to turn golden around the edges.

   There is no need to rush this step. Allowing the onions to cook properly gives them time to become sweeter and mellower, while the garlic and spices infuse the oil around them.

   If the spices begin sticking to the bottom of the pot, simply lower the heat slightly and keep everything moving.

   

4. Step 4

   Add the tomato pulp

   Once the onions are beautifully soft, stir in the tomato pulp.

   Mix it thoroughly with the onions and spices and allow it to cook for a few minutes. At first, the mixture may look quite bright and loose, but as it cooks, the tomato will deepen in colour and become richer and more concentrated.

   You want to give it enough time for that raw tomato flavour to disappear and for everything in the pot to come together into a thick, fragrant base.

   

5. Step 5

   Add the water, firm vegetables, and beans

   Pour in enough water to loosen the tomato mixture into a broth, scraping the bottom of the pot as you stir so that all of those concentrated flavours become part of the liquid.

   Now add the carrots, zucchini, and beans.

   The beans can begin soaking up the tomato and spices straight away, while the vegetables start cooking in the broth. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil.

   At this stage, the pot should look relatively loose and soupy. That is exactly what you want—the liquid still needs to cook the vegetables and, later, the bulgur.

   

6. Step 6

   Add the cabbage

   Once the broth is simmering, add the sliced cabbage.

   It may look like an almost ridiculous amount when it first goes into the pot, especially if the cabbage reaches right to the top. Give it a gentle stir, add a little more water if necessary, and then let the heat begin doing the work.

   As the cabbage cooks, it will quickly wilt, soften, and reduce in volume. What initially looks like an overflowing pot gradually becomes a rich mixture of vegetables suspended in the tomato broth.

   

7. Step 7

   Simmer until the carrots are tender

   Cover the pot and let everything cook gently together until the vegetables have softened.

   The carrots are the best way to judge when this stage is finished, because they take the longest to cook. Taste or pierce one occasionally. Once the carrots are tender, the zucchini and cabbage should also be nicely cooked.

   During this time, the beans become softer, the cabbage absorbs the tomato and spices, and the broth becomes increasingly flavourful.

   There should still be a reasonable amount of liquid left in the pot when the carrots are done. You need that liquid for the final stage.

   Taste the broth at this point as well. If necessary, adjust the salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, or curry powder before adding the bulgur.

   

8. Step 8

   Add the bulgur

   Once the carrots are tender, reduce the heat to its lowest setting.

   Pour the bulgur evenly into the pot and gently stir it through the vegetables and broth. Try to distribute it throughout the liquid rather than leaving it sitting in one large pile.

   This is where the dish begins to transform.

   The bulgur slowly absorbs the tomato-rich broth, carrying with it all of the flavour from the onions, garlic, curry powder, pepper, chilli, vegetables, and beans.

   

9. Step 9

   Cover and let the bulgur absorb the broth

   Place the lid on the pot and leave it over very low heat.

   From here, there is very little you need to do. Let the bulgur slowly absorb the remaining water while the trapped steam finishes cooking everything together.

   Avoid repeatedly opening the lid or stirring the pot. Keeping it covered allows the temperature to remain gentle and even.

   As the liquid disappears, the dish will change from something resembling a vegetable soup into a much thicker and heartier meal. The bulgur swells, the tomato broth clings to everything, and the vegetables become completely integrated into the dish.

10. Step 10

    Let it rest

    Once the bulgur is tender and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat.

    Keep the lid on and allow the pot to rest for a few minutes.

    This final rest is surprisingly important. The bulgur continues to absorb the last traces of moisture, the texture becomes more cohesive, and the flavours have a chance to settle.

    When you finally lift the lid, gently mix everything together. Taste once more and adjust the salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, or curry powder if needed.

    What you are left with should be warm, soft, and incredibly comforting: tender vegetables and beans surrounded by tomato-coated bulgur, with sweetness from the onions and cabbage, gentle heat from the red pepper flakes, and the warm savoury depth of curry powder running through the entire pot.

    Serve it warm, straight from the pot.

    

11. Step 11

    Optional: Meal Prep It

    This recipe works especially well for meal prep. Once everything has finished cooking, let the pot cool slightly before dividing it between containers.

    A full batch makes around 7 generous servings of approximately 330 g each, making it easy to portion out lunches or dinners for the week.

    Because the bulgur continues to absorb a little moisture as it sits, the dish usually becomes even more cohesive after resting. When reheating, add a small splash of water if it feels too thick, then warm it gently until heated through.

    For the best texture, store the portions in airtight containers in the refrigerator and reheat only what you need. It is filling, easy to transport, and the tomato, spices, vegetables, and bulgur hold up very well as a make-ahead meal.

Per serving

Energy

251kcal

Protein

9g

Carbs

37g

Fat

6g