Bulgur Wheat Recipe with Fried Eggs (2024)

Bulgur wheat is a whole grain that cooks by simply pouring over boiling water! How to make it into a meal? Here’s an easy bulgur wheat recipe.

You know those 30-minute meals that are 30 minutes only if you cooked three ingredients in advance and can chop vegetables like a speed racer? This bulgur wheat recipe is not one of those meals. Instead, it’s easy, quick, and requires no forethought. Yes, this recipe was born out of an idea for using up some of our pantry and refrigerator ingredients. What Alex and I love about bulgur wheat is that it doesn’t even require “cooking”: you simply pour boiling water over it and wait a few minutes until the grains become tender. Keep reading for the recipe and more about bulgur wheat!

Related:10 Brain Food Recipes to Boost Your Mood

What is bulgur wheat?

First of all: what exactly is bulgur wheat? Bulgur wheat is a whole grain. It’s made of the cracked parboiled groats of several different wheat species, most often durum wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine. Ever had tabbouleh? It’s made of bulgur wheat.

Bulgur wheat comes in different grind sizes, which changes the cooking time significantly. We like to cook with fine-grind and medium-grind bulgur wheat, which is the quickest cooking. Generally we avoid coarse-ground or extra-coarse bulgur, since it takes longer to cook. For more specifics on types of bulgur, go to How to Make Bulgur.

Is bulgur gluten free? Bulgur wheat is made of wheat, so it’s not gluten-free. If you eat a gluten-free diet, substitute quinoa instead. Here’s How to Make Quinoa.

How to make this bulgur wheat recipe

Bulgur wheat has become a favorite of ours because it cooks so quickly! How to make it? Here are the basic steps (see the full recipe below):

• Heat up water to boiling. Place the bulgur wheat in a bowl, then pour the water over it.
• Let it stand for 7 minutes for fine-grind bulgur or 15 minutes for medium-grind bulgur.

As it sits, the grains absorb all the water and the grains become large and tender. It “cooks” without having to cook on the stovetop! Which seems like it’s not cooking at all. We usually make it in a big batch of bulgur wheat so we can eat it throughout the week.

Or, do you have an Instant Pot? You also can cook bulgur in a pressure cooker: see our Instant Pot Bulgur Wheat recipe.

Add veggies and top with a fried egg

How to make this bulgur wheat recipe into a meal? Sautee some spinach, mushrooms, and white beans to serve along side the bulgur. Then top it off with a fried egg! You could substitute other greens or grains in this recipe to fit your tastes and time constraints. What really makes the dish is the smoked paprika! Sprinkling this bright powder over everything adds a smoky savoriness to the entire recipe. We’d recommend using it if you can find it.

This bulgur wheat recipe is perfect for a weeknight or even a hearty brunch! Alex and I made it in just 30 minutes in our kitchen! Working together, we even had time read, chat, and clean up in between. We hope it’s inspiration for quick dinners to come in your own kitchen!

Looking for more easy dinner recipes?

Outside of this bulgur wheat recipe, here are a few of our favorite easy dinner recipes:

• Seared Salmon Poke Bowl
• Mushroom Pasta with Goat Cheese
• 5 Minute Seared Tuna Recipe
• 14 Egg Recipes for Dinner
• Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
• Vegetarian Carbonara
• Grilled Mango Tacos with Dream Sauce
• Avocado Black Bean Vegetarian Quesadilla
• Peanut Noodles with Napa Cabbage Recipe
• 50 Quick and Easy Family Meals

This bulgur wheat recipe is…

Vegetarian and dairy-free.

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