Apple bulgur pilaf is healthy, delicious and cooked in one pan. With all the nutritional benefits of apples and bulgur, and with turkey as your protein, this dish is not only good for you, it’s also filling and very tasty.
Disclosure: This Apple Bulgur Pilaf post is sponsored by Ontario Apple Growers but all photos, words and opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting the brands and organizations that support me!
Welcome to the last instalment of our delicious apple trilogy! I absolutely loved working with Ontario Apple Growers.
And I feel very lucky to live in Ontario where, according to OAG, “close to 20 different varieties of apples are grown on 16,000 acres. The province’s major apple-producing areas…are spread along the shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. These large, deep bodies of water help moderate temperatures, which makes Ontario an ideal place to grow apples!” <happy dance>
For my last recipe, I’m thrilled to share one of our favourite weeknight meals – apple bulgur pilaf.
We love experimenting with different grains and whole wheats, and bulgur is right there at the top of our list!
Add healthy, delicious Ontario apples and you have a one pan meal that I hope becomes a favourite in your family too.
What is bulgur?
We first had bulgur at a Turkish restaurant near where we live. We loved it so much that the next day, we bought bulgur, started experimenting on a few dishes, and haven’t looked back since.
But what is it? Bulgur
is a type of whole wheat durum grain. It’s a common ingredient in Turkish, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
It’s a great source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants and phytonutrients. It is low in fat, high in minerals and a good source of plant-based protein.
Plus, bulgur provides a very good dose of the dietary fibre you need for digestive and heart health (source).
Related: Healthy Superfood Breakfast Cookies (with video)
Apple bulgur pilaf
There are many ways to prepare bulgur but usually, we cook bulgur similarly to how we cook rice, couscous
, quinoa
or barley
– boiled, fried like rice or a combination of both.
This time, we made delicious pilaf filled with amazing and tasty ingredients and spices. We usually eat this on its own though it also works great as a side dish to your heartier meals.
Honeycrisp apples
If you recall my first two apple recipes, I chose Empire apples for its tartness and crispiness then Golden Delicious for its sweet mellow taste (remember: always look for the Foodland logo when buying apples to make sure you’re getting only the best and freshest Ontario apples).
For this recipe, we went with Honeycrisp – nice, sweet and juicy! We cooked some of the apples then added diced apples towards the end for that extra crunch. It is delicious.
Complete meal in one pot
This apple bulgur pilaf has everything you need! It has ground turkey, vegetables and spices that bring everything together.
And it just goes to show how versatile apples are. They’re awesome fresh, in desserts or in savoury dishes. Here’s a great apple usage guide to help you find your favourite apple variety and how best to use it.
Hope you enjoyed our apple trilogy as much as we did! Remember, an apple a day!
Apple Bulgur Pilaf with Turkey and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 pc onion diced
- 2 pcs red or yellow bell pepper diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups uncooked bulgur
- 2 pcs Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored and shredded
- 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 pc Honeycrisp apple cored and diced
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all spices until combined. Set aside.
- In a large skillet on medium high heat, stir onions and bell peppers in oil for 4-5 minutes. Then remove from pan and set aside.
- Place ground turkey in the same pan and brown until almost all the liquid from the meat has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
- Put back onions and bell pepper in pan. Add spices, garlic and tomato paste. Stir until combined.
- Add bulgur, shredded apples and stir. Then add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the temperature and simmer for another 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is cooked.
- Add diced apples, chopped walnuts and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Serve with shopped parsley.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy cooking!
Did you make apple bulgur pilaf? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
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Akamatra
We make pilaf all the time it’s my favorite side! I haven’t tried it like this but I am inspired to!
CourtneyLynne
Omg can we say yum?!?! This is definitely one unique recipe that I need to add to my list of things to make! Looks beyond deliciousness
Dalene
These sure looks so yummy! Good for lunch for me! I didn’t know that apples could be cooked sine I eat them raw. Eating such would be such an adventure for me…but I’d obviously finish the whole plate now that it looks this yummy!
Jolina
We love cooking and baking with apples (and eating them raw too). Hope you like the recipe!
Kartika
I’m drooling over here. That looks really healthy and delicious . Great recipe!
Erica Schwarz
What a healthy recipe. So loaded with vitamins and fiber! Will have to try this soon.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
Love the spice profile here. Apples and nuts are are a great combination. Bulgar is a wonderful, nutty ingredient, yet I think one of those ingredients that is not used often enough. This would make a great lunch or dinner any night of the week. Perfect as a brunch item too.
Mindy
This looks delicious. I am always searching for new weeknight meals. Thanks for sharing!
Matt Kearns
What a hearty looking pilaf! It has such a great mix of flavors! Well done!
Laura Dove
Oh wow so many flavours, that sounds so delicious and tasty! Turkey can be quite bland in my opinion so its important to get lots of flavours in with it, I am so going to try this!
Aditya
Hmmm i love everything with apple and I would love to give this a shot. Especially in Summer. Thanks for the recipe. And not only that, I might use this to have a party.
Neely Moldovan
This sounds really interesting. I love the flavor combos. I would love to try it!
Wendy
How can you go wrong with one pan cooking? At my house we just can’t get enough of apples! However, we are all gluten free so I was wondering if you had a suggestion to substitute the wheat based product with yet keep the rest of the recipe the same because it looks great!
Jolina
Hi Wendy! I’m not am expert but here’s a resource I found – https://www.runtastic.com/blog/en/glutenfree-plenty-alternatives/ Hope it’s helpful!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
That’s a lot of varieties of apples!!! Honey Crisp is definitely on the tip top of my faves! This looks so good, Jolina. Love the heartiness of bulgar and then paired with crispy, juicy, sweet apples? Pure perfection, my friend! What a delicious lunch! Hope you have a lovely week, my friend 🙂
Hannah Denton
I’ve never heard of Bulgar! I love the sound of it. I really like Sri Lankan recipes and they sound super similar! I might cook this for valentines tomorrow, eeek!
Alison Rost
I love that it has a lot of nutrients that’s really good for your health. I’m sure it’s lovely. I’ve never tasted bulgur before but now I can, thanks to your recipe.