Greek Main Courses
Fakorizo Recipe (Greek Lentils and Rice)
Φακόρυζο fah-KOH-ree-zoh · Fakorizo
Photo: Mixture of rice and lentils.JPG by Meganbeckett27, CC BY-SA 3.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Fakorizo is brown lentils and rice simmered together in one pot until both are soft, finished with a hot dressing of olive oil and vinegar poured over just before serving. It is a humble, filling dish that carried Greek households through fasting periods and lean years alike.
Fakorizo takes fakes, the everyday Greek lentil soup, and combines it directly with rice cooked in the same pot, giving a thicker, more substantial dish that eats more like a pilaf than a soup. It belongs to the same frugal, deeply practical tradition as most Greek pulse cookery, built from cheap, storable pantry staples into something genuinely filling and good.
The technique could not be simpler: lentils and rice go into the same pot at slightly different points, since they cook at different rates, and simmer together until both are properly tender, with the starch from both thickening the whole dish into something substantial rather than soupy.
The finishing touch that many people skip and genuinely should not is the hot dressing, olive oil and vinegar warmed together and poured over the finished dish just before serving, which lifts what would otherwise be a plain, if filling, pot of lentils and rice into something with real brightness.
Key preparation steps
- Simmer brown lentils until nearly tender.
- Add rice and continue cooking until both are soft.
- Warm olive oil and vinegar together separately.
- Pour the hot dressing over the dish just before serving.
Timing the lentils and rice
Brown lentils take considerably longer to cook than rice, so they go into the pot first, simmered in plenty of water with a bay leaf for about twenty minutes, before the rice is added. This staggered timing is what lets both finish tender together rather than one being undercooked while the other turns to mush.
Cooking to the right consistency
Add the rice once the lentils are nearly tender, and continue simmering until both are fully soft and the dish has thickened into something between a very thick soup and a loose pilaf, adding a little more hot water along the way if it looks like drying out before everything is properly cooked through.
The hot oil and vinegar finish
Warm a generous amount of good olive oil with a splash of red wine vinegar in a small pan, just until hot, and pour this over the finished fakorizo right before serving, rather than stirring cold oil and vinegar through. The heat helps the dressing spread through and coat everything evenly, and this final bright, sharp note is genuinely what elevates the whole dish from merely filling to properly good.
Tips from my kitchen
Add the lentils first, then the rice
Lentils need considerably longer to cook. Staggering the two lets them finish tender together.
Do not skip the hot dressing
This final bright, sharp finish is genuinely what lifts the dish from plain to properly good.
Warm the oil and vinegar, don't just add them cold
The heat helps the dressing spread through and coat the dish evenly rather than sitting on top.
Fakorizo Recipe (Greek Lentils and Rice)
Φακόρυζο · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 10m
- Cook
- 40m
- Total
- 50m
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the lentils and put them in a pot with the bay leaf and water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the rice and continue simmering for 15 to 18 minutes, until both the lentils and rice are fully tender, adding a splash more hot water if it looks dry before they are done.
- Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
- Warm the olive oil and vinegar together in a small pan until hot but not smoking.
- Pour the hot oil and vinegar mixture over the fakorizo just before serving.
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 386
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Sat fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Fakorizo
What is the difference between fakorizo and fakes?
Fakes is a lentil soup on its own. Fakorizo adds rice cooked directly in the same pot, giving a thicker, more substantial dish closer to a pilaf than a soup.
Is fakorizo vegan?
Yes, entirely, made from lentils, rice, olive oil and vinegar, with no animal products at all, and it is a traditional Lenten dish for exactly that reason.
Why pour the oil and vinegar on hot rather than mixing it in while cooking?
Adding it right at the end, warmed, gives a brighter, more noticeable finish than if it were cooked into the dish throughout, where its sharpness would fade into the background.
