Egyptian Koshary (vegan friendly)

This is not the prettiest of pictures of koshary by any means but I had to make a huge batch of it to share at my son's cultural day at school today and thought I'd share the recipe with you all because it's so fantastic! Background on koshary: It is one of Egypt's mainstay foods, fast food if you will. There are koshary restaurants and koshary stands in every neighborhood in Egypt. You can get a humongous bowl of it for pennies in Egypt and it fills you up for HOURS. I know many of you are not soda drinkers, but for some reason, koshary tastes fantastic when accompanied by an ice cold 7-Up. Egyptians are very passionate about their koshary. I should know, I married one. Lol. It's tasty, easy, and vegan. Enjoy!

Egyptian Koshary
4 cups of cooked rice
4 cups of cooked green or brown lentils
4 cups of cooked elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)
2 cups of chickpeas (I use canned, much easier)
4 cups of tomato sauce (I usually use canned, but you can make your own with fresh tomatoes)
2 cups of chopped onions
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A splash of vinegar (optional, I just like the flavor)
1/2 Tablespoon (more or less) of cumin (also optional)
Salt to taste

Cook the rice, lentils, and macaroni separately and set aside.
Finely chop the onions and fry in 1 tablespoon of oil until very crispy and brown. Set aside.
Finely mince the garlic and fry in remaining oil. Add the tomato sauce to the garlic, a splash of vinegar (optional), and cumin (optional). Cook over medium heat until flavors are infused. Stir frequently.
Heat garbanzo beans, if desired.
For a single serving, layer the ingredients in a dish (Rice, lentils, macaroni, and chickpeas). Top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle fried onions on the top.

This is the traditional way to do it. Sometimes, if I'm lazy, I will just cook the rice, lentils, and pasta together. It's just not as pretty that way.

Tailor however you want (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc.)

Serves 8

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (Per serving)
Calories: 446
Fat: 6 grams
Carbs: 73
Protein: 20
Sodium: 744