Mediterranean Braised Chickpea Rice Bowls
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These Mediterranean Braised Chickpea Rice Bowls are loaded with cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach & a creamy hummus sauce that is super tasty. Simple and delish!
This recipe has been a staple in my kitchen for the last couple years, and I am just getting around to sharing it with all of you. It is one of those quick weeknight dinners that is satisfying AND healthy. PLUS it makes the best leftovers.
The idea for this recipe came from my Hummus Chickpea Pasta – another staple in my house. There was a day I was craving the flavor of that pasta, but wanted something lighter. So I ditched the pasta and just made the chickpea sauce. It was a magical creation that I find myself eating at least a couple times a month.
How to Make Mediterranean Braised Chickpea Rice Bowls
The braised chickpeas are seriously one of the easiest things you will every make. You just need one pan and a handful of ingredients.
First, you are going to cook up some cherry tomatoes. Once they are nice and tender add the seasonings, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, chickpeas and some water. Let that cook down for a few minutes so all of the flavors can come together.
Lastly, add hummus (I used plain) and garlic to the pan and stir until heated through. That’s it! You are ready to eat.
Spoon the chickpeas over a pile of hot rice and top it off with fresh parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and get to eating.
This tastes even better the next day – make a batch for meal prepping and you will have lunch ready to go in the fridge!
Mediterranean Braised Chickpea Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes halved
- salt & pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes optional
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes I used dry
- 8 oz frozen, chopped spinach unthawed
- 1-2 tbsp Italian seasoning to taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 4 oz hummus I used plain
- lemon wedges, parsley for serving
Instructions
- Add the rice and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat. Steam until all of the water has been absorbed – around 15 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking prepare the chickpeas. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt, pepper & red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring freequently. Cover and turn heat to low. Cook until the tomatoes are tender (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasoning and water to the pan. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and hummus to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Add rice to bowls and top with the chickpeas. Serve with parsley and lemon wedges.
Video
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Delicious and easy!
Thanks Shelby!
I made this tonight- I did use about 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 3 and added them with the tomatoes at the beginning, then added the last two minced with the hummus at the end. Served with basmati rice and some pita bread, it was so good!
Yummmmmm…never enough garlic! So glad you liked it!
This is one of my favorite dishes I have made from your site! So easy for weeknights. I subbed regular chickpeas for TJ’s Greek chickpeas.
Ummmmm…yum! Those TJs chickpeas are so good!
I love this recipe, I’ve made it several times now, I add extra veggies,…..red onion, yellow peppers, carrots and celery, the colours look so good and it tastes delicious!!!
This is so flavorful and filling. Its a fan favorite in my house!!
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Julie! So glad you liked it!
I’m not one to ever bother leaving reviews, but this recepie was just so damn good that I had to. Easy, quick and such a flavour bomb… Not kidding when I say this is one of the best recepies I’ve ever made. I changed it up a bit by instead of regular oil, sautéing everything in the one the sundried tomatoes came in, adding more garlic, less water, better than bouillon vegan chicken broth paste, fresh thyme, basil and parsley from my garden. I served my bowls with a side of fresh arugla and toasted sprouted bread instead of rice.
Quick, easy, and flavorful!! I did add cornstarch to thicken it up but kept everything else the same. Great recipe!
So glad you liked it 🎉
Wow! What an inspiring recipe! I am stuck at home in frozen Dallas this week, the roads are iced over and all the grocery stores are empty. I made this with what I had on hand including; asparagus, spring mix salad (instead of spinach,) olives and subbed tomato paste for the sun-dried tomatoes. I used turmeric, curry and red pepper flakes instead of the italian spices, and finally instead of hummus I braised the chickpeas and vegetables in broth, a little yogurt, tahini, lemon, garlic. I know, not even the same recipe at all 🙂 but I was so exited how good it was and wanted to thank you for the inspo!
So glad you were able to use up what you had on hand!!!
l have 2 question. 1. How much water for the chickpeas? 2.When you say unthawed spinach do you mean still frozen?
Hi Sarah – yes, the spinach is frozen. And it is 1/2 cup of water – it is listed in the ingredient list 🤗
Can’t say enough good things! I can make this with a baby on my hip and that is saying something, we both eat it up, so good 🙂
Yay! So glad you liked it!!!
Best thing you will eat!! So flavorful. We add cucumber and feta on top.
This recipe is SO GOOD! The flavor is so good. It is a staple in our house and my vegans and omnis both love it! It is a quick prep and just as good the next day so I double it. Two thumbs up–I’d give it 10 stars if I could!
Thanks Lisa! So glad you liked it!!!
This was soooo good. First time I’ve ever had whole chickpeas and enjoyed them.
So glad you liked it! And so glad you tried out whole chickpeas – I love to add them to bowls, salads or pasta for some quick protein/fiber 🙂
I’m making this tonight! P.S. What pans are you using? 🙂
Yay! I hope you love it! And I am using a pan from “Our Place” in this recipe 🙂
I made this last night for dinner with brown rice and it was delicious! I didn’t have spinach so used frozen kale and only a half a package of my dried tomatoes were left which was about 2 1/2 ounces. I imagine another handful would’ve made it even more delicious. Great recipe!
So glad you liked it Mardy! And glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand 🙂