This delicious dinner is made with chickpeas and rice with Mediterranean spices, juicy olives, bell peppers, and a burst of lemon. It's totally scrumptious and super easy to make in just one pot!
I'm all about one-pot rice and bean recipes. My one-pot Spanish rice and beans and one-pot Mexican rice and beans are among two of my favorite weeknight dinners. They're so delicious, satisfying, and best of all, EASY!
So I decided I needed more one-pot rice and beans in my life, and this time I took things in a different direction. Today we're making chickpeas and rice with a Mediterranean flare. This one is just as easy as my first two, but with a whole different vibe... were' talking bright, lemony flavor, along with olives, red peppers, and a delicious mix of Mediterranean spices.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil. Other high-heat oils will work, but olive oil will give your dish the best flavor.
- Onion.
- Red bell pepper.
- Garlic.
- Spices. You'll need ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric. All of these are available in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.
- Vegetable broth.
- Basmati rice. Basmati rice works really well for this dish. It has a wonderful texture and flavor! If you have another type of long grain rice that you'd like to substitute, go right ahead, keeping in mind that you might need to adjust the amount of liquid and/or cook time. Brown rice in particular will take much longer to cook and generally requires more liquid.
- Chickpeas. We'll be using a can of chickpeas to keep things simple.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice just can't compete in terms of flavor!
- Lemon zest.
- Kalamata olives.
- Fresh parsley. I prefer flat leaf parsley for this dish, but curly works too.
- Salt & pepper.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Begin by heating your olive oil in a large pot, then add diced onion and bell pepper. Sweat the vegetables for a few minutes, until they start to soften.
Now add minced garlic and all of your spices. Cook the mixture briefly, until the garlic and spices become very fragrant. Stir everything constantly to prevent burning.
Tip: If possible, choose a pot with a tightly fitting lid, as you'll need to cover it later during cooking. If you don't have one, no worries! Just cover it tightly with foil.
Stir in the chickpeas, rice, and broth. Raise the heat to high.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat so that it's just barely simmering.
Cover the pot and let everything simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed. When it's done, let the pot sit with the lid on for about five minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, olives, and parsley. Give the rice a taste and season it with as much salt and pepper as you like.
Tip: It's best to avoid lifting the lid to peek at rice while it cooks. A pot with a clear lid can be really handy for keeping an eye on things if you're not sure how long it usually takes on your stove top.
Dish up your chickpeas and rice, then dig in!
Tip: While this one is meant to be a main dish, it makes a great side as well. Try pairing it up with something like my balsamic tofu steaks or vegan meatloaf muffins.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftovers of this dish will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days, or in the freezer for about three months.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
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📖 Recipe
One-Pot Mediterranean Chickpeas & Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¾ cup pitted Kalamata olives
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat.
- Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion and bell pepper. Sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring them occasionally, until the pepper begins to soften and the onion begins to become translucent
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Sauté the mixture for about a minute, until it becomes very fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the broth, rice, and chickpeas. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat until the liquid is just at a low simmer. Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove the pot from heat and let the mixture sit with the lid on for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, olives, and parsley. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide onto plates and serve.
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I'm a full-time nomad traveler, and I appreciate simple recipes with lots of flavor because the spices/ingredients listed aren't always available or are very expensive in other countries. I made this recipe in Brazil, with green olives and without turmeric. My partner and I really enjoyed it; in a country where they eat a lot of meat, we cook our meals most of the time, and this one was really great!
Very Spanish influence and very good ..thank you
I prepared this for my 92-year old aunt, and we both loved it! I had some tomatoes I wanted to use up, so I added them and reduced the water to compensate. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. Thank you for sharing—it’s a keeper!
With this combination of spices it tastes like curry. Not Mediterranean at all.
Sorry if you didn't like it! The Mediterranean is a big region and you'll find a wide variety of flavors and spices in the cuisine. The ones I've used in this dish are actually pretty common.
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/must-have-mediterranean-spices/
https://oldwayspt.org/blog/your-guide-mediterranean-spices
I just ate a bowl and wow is it delish!!! Followed the recipe exactly as written. My son and daughter-in-law were dropping in and they loved it, too!!! At first, I forgot the olives but was able to add them while we were eating and YUM!!! Thank you for an easy one pot dish.