Chickpeas and Rice

jkworth's Note:

This is a recipe that I got from a vegetarian cookbook and made a few modifications to. We have fallen for this dish and now make it a few times a month. My two year old also loves it. We tried it out on some non-vegetarians and they all loved it.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄3; cup parsley
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄3; cup parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup basmati rice (uncooked)
• 2 cups water

Directions:

1. Cook water, rice, thyme, and bay leaf and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and half of the butter in a skillet and then add chickpeas.
3. When chickpeas start to lightly brown (about 5 mins) add parsley and the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add oregano, basil, salt, and pepper and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and mix rice and chickpeas together until rice is a golden color.
6. Mix in remaining butter (cubed) and Parmesan cheese.

Reviews

[happygraycloud]

100% delicious. I found this recipe by searching for the two ingredients I knew I had: chickpeas and rice. I always have spices on hand so this a great recipe to try. I had to make a few substitutions though. I used 5min white rice instead of basmati. I didn't have parsley so I left it out, and I didn't have tomatoes so that was left out too (I cannot wait to try it with though!) It seems like a lot of spices, but oh my goodness, it is SO GREAT! I squeezed a little lemon juice just for a tang and because I love lemons. I was hesitant about the cheese, but it ended up binding everything together nicely. I used the full amount of butter and oil because those tend to make things taste more hearty. This will feed me for a few days, which is great because this is an inexpensive meal that is PACKED with flavor. I cracked open a bottle of white wine and felt gourmet, and all of this came from rice and chickpeas. Mmmm. Will be making this again often!

I'm vegetarian, but this would be an excellent, easy, quick dish for a potluck or as a side with chicken. I would also consider putting white wine in with this dish in place of oil/butter, which I will try next time.

Maybe as a suggestion, use a little less salt. The salt kind of overpowered everything after a few spoonfuls. The other spices make that amount of salt a little unnecessary. Maybe half the salt and more lemon :) Just my preference though!

[frozen_rain]

So delicious! I halved the butter and oil, and I still adore this dish.

[Greeny4444]

Great dish. The spices all worked really well and I love chickpeas, so that's a winner, too. I cut the oil and butter in half, and the recipe didn't specify, but I drained the chickpeas. I think I might leave some liquid in them next time. I used 3 tsp. dried parsley, just a shake of salt and several turns of fresh ground pepper. I didn't have sun-dried tomatoes, but I am excited to try it with them next time. I served this to 3 people, along with broccoli, as a side to baked fish. I'm happy I have enough for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for posting this.