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Mediterranean Rice Bowl

Mediterranean Rice Bowls
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This Mediterranean rice bowl is ready in just 30 minutes, packed with colorful vegetables and bright flavors! I’m always looking for plant-based dinners that are both healthy and satisfying, and this is one I could truly eat on repeat. With fluffy turmeric rice, seasoned chickpeas, and creamy tzatziki—it’s a weeknight dinner homerun in my book!

Ingredients

Scale

For the chickpeas

  • 15-ounce can chickpeas
  • 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon each cumin and dried dill
  • 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the bowl

  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 handful cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • Pickled Red Onions (made in advance) or 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 handful olives, pitted and sliced
  • 1 handful feta cheese (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt*
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Make the rice: Using a strainer, rinse the rice under cold water, then drain it completely. In a saucepan over high heat, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, turmeric, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir once, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Return the rice to the pot (without the heat). Cover the pot and allow the rice to steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Taste and add a little more salt and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
  2. Make the tzatziki (or see notes for vegan Tahini Sauce): Meanwhile, grate 1/2 the cucumber using the small holes on a box grater (if using a standard cucumber, peel and seed it first). Place the grated cucumber in a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Sprinkle it with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, then place over a liquid measuring cup and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, dill, and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze out more water from the cucumber before adding it to the dip. Stir in the grated cucumber. Depending on your yogurt consistency, you can stir back in the cucumber water (or regular water) until it comes to the desired consistency (some Greek yogurts are very thick!). Stores up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
  3. Cook the chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a medium bowl, mix them with the spices and kosher salt.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the chickpeas (carefully to avoid spitting) and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until warmed through.
  4. Assemble the bowls: Slice the remaining half of the cucumber and slice the tomatoes in half. If using red onion instead of pickled onions, slice the onion. Add the rice to a bowl and top with the vegetables and chickpeas, then sprinkle with olives and feta crumbles and add a dollop of tzatziki. Leftovers last up to 3 days refrigerated.

Notes

To add protein, make the chicken from Greek Chicken Bowls.

To make this recipe vegan, make Tahini Sauce instead of the tzatziki and omit the feta cheese.

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/mediterranean-rice-bowl-recipe/