I’ll openly admit that I’ve tried to make paella on more than one occasion and failed miserably. It’s probably a combination of not having the right paella pan or not using the correct method, but I can never get it to turn out quite right. That being said, I still love the concept of cooking rice with a bunch of other super flavorful ingredients in one pot, so this Spanish Chickpeas and Rice, which is loosely based on paella, was born. No expensive seafood or saffron, but still tons of flavor in one dish.
P.S. You can make this in a rice cooker! Check out my recipe for the Rice Cooker Spanish Chickpeas and Rice.
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No Meat, Still Tons of Flavor
I wanted to go vegetarian for this recipe, so I subbed chickpeas for the meat and seafood usually found in paella. I added plenty of spices like smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, and oregano (flavors you’d normally find in chorizo), to make sure this dish had plenty going on. Artichoke hearts added flavor and texture, and helped make this dish more of a one pot meal than just a rice and bean pilaf. A little fresh lemon on top brightens the whole dish and gives it a slightly summery feel.
The results were stunning, both in flavor and appearance. I can definitely see myself making this Spanish Chickpeas and Rice over and over and trying new add-ins each time (spinach is next on my list!).
Can I Freeze Spanish Chickpeas and Rice?
Yes! This is a very freezer friendly dish. Just portion the recipe out into single serving containers, chill it completely in the refrigerator first, then transfer to the freezer later. This dish will last about 4-5 days in the refrigerator, or about 3 months in the freezer.
What Type of Skillet Should I Use?
It’s very important to use a thick, heavy cookware for one pot dishes like this. Thin pots and pans don’t transmit heat evenly, which may cause the rice to be undercooked in some areas and overcooked in others. I am using an OXO stainless steel deep covered skillet from this set (affiliate link), but a more affordable option could be something like Covered Fry Pan from Calphalon (affiliate link).
Looking for something to serve on the side with your Spanish Chickpeas and Rice? Try my Lemon Pepper Zucchini!
Spanish Chickpeas and Rice
Servings 4 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.36)
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice ($0.33)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.79)
- 1 15oz. can quartered artichoke hearts ($2.50)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($1.89)
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth* ($0.18)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.02)
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley ($0.22)
- 1 fresh lemon ( $0.25)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and add it to a large deep skillet along with the olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until soft and fragrant. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper to the skillet. Stir and sauté the spices in the hot oil for one more minute.
- Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Sauté the onion until it is soft and translucent (about 5 min). Add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes more.
- Drain the chickpeas and artichoke hearts, then add them to the skillet along with the can of diced tomatoes (with juices), vegetable broth, and a half teaspoon of salt. Roughly chop the parsley and add it to the skillet, reserving a small amount to sprinkle over the finished dish. Stir all the ingredients in the skillet until evenly combined.
- Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the skillet to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Make sure it’s simmering the whole time and adjust the heat up slightly if necessary to keep it simmering.
- After simmering for 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 5 minutes without removing the lid. Finally, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and top with the remaining chopped parsley. Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze the fresh juice over each bowl.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Spanish Chickpeas and Rice – Step by Step Photos
Start by mincing two cloves of garlic. Sauté the garlic in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, in a large deep skillet, over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant. (Dice one yellow onion while the garlic is sautéing.)
Add 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill) to the skillet.
Sauté the spices in the hot oil for about a minute. This toasts the spices and brings out their maximum flavor.
Add the diced onion to the skillet and continue to sauté until the onion is soft and transparent (5 minutes or so).
Add one cup of uncooked long-grain white rice to the skillet. Stir and cook the rice for about two minutes. It should sound like it is snap, crackling, and popping. This toasts the rice and gives it a bit of extra flavor.
Drain one 15oz can of chickpeas and 1 15oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts. Add both to the skillet along with one 15oz. can of diced tomatoes, with all its juices.
Finally, add 1.5 cups of vegetable broth. Roughly chop about 1/4 bunch of parsley. Reserve a small amount of the parsley to sprinkle over the finished dish, and add the rest to the skillet. Stir all the ingredients together until evenly combined.
Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the skillet to come up to a boil, then turn it down to low. Let it simmer over low for 20 minutes. Make sure the skillet is simmering the whole time and adjust the heat up slightly if needed to keep it simmering. After it simmers for 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed with the lid in place for five more minutes. Then it should look like the photo above.
Fluff the rice with a fork and top with the reserved parsley. Cut the lemon into quarters and squeeze the juice over each serving. Your Spanish Chickpeas and Rice is now complete!
Beans and rice never tasted so good…
Mmm these spices made everything smell delicious! Followed others’ suggestions and used a full large can of fire roasted tomatoes, which turned out great. Only had brown rice on hand so it needed almost an hour to cook, but totally worth it. Made lots of leftovers for the rest of my week too!
Hello. Can this be eaten cold for lunch the next day? Is this ideal for meal prep for lunches where you cannot reheat?
I’ve never tried this one cold, but I feel like I would like it hot a lot better.
This is one of my favorite budget bytes recipes! I love these leftovers both cold and reheated. But I grew up eating a rice artichoke salad my mother would make and serve cold. So maybe that’s why it doesn’t seem so odd to me!
Made this tonight for the first time and both my husband and I loved it! So simple and very budget-friendly. We had it on its own, but would also be delicious a side dish with fish or chicken. We will be making this one again!
Absolutely delicious.
Having it with Peruvian Chicken.
Tomorrow night will accompany with shrimp scampi..
Sounds delicious.. Cant wait to try it. Any recommendations on how to substitute brown rice? Thanks!
Substituting brown rice will change the cooking time and amount of liquid needed. I can’t say exactly how much without testing the recipe out with the brown rice. A previous reader noted, “The last several times I switched to brown rice, upped the broth to 2 cups & cooked it 15 min longer. Turns out great.”
Greetings from London. I was looking for a side dish to go with grilled sea bream. But this was so amazing we ate it on its own with some white Spanish Rioja wine, green salad and feta cheese.
We just redid our kitchen and hadn’t bought an induction compatible skillet yet. Made it In a wok instead. Still turned out wonderfully.. Thanks so much
Made this tonight, and it turned out amazing! I used 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2 (I love garlic!), less oil, and added ~1/4tsp of chilli powder when adding the spices for added heat.
I did not use artichoke hearts, as they were hard to find, and instead I used a can of corn kernels.
I didn’t use a lid on the pot during cooking; only at the end, when I’d removed the pot from the heat, to trap steam for about 5 minutes and make the rice more fluffy.
I served it alongside homemade tortilla crisps I had made by cutting up a tortilla and putting them in the oven on high heat for 5 minutes. They really added to the texture!
It was a hit, and I will definitely be making it again!
I actually have some saffron that I need to use. Do you have any recommendations on how to incorporate it? Thanks!
Hi Meredith, I actually don’t have experience working with saffron (it’s so dang expensive!). I think a lot of times people steep it in a liquid to extract the flavor, but I bet adding it to the mix before it simmers would have the same effect.
Thanks! I ground the strands and then soaked them in warm water before adding them to the spices in the beginning. Turned out great.
This recipe is PHENOMENAL. And it’s super easy to make. I would have never picked this recipe out from the crowd, but my boyfriend did and I’m soooo glad we tried it. This dish is a mood lifter. Really enjoyed eating a tasty vegetarian dish. The lemon and parsley really make the flavor amazing. I can’t wait to make this again.
My bf is diabetic type 2 so I try to cook low carb and low sugar. (We’ve loved many of your recipes, thank you!) so do you think I could sub the rice with farro? Or can you recommend anything else to replace the rice?
That *might* work but you’ll probably need to adjust the amount of liquid and cooking time to match the needs of the farro, which would probably take a little testing. Unfortunately I don’t have any options off the top of my head for what could be a low carb replacement in this one. I’d need to do a lot of testing to find something that works.
Not sure what I did wrong here, but I followed the instructions to a T and mine didn’t turn out like the photos. It’s a dishwater brown color, and the rice was mushy rather than fluffy. The smoked paprika kind of overpowered everything and otherwise it just tastes like tomato. I’ve liked every other recipe here that I’ve tried, but this one was a miss for me :(
Made this for the first time tonight, and it will be added to the rotation! I love that it uses shelf stable items. I added fresh spinach from our garden as well. Do you think this recipe would work well if doubled and cooked all together? I really like the idea of making a big batch and freezing.
Thank you!
Doubled would be fantastic!
So flavorful and delicious! At the store they only had canned diced tomatoes that had habañero in them, but it gave the dish an awesome kick, along with some extra cayenne! Will definitely make again and again!
Is it possible to make this without tomatoes?
I wouldn’t recommend it as the tomatoes really bring great flavor to this dish.
I have made this MANY times, both when I am not eating meat and when I am eating meat. It is very filling and flavorful, and it makes great leftovers. Also a good way to have a dairy-free meal (I need to cut back on cheese big time). The only thing I do differently is add 2 cans of diced tomatoes instead of one based on personal preference. Thanks for the great recipe!
Ha! I’m reading the comments because I just made this for the first time and I *accidentally* doubled the tomatoes: I put in an entire 29 oz. can of tomatoes when the recipe calls for a 15 oz can. Good to know it still turns out nicely!