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.
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…
This was good. SO GOOD. I even forgot to toast/fry the rice and it still turned out to be impressive! I also cheated as I added real saffron strands, but still. This dish is a winner! It is a rice an bean ultimate makeover! I didn’t get that still hungry feeling I normally get when I eat a dish without meat. 5 big stars!!!
Made this for the second time with ingredients I had on hand. I love the spice blend that gives this rice its flavour, so kept that the same. I didn’t have the chickpeas or artichokes, so made the rice as listed with everything else except those 2 ingredients. I added in half of a green bell pepper diced up and about a 1/2 cup of Chorizo sausage that was diced up small. During the last few minutes before I served it, I added some frozen shrimp which quickly thawed. Super delicious. The mix of the spices is what makes this so tasty. I’ve made a paste with the spices and oil and used it to marinate chicken breasts. Thanks for another amazing recipe that can be altered depending on what you have on hand. Love it!
I am happy I got around to make this tonight! My variations were: added 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika as my partner & I love it; added half frozen diced green capsicum (green bell pepper) for some green as I did not have parsley on hand, I added this frozen when the onions were softened; added a 400g can (14-15oz) of drained sweet corn kernels for colour and sweetness, this went in when the chickpeas & tomatoes went in; did not use lemon (forgot to). Served with leftover shredded rotisserie chicken. The rice dish was delicious, thank you so much for the recipe Beth =)
I made this tonight and it was so easy and delicious!
Total weeknight dinner home run: delicious, filling, healthy and barely any dishes to clean! I was worried that it would be bland, but the toasted rice and lemon squeeze at the end really make all the flavors pop. I foresee this becoming a regular.
Made this last night and it was delish! And so simple to make. I used brown rice but didn’t adjust the liquid measures and it turned out fine. Plus my kids (aged 3 and 16 months) ate it all! A miracle! In fact Miss 16 months ate half of mine too! Thanks from a happy mum in New Zealand!
Just made this, and it was so good! Had some boneless, skinless chicken that I needed to use up as well, so made a paste with olive oil and the amount of the dry spices and garlic used in the rice recipe. I lightly spread a bit on each chicken breast placed them on the indoor grill. Too. Die. For. Best meal I’ve made in a long time, and my husband loved it. Thanks so much!
Just made this with long grain brown rice. Added about 1/2 cup more liquid and 20 minutes more cooking time. Check a few times for rice-doneness and enough liquid as you go past the first 20 minutes. Also oven-roasted the zucchini, about 20 min, checked after first 15. Cut on the diagonal as in the original recipe.
Plus, I brought in my own one-cup measure and wrote down on my list the scan # for the bulk-bin rice, both learned from you Beth!
I made this this afternoon and it was super easy and flavorful! I did use brown rice because it’s what I had and simmered for 30 min, but probably could have gone to 35-40. I also added shrimp in the last few minutes of simmering to add some protein and it was perfect. So good!
We have been trying to alternate meat and Plant based protein meals for the last year due to health concerns and budget issues. Finding good non meat recipes has been a bit of a challenge so we gave this a try. My husband and I liked it, but the kids (ages 6 & 4) found it a little spicy. I added a dollop of plain yogurt to their plates and they mixed it in and found it was more to their liking. Thanks for helping us find healthy and affordable food choices!
I modified this a bit, most significantly I used chopped cauliflower in place of rice to cut carbs, it tasted great! Added chicken sausage too. Since there was no rice I didn’t need the broth, the extra water in the diced tomatoes was plenty. Loved it!
This looks great. I love Spanish food.
Check out Jose Andreas cook book for how to make Paella. It takes a lot of time and love but his recipe works for me every time. I’ve altered it for fish, chicken, chorizo.
I made this yesterday and it is delicious!
I used River Brand long grain brown rice and adjusted the recipe as follows: In step 3 I added only the tomatoes and liquid to the pan with the rice, then cooked the rice for 20 minutes, then added the rest of the ingredients and cooked for an additional 20 minutes. I did add a little bit more broth than called for but didn’t measure it. This method worked great for me! I also used fire roasted diced tomatoes to add a bit more smokiness.
This looks delicious! How would you adjust the recipe for brown rice? Thank you!
I’d have to do a little testing to see. But, in general, brown rice needs more liquid and a longer cooking time, so I’d probably start by trying 2 cups of broth and simmering for 30-45 minutes.
hiya! Yours is rapidly becoming get my new favourite food site. I tried this recipe today (with Arborio rice) and it is lovely
I even added some leftover pomegranate seeds I had from the back of the fridge and the extra colour and sweetness was great.