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…
Made this for the second time. It is fantastic! I made it exactly as written. I love the splash of lemon juice at the end. I served this with some grilled chicken to my omnivore husband and I had it as my main dish. Really easy and flavorful! I was tempted to throw in some Spanish olives , maybe halved. Thoughts?
Yes, I think that would be quite good!
Made this last night with black beans instead of chickpeas and cilantro instead of parsley since that’s what I had on hand. It was delicious!! A big hit! Will definitely make again!
I’m so budget I just made this with what I had, which was no artichokes or fresh parsley, and it was still delicious! I threw some dried parsley in there for color.
Thank you! Loved to know it worked, because artichokes are very expensive in my neck of the woods and I never have fresh herbs on hand.
Made this for dinner last night on a whim. Probably one of the best dishes I have cooked. Used basmati rice instead of long grain and no parsley, but seriously such good flavors. I’m a vegetarian and always looking for new flavorful, easy, and cheap recipes; I am so glad I discovered your website. I really like how you show pictures of the steps and how much everything costs. Going to try your shakshuka next.
This looks delicious. I just found your website and am determined to try the naan recipe. Thanks. It looks like you’re both a talented cook and a talented writer!
Great flavor. I added some hot sauce to the base. However, rice needed more time to cook for me. Great recipe, regardless. It is similar to a recipe my host mom would make for me in Spain.
This was so good! I had it for lunch three days in a row and probably could have eaten it for three more if there had been any left.
I only had brown rice on hand so I let it cook for 40 minutes instead of the 20 but it was well worth the wait.
Awesome recipe, and awesome website in general! Love that you have so many vegetarian recipes in here. The web really lacks some good vege websites.
Holy crap, this was amazing. We didn’t have parsley, but am going to add it in next time I make this…Which will be in a few days, most likely. I’m disappointed that I have to share this with my husband.
Stunned. This is the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried, and it turned out amazing. I’m obsessed with it. I did it first as a “student on a tight budget” meal but I liked it so much that I’m going to cook it for my parents tonight. Will definitely try out some of your other recipes as well!
Marvelous! I am a bit of a ninny when it comes to spicy, though, so I threw in some sour cream at the end that I had leftover from something else and it really cut down on the heat without having to modify the spices called for in the recipe.
Hi Beth,
I just wanted to thank you for this wonderful website. I stumbled upon this recipe and made it tonight. It came out so delicious.I also made your linguini with artichokes and spinach last week. It was sooooo delicious. I love your one-pot meal dishes. Keep up the great work on this site.
;-)
I’m so glad I finally tried this recipe. It’s got great flavor and so filling! The whole family loved it, and it will be making a regular appearance on our menu. I ended up using long grain brown rice and marinated artichoke hearts, because that’s what I had. I found the brown rice required an extra 1/2 cup of broth and a bit longer to fully cook, but it was worth it.
I made this last night in my rice cooker and it turned out great! However, I did sauté the garlic, onion, spices and rice steps in a separate skillet. I also substituted brown rice for white and used only 1 1/4 cup of vegetable broth. Then added everything to my aroma 8-cup rice cooker and set it to the brown rice setting. It was pretty full and I was worried it might not cook properly, but it turned out great! This will definitely be a staple. Thanks!!
How would you modify this to use farro?
That would take some experimenting, since farro needs a different ratio of liquid than rice.