Chickpea Bowls (with garlicky yogurt and roasted lemon)
Healthy, nourishing, deeply satisfying, and carrying the faint perfume of roasted lemon, these Chickpea Bowls are a fantastic vegetarian main course that leave you wanting nothing … except for seconds.
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Olive oil, as directed
- 2 sweet onions
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend, either homemade or or store-bought
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock, of you don’t care if it’s veggie)
- Two, 14.5-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt is fine)
- Chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Place a sheet of parchment over a large baking sheet.
- Cut one whole onion and ½ of the other one into large pieces or wedges/petals (about 3/4 to 1-inch). Finely dice the remaining ½ onion.Â
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the diced onion, half of the garlic, and ½ of the shawarma spice. Stir to toast everything for about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook according to the package directions, replacing the water with stock.Â
- Meanwhile, place the chickpeas, tomatoes, onion petals, and lemon slices on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons-ish). Season generously with salt, pepper, and the remaining Shawarma seasoning (you can use as much as you want. More = merrier). Roast until golden and browned; about 15 minutes or so.Â
- Meanwhile (again!), combine the yogurt and remaining minced garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little water to thin if needed. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To serve, pile the cooked, seasoned rice onto plates and top with the roasted chickpeas and veggies, arranging roasted lemon slices over top. Shower with chopped cilantro and serve with big dollops of the garlicky yogurt (or you can serve this on the side).