Mediterranean Rice Bowl (Print View)
Fluffy rice topped with chickpeas, fresh veggies, feta, and lemon-tahini dressing for a wholesome Mediterranean meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Rice
01 - 1 cup basmati or long-grain rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Proteins
04 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
→ Vegetables
05 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
06 - 1 cucumber, diced
07 - 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
09 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
→ Toppings
10 - 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
→ Lemon-Tahini Dressing
12 - 3 tablespoons tahini
13 - 1 lemon, juiced
14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
15 - 1 clove garlic, minced
16 - 2 tablespoons water
17 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
18 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
# How to Make:
01 - Rinse rice under cold water until the water runs clear. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, water, salt, and pepper until smooth. Adjust consistency with more water if needed.
03 - Divide cooked rice among 4 bowls. Top each with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and red bell pepper.
04 - Sprinkle each bowl with crumbled feta and chopped parsley.
05 - Drizzle generously with lemon-tahini dressing. Serve immediately.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The lemon tahini dressing alone is worth making this, and it doubles as a dip for practically anything.
- Everything comes together in one session without a single pan crowding your stovetop.
02 -
- Tahini behaves unpredictably and sometimes seizes when mixed with lemon juice, so add the juice slowly while whisking vigorously.
- Letting the rice steam covered off the heat for those extra five minutes is the difference between fluffy grains and a sticky mess.
03 -
- Taste the dressing on an actual piece of cucumber rather than from a spoon, because the vegetables change how you perceive the seasoning.
- Warm the tahini jar gently in a bowl of hot water before measuring, because cold tahini is stubborn and nearly impossible to whisk smooth.