CHICKPEA VEGETABLE RICE PILAF

Chickpea Vegetable Rice Pilaf – A perfect simple side dish for when you fancy something a bit more flavourful than plain steamed rice. 

Simple Rice Pilaf

Have I mentioned how much I love rice? It’s probably one of my go-to sides because it’s super easy to cook and really filling too when combined with other foods. A great side for saucy dishes like curries and chilli etc.

Rice Pilaf just has a lot more flavour to regular rice, because it’s usually cooked in a stock or broth and with some vegetables. It’s actually so yummy I could eat a bowl of this own it’s own. 

Chickpea Rice Pilaf

Adding some chickpeas to the rice adds some fibre and protein, and as I always have a can of chickpeas on hand in my pantry cupboard, it’s was a great item to add into this pilaf.

I love the texture they add also. Probably one of my favourite legumes

SUBSTITUTE FOR CHICKPEAS

But what if you don’t like chickpeas or don’t have any on hand? No worries, you can either leave those out and just stick with the vegetables.

Or some great substitutes for chickpeas are:

• Green or Brown Lentils (cooked/canned) – I don’t recommend red lentils as they will go mushy whereas green and brown hold their shape.

Any beans of choice such as:

• Great Northern Beans or Cannelini
• Butter Beans/Lima Beans
• Kidney
• Pinto Beans 

so many different varieties to choose from. 

Vegetables for Rice Pilaf

For this Chickpea Vegetable Rice Pilaf, the vegetables I added were:

• garlic
• onion
• red pepper
• zucchini (courgette)

some other great suggestions are:

• different coloured peppers
• carrot
• little cubes of butternut squash
• different herbs
• finely diced tomato
• mushrooms

or use whatever you fancy.

Main Dishes to serve with  Chickpea Vegetable Rice Pilaf

One of my favourite recipes to serve with this Rice Pilaf is this delicious Oven Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, it just pairs amazingly well with the sauce and fish.

But it is a great side for a variety of dishes, especially those containing Fish, Shrimp (Prawns) or Chicken.

More Rice Side Dishes

LET’S CONNECT!

Find me ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER | and YOUTUBE, come and follow me TO MAKE SURE YOU KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL NEW RECIPES.

You can also subscribe to Slimming Eats so that you never miss any new updates.

IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE, LET US KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT, RATE IT AND  TAG US IN YOUR PHOTOS @SLIMMINGEATS ON INSTAGRAM

See the handy Pinterest image below if you wish to pin this for later 🙂 

CHICKPEA VEGETABLE RICE PILAF

Yield: SERVES 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Chickpea Vegetable Rice Pilaf - A perfect simple side dish for when you fancy something a bit more flavourful than plain steamed rice. 

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• half small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup (180g) of long grain rice
• 2.25 cups (540ml) of chicken or vegetable stock
• zest and juice of a lemon
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small zucchini, finely chopped
• 1 cup (240ml) of canned chickpeas, drained
• salt and black pepper to season
• cooking oil spray (I used avocado)
• chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)

Instructions

1. Spray a deep frying pan with spray oil, add the garlic and onion and fry for a couple of minutes till lightly golden
2. Add the rice, red pepper, zucchini and chickpeas and lemon zest, lemon juice and spray with a little more spray oil and fry for about 1 more minute.
3. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer till stock is absorbed.
4. When the liquid is all absorbed, turn off heat but leave covered for 10-12 minutes, the steam trapped underneath will continue to cook the rice.
5. Once the 10-12 minutes is up, you can stir and season with salt and black pepper, and stir through some chopped cilantro (coriander).
6. Serve with your choice of main dish and enjoy!!

Notes

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, Slimming World or Weight Watchers friendly

• Slimming World - syn free per serving
• Green WW Smart Points - 6 per serving
• Blue WW Smart Points - 5 per serving
• Purple WW Smart Points - 5 per serving
• Gluten Free - use gluten free stock

• Vegetarian/Vegan - use vegetable stock
  
  

If you wish to share this recipe, then please do so by using the share buttons provided.

DO NOT COPY AND/OR PASTE FULL RECIPES TO ANY SOCIAL MEDIA, IT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT ON SLIMMING EATS ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.

Nutritional information, syn values, points etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.

It is the responsibility of the Reader to assure the products or ingredients they use in any recipes from Slimming Eats are allergen-free (gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free and/or dairy-free, for example). Slimming Eats assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatement about products, opinions or comments on this site.

Check Legal section, for Full Disclaimer, Disclosure, and Privacy Policy.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Santoku Knife-MAD SHARK Pro Kitchen Knife 7 Inch Santoku Knife,Best Quality German High Carbon Stainless Steel Knife with Ergonomic Handle,Ultra Sharp,Best Choice for Home Kitchen and Restaurant
• 
  TOMORAL Measuring Cups and Spoons Set of 13, Durable 304 Stainless Steel 5 Measuring Cups and 5 Measuring Spoons with 2 O Rings and Magnetic Measurement Conversion Chart
• 
  ProCook Professional Anodised Non-Stick Saute Pan with Lid - 28cm - 4.2L - Induction Pan with Toughened Glass Lid and Heat-Resistant Handles

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 SERVING
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 1.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gCarbohydrates: 51.8gFiber: 4.5gSugar: 3.3gProtein: 7.2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram