Mediterranean chickpea bowls with creamy tahini sauce! Made with seasoned chickpeas, spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and brown rice. Great meal to prep for lunch or dinner.
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While I love all of the different flavors and spices found in Mediterranean cuisine, I find that one of the things I love most about this cuisine is the way textures, colors and even temperatures are often combined in a single dish .
One of my favorite parts of this dish really is the light and creamy tahini sauce. We make this sauce regularly at my house. It’s also great when drizzled over fresh veggies, roasted veggies, or baked sweet potatoes!
Once you get the hang of it, you might find yourself craving it often. If so, try mixing it with different spices. (I especially love it with turmeric, it makes the dressing extra delicious and gives it a gorgeous golden hue!)
If you’re into batch cooking or need a few simple meals for later in the week, I highly recommend preparing the ingredients for these bowls earlier in the week. You can bask in the glow of beautiful and vibrant packed lunches at the office all week long!
Mediterranean chickpea shells with tahini sauce
All of the components of this recipe can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Double the recipe as needed to make more servings.
If you haven’t made brown rice before, start a pot before you start making this recipe so it’ll be ready when you’re done.
ingredients
For the tahini dressing:
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1/4 Cup tahini (at room temperature)
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1/4 Cup warm water
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Juice 1/2 to 1 lemon (1 to 2 tablespoon)
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1 teaspoon honeyAgave or maple syrup
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1 clove garlicfinely chopped
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1/4 Cup finely chopped Parsely
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1/4 teaspoon Salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the chickpeas:
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1 (16 ounce can Chickpeas or 2 cups of homemade chickpeas
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1/2 tablespoon paprika (either sweet or spicy)
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1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
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1 teaspoon ground coriander
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1/4 teaspoon Salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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1 tablespoon olive oildivided
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1 clove garlicchopped
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1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chiliOptional
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1/2 Cup finely chopped fresh herbs (I love the combo of parsley, mint, and cilantro.)
For the bowls:
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6 cups baby spinach
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2 cups cooked brown rice
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1 pint cherry or grape tomatoeshalved
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1 English cucumberrolled
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1/4 red Onionfinely diced (about 2 tablespoons)
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Fresh mint leaves
method
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Make the tahini dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, 2 tablespoons warm water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Give the dressing a taste. Add salt if necessary. If it needs more acidity or tastes slightly bitter, add more lemon juice teaspoon by teaspoon. If the dressing is too thick, add more water a tablespoon at a time.
The dressing can be made several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You may need to warm it slightly to room temperature (or very briefly in the microwave) to fluff it before using.
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Warm up the chickpeas:
Drain the chickpeas and rinse well in a colander. To dry, gently rub the chickpeas with a clean, lint-free towel or let them air dry for about 10 minutes. When the chickpeas are dry, toss in the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and mix until well coated.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle on contact. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and tilt the pan to coat evenly.
Add the chickpeas immediately. Stir constantly until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes). Turn off the heat, then add the garlic and chili (if using) and mix well.
Season with fresh herbs just before serving. (The chickpeas taste best when served warm, but are also good if made ahead and served cold.)
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Assemble bowls:
Divide the spinach evenly among four bowls. Top each bowl with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup warm chickpeas, 1/4 tomatoes, 1/4 cucumber, and 1/4 red onion. Drizzle with tahini dressing and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 438 | calories |
| 16g | Fat |
| 63g | carbohydrates |
| 16g | protein |
