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Mediterranean lemon rice with chickpeas, tomatoes, and feta is a 30-minute meatless meal or a facet dish that includes conventional components, akin to garlic, contemporary lemon juice, olive oil, dried and contemporary herbs. Serve this along with your favourite Mediterranean foods, akin to salmon, shrimp, or hen. It is wholesome and gluten-free. Simple sufficient to make on a hectic weeknight and fancy sufficient to entertain visitors.
Mediterranean lemon rice
There are such a lot of techniques to organize Mediterranean rice. My model comprises conventional components that we go together with the Mediterranean nutrition, akin to lemon, oregano, feta cheese, tomatoes, and chickpeas. This flavorful rice makes an ideal presentation and can pair superbly along with your favourite foods! It is gluten-free, meatless, vegetarian, and can also be simply made dairy-free the use of dairy-free feta cheese. Vital: rinse the raw rice completely below working water prior to cooking it to eliminate further starch. That may make sure that your Mediterranean rice is gentle and fluffy (and no longer starchy, sticky, or soft). Extra useful recommendations on which might be beneath. Want extra meatless aspect dishes? It’s possible you’ll like those circle of relatives favorites: Greek orzo or refreshing pesto orzo,
Why you can find it irresistible
- Simple 30-minute dinner. This scrumptious recipe takes best half-hour! And, if you happen to precook the rice prematurely (or use cooked rice), it turns into a one-pan meal, so the cleanup is minimum. It is wholesome, gluten-free, and can also be simply made dairy-free (use vegan feta cheese).
- Freezer-friendly recipe. Mediterranean rice is excellent for meal prep. Make it forward and freeze for as much as 1 month in an hermetic container.
- Gorgeous presentation. This isn’t your reasonable dull rice aspect dish. It is a restaurant-quality meal this is as beautiful as it is scrumptious. Check out it and it would develop into a brand new circle of relatives favourite!
- It is a Spring and Summer time recipe you’ll be able to make year-round. This colourful aspect dish will carry Summer time into your house even at the coldest day of the 12 months. It is made with simply out there components which might be to be had year-round.
What sort of rice to make use of?
- Jasmine or basmati rice. Lengthy-grain rice works the most efficient right here.
- Brown rice will cook dinner a bit bit longer, however would paintings nice, too.
- Wild rice will take even longer to cook dinner, however it’ll surely are compatible neatly with the remainder of the components!
Find out how to rinse rice
It is essential to rinse the rice for this recipe to eliminate extra starch that you just do not want in a mild and fluffy Mediterranean rice.
- Position a advantageous mesh strainer set over a big bowl in a kitchen sink.
- Upload rice to the strainer and run chilly water over the rice, the use of your arms to transport it, fluff it round, and wash it.
- Sell off the water from the bowl on occasion.
- The water will to start with be murky however will have to get clearer and clearer as you eliminate extra starch.
- When the water is apparent, you might be completed washing the rice. Drain it and cook dinner it in line with the recipe directions.
Find out how to make Mediterranean lemon rice
The most productive factor about this recipe is that it is so simple, versatile, and flexible. Here’s the assessment of the instructions (extra detailed quantities and directions are within the recipe card beneath).
1) First, you are going to rinse raw rice neatly below working chilly water to eliminate further starch. Then, cook dinner rice with hen broth in a medium saucepan. Discuss with the rice package deal directions for cooking instances and rice to liquid proportions. Continue with the remainder of the recipe whilst the rice is cooking.
2) Subsequent, you are going to cook dinner part of the tomatoes with minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and olive oil for two mins in a big, high-sided skillet till the tomatoes melt and unlock juices. Stir in contemporary spinach till it wilts.
3) Then, upload cooked rice, tired chickpeas, lemon juice, and the remainder raw halved grape tomatoes.
4) In a medium bowl, toss cubed Feta cheese with olive oil, lemon juice, and dried oregano.
6) Upload this flavored feta cheese combination to the skillet with the lemon rice, tomatoes, and chickpeas, stirring it in. Season with salt and black pepper, to style. That is it! Simplicity at its perfect.
Conventional Mediterranean seasonings
To stay issues easy, I used freshly squeezed lemon juice, contemporary and dried oregano, minced, garlic, salt, and pepper to make this lemon rice. It is a very versatile and flexible recipe with many diversifications imaginable. You’ll be able to use all kinds of spices and herbs to raise this dish. One of the crucial most well liked Mediterranean seasonings are indexed beneath:
- Herbs. Basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, bay leaf, sage, tarragon, thyme, dill, and cilantro.
- Spices. Smoked paprika, dried parsley, crimson pepper flakes, turmeric, saffron, coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, and black pepper.
Find out how to make it dairy-free and vegan
Use vegan feta cheese. Change hen broth with vegetable broth.
Substitutions and diversifications
- Rice. I used jasmine rice. You’ll be able to additionally use basmati rice, any long-grain rice, or Arborio rice.
- Pasta. In case you are on the lookout for different fashionable Mediterranean nutrition possible choices rather than rice, I like to recommend orzo or couscous.
- Beans. I like to recommend garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or cannellini beans. You’ll be able to even use cooked lentils.
- Lime or lemon will paintings nice. Freshly squeezed juice is all the time the most efficient!
- Veggies. My favourite veggies so as to add to the Mediterranean lemon rice are chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, inexperienced beans, cucumber, zucchini, arugula, and spinach. Select and make a choice your favorites!
- Cheese. You’ll be able to use grated Parmesan or contemporary Mozzarella cheese as a substitute of or along with Feta cheese.
Garage Guidelines
- Refrigerator. Retailer leftover Mediterranean rice refrigerated, in an air-tight container for as much as 4 days.
- Freezer. This recipe is freezer-friendly and best possible for meal prep! Freeze this dish for as much as 2 months.
Find out how to reheat
- Range-top. Reheat the leftovers over low-medium warmth in any roughly correctly sized cooking pan. Upload a small quantity of olive oil and only a contact of water when reheating, and stir the rice incessantly.
- Microwave oven. Reheat the leftovers in a deep, high-sided microwave-safe dish (bowl) for approximately 30 seconds. Take away from the microwave oven, and stir the rice combination neatly. Go back to the oven and reheat for 30 extra seconds or extra, till heated via.
What to serve with it
This lemon rice pairs superbly with any of your favourite foods, together with grilled steak, hen, salmon, shrimp, meatballs, lamb, or lemon cod. You’ll be able to serve it with many Mediterranean dishes – listed here are my tips:
Different Mediterranean aspect dishes it’s possible you’ll like
Mediterranean Lemon Rice with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Feta
Directions
Prepare dinner rice
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First, rinse the raw rice. Position a advantageous mesh strainer over a big bowl in a kitchen sink. Upload rice to the strainer and run chilly water over the rice, the use of your arms to transport it and wash it. Sell off the water from the bowl on occasion. The water will to start with be murky however will have to get clearer and clearer as you eliminate extra starch. When the water is apparent, you might be completed washing the rice.
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Upload 1 cup of raw rice and 1.5 cups of hen broth to a medium measurement saucepan. The share of liquid to rice depends upon the kind of rice you employ (confer with the package deal directions).
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Deliver to a boil, cut back to a simmer, and cook dinner the rice for approximately 20 mins (once more, check the days with the package deal directions), on occasion stirring, till the liquid is absorbed and the rice is smooth. Take away the rice from warmth and let it relaxation lined when you continue with the remainder of the recipe.
Find out how to make lemon rice
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In a big, high-sided skillet, mix part of the halved grape tomatoes, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Prepare dinner the tomatoes on medium warmth for approximately 2 mins till they melt and unlock juices.
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Stir in contemporary spinach and cook dinner till it wilts.
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Upload cooked rice and tired chickpeas.
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Upload 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the remainder raw halved grape tomatoes. Reheat on medium warmth, stirring the entirety to mix. Upload 1 further tablespoon of olive oil if you happen to like.
Find out how to make a feta cheese combination
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In a medium bowl, mix cubed Feta cheese with 1 tablespoon of additional virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano (upload extra to style), 2 tablespoons of chopped contemporary oregano (if the use of).
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Combine in order that the herbs and olive oil coat the cubed Feta cheese.
Meeting
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Combine part of the feta cheese combination into the skillet with lemon rice. Reheat gently to heat it and melt the cheese with warmth. Take away from warmth. Season with salt and black pepper to style.
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When serving, height the Mediterranean lemon rice with the remainder feta combination and sprinkle contemporary oregano on height.
Notes
- Rinse the rice prior to cooking it. The common sense at the back of that is to eliminate extra starch, which is provide as advantageous white powder round uncooked rice. If you do not rinse it off, it’ll lead to a sticky, soft rice texture, no longer gentle and fluffy like on this recipe.
- Use pre-cooked rice in case you have it; if that’s the case, use 2 cups of cooked rice.
- Use pasta as a substitute of rice. I like to recommend orzo or couscous.
- Make it dairy-free and vegan. Use vegan feta cheese and vegetarian broth or water to cook dinner the rice.
- Veggies. My favourite veggies so as to add to the Mediterranean lemon rice are chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, inexperienced beans, cucumber, zucchini, arugula, and spinach. Select and make a choice your favorites!
- Cheese. You’ll be able to use grated Parmesan or contemporary Mozzarella cheese as a substitute of or along with Feta cheese.
- My different favourite Mediterranean-style rice aspect dishes are:
- Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice
- Parmesan Solar-Dried Tomato Basil Rice
Diet
Diet Knowledge
Mediterranean Lemon Rice with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Feta
Quantity in step with Serving
% Day-to-day Worth*
* P.c Day-to-day Values are in accordance with a 2000 calorie nutrition.
Diet Disclaimer:
The dietary knowledge in this web page is best an estimate and is equipped for comfort and as a courtesy best. The accuracy of the dietary knowledge for any recipe in this web site isn't assured. It will have to no longer be used as an alternative to a certified nutritionist’s recommendation.
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