Nutty Chickpea Pilaf. The title is straight-up, succinct, to the point, a little silly. Kind of like the recipe itself. Well, except the actual dish is not all that silly. But it is nice and simple. Relatively few ingredients, not too much hands-on time. It’s a keeper.
Substantial sides like this one are crucial to the balance we try to maintain in our multi-vore kitchen. With hazelnuts, pecans, and chickpeas added to the mix, the protein makes it satiating – the perfect main for me. And then, if my guy wants, he can treat it more as a side and have meat with it.
Hey, we all need a little nuttiness in our lives!
Nutty Chickpea Pilaf
A hearty pilaf with a satisfying nutty crunch and, thanks to a handful of dried cranberries, a touch of contrasting sweetness. A plethora of chickpeas elevates what's typically a side to entree status. My favorite dinner lately!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 2 large (or 3 medium cloves garlic, minced)
- 1 cup brown Basmati rice (rinsed)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
- 1/3 cup unsalted hazelnuts (chopped)
- 1/3 cup unsalted pecans (chopped)
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- Set a large saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice begins to crackle, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, the dried cranberries, and the chickpeas. Increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 35 minutes. If the liquid cooks off before your rice is cooked through, add a little more water and keep cooking until the rice is done.
- Fold in the hazelnuts, pecans, and parsley. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat and serve.
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I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
This is my first Christmas dairy-free as well (I’ve been a vegetarian for 15 years but went vegan in April) and it has been tough! I no longer crave cheese or dairy but my go to store-bought holiday treats are not dairy free :(. I have found that for all of my cookie recipes I have been able to use coconut oil in place of butter, banana or chia + water in place of eggs, and to make things healthier have used coconut sugar in place of cane sugar. Please let us know how the Buche de Noel works out – I’ve been thinking of baking one myself. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Really?! I can’t even read a recipe on a cooking website without political comments intruding? I am rather new to your site having had your potato soup recipe recommended to me so I don’t know that this is a regular thing or not. I hope that this is a one off thing as I go online looking up recipes or patterns precisely to avoid that kind of thing and as an escape from the pressres and problems of the world. It is so devisive and sure to make someone feel bad or mad. Other than that first line, which I think you may have intended to be funny, I have enjoyed looking at your site. The vegan recipes have inspired me. I have many food allergies and intolerances and have found over the years that preparing vegan recipes are a great way to avoid the things I can not eat while still enjoying healthy, yummy dishes with my family.
That was back when Trump wasn’t taken seriously; it was unthinkable that he might actually become our president. So yes, it was an attempt at humor, however misguided. Now, a mention of him can be quite triggering, understandably, and I certainly don’t want to add to that on my website. So I have deleted that verbiage. Thanks for bringing it up; I had forgotten about that and again don’t want that on my website.
You’ll find politics few and far between around here. I usually don’t go there.