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This Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas is the best bowl of (healthy) comfort food. Kind of like soup, similar to a stew, but creamier with more rice. Turmeric infused golden rice made creamy with coconut milk and made “soupy” with a bit more broth than usual. Top each bowl of souper golden rice with spiced, extra crispy chickpeas, and a dollop of creamy yogurt. The perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s also healthy and quickly made on the stove in less than an hour. Just be sure to serve with a side of fresh naan for a bowl of (easily made vegan) comfort food.
Starting the week off on a healthy, but still cozy, note with this Indian..ish inspired recipe. Somehow it’s already the second week of February and I know many of you have spring on your minds. Here in Colorado, it’s still very much winter, and very, very much comfort food kind of weather.
That said, we’re coming off a weekend of enjoying way too much ski resort food, meaning lots of french fries and cocktails, after watching my younger brother, Red, compete (and win!!!) at the Dew Tour on Saturday. I will share more details and photos in Sunday’s Favorites post, but I will say that it was such a special weekend and everyone soaked up the time together. I know I’ve said it before, but being able to watch both Malachi and Red achieve their goals, and do it together, makes me the happiest, proudest sister.
Anyway, a fun weekend spent snowboarding and eating with family means that colorful recipes full of food with all things good for us are very much needed today.
Enter this “souper” creamy golden rice. This is the ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food that’s truly just as delicious as a bowl of cheesy pasta. That’s saying a lot coming from the girl who loves both cheese and pasta more than most.
It. Is. SO GOOD. Creamy, herby, perfectly spiced, and topped with addictingly delicious crispy chickpeas…and served with naan. Of course.
Ingredients
- Salted butter
- Ground turmeric
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Long grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
- Full fat coconut milk
- Low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- Kosher salt
- Greens such as kale, chard, or spinach
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chickpeas
- 4 cloves garlic
- Shallots
- Ground ginger
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Raw sesame seeds
- Fresh mint or cilantro
- Toasted naan, Greek yogurt, red harissa sauce for serving
The inspiration.
Growing up my mom would make what she called “souper rice”. Basically, it was cream of chicken soup plus a whole lot of rice. So much rice that you really couldn’t call it soup anymore…enter “souper rice”. To this day she still recalls it as one of her favorite childhood comfort foods.
I drew inspiration from mom’s souper rice and created a more Indian inspired version, made with coconut milk for extra creaminess. It’s not quite the same as mom’s canned soup version (thankfully), but it’s just as delicious. Different, but delicious.
Here is how you make this creamy golden rice.
First up, the rice. GOLDEN RICE, I’m all about some golden rice. It’s simple. Just melt a little butter, add in some turmeric, crushed red pepper, canned coconut milk (preferably full fat for extra creaminess), and water. Once boiling, stir in the rice, then add plenty of greens, cover and let the rice steam until cooked.
For the greens, you can really use whatever greens you love most. My top choices are kale, spinach, or chard. The greens steam with the rice, so you don’t even have to worry about cooking them. It’s so easy.
While the rice is cooking, you should make the chickpeas, and trust me, you do NEED the chickpeas. They add not only heartiness but a nice crunch and plenty of good flavor to this creamy rice. They’re salty, savory, and just a little hard to stop eating. Kind of like a healthier chip with crispy shallots, nutty coconut, and toasty sesame seeds too.
The secret to souper golden rice?
Once the rice is cooked, stir in a splash more broth to make the rice on the soupy side. As you are stirring, smells of turmeric, coconut, and butter will quickly hit your nose.
It’s wonderful.
Remove the rice from the heat, and simply top with a dollop of yogurt, those spiced crispy chickpeas, and plenty of fresh mint or cilantro. At this point, you should eat immediately. This dish is meant to be on the soupy side, meaning there should still be broth around the rice. The rice will soak up the broth if it sits too long. So enjoy it right away, it will be just perfect.
So much flavor. Extra creamy. A touch crunchy. So delicious.
How are the leftovers?
The leftovers are just as good, but a little different. Even though this is best right off the stove, the leftovers are still so delicious. The rice becomes more like risotto and when heated up, makes for the perfect lunch the next day. Love a dish that you can enjoy for dinner one night and lunch the following day!
If you’d like to make this a little heartier, try adding a fried or soft boiled egg. Or serve alongside last week’s lemon garlic chicken. That would be so good.
And that’s it. The simplest, healthy bowl of winter comfort food. Hope you all enjoy!!
If you make this creamy golden rice with spiced chickpeas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Souper Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1080 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (using vegan butter or olive oil, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 2-2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 cups roughly torn greens such, as kale, chard, or spinach
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 2-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh mint or cilantro
- toasted naan, Greek yogurt, and red harissa sauce, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the rice. Melt the butter, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium pot over high heat. Add the rice and toss to coat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of broth, the coconut milk, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the greens on top of the rice, but do not stir. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, make the chickpeas. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, chickpeas, garlic, shallots, ginger, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are crisped all over, about 8-10 minutes. Add the coconut flakes and sesame seeds, tossing to combine. Cook 2 minutes, until toasted, remove from the heat.3. When the rice is cooked, switch the heat onto low, add additional broth 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. Taste, adding salt as needed.4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and spoon the chickpeas overtop. Serve with naan, yogurt, and fresh mint or cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 10, 2020
Delicious combination of flavors and super easy to make!
Thank you Cathy! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this for lunch today. This recipe was AMAZING! And I whipped out one of my frozen naan’s from her previous homemade naan recipe. The time I made the naan recipe, it made so many so I froze the extra’s. I’m so glad I have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. The only change I made was I added more salt. A lot more salt than noted on the recipe. I have to do this often with the recipes from this website. However, in the end, the recipes are always delicious and healthy! Thank you!!
That is so amazing to hear!! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
Accidentally wrote this review on the wrong recipe lol ? anyway, very very good and I will be making it again! I used regular yellow onions, powdered garlic, fresh ginger, and precooked spinach. It turned out great! ?
Hi Kathryn! Haha no worries, I got it! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I am so glad you loved it! xTieghan
Quite delicious! The crispy shallots and chickpeas are absolutely necessary. I skipped the toasted coconut (we’re not fans) and used Aleppo Pepper in the yogurt for a more savory spice flavor. Will keep this one in the recipe file!
Thank you Victoria! xTieghan
Made this last night- so good!! Made it dairy free by using vegan butter & coconut oil in the rice. It took me about 2 cups of veggie broth at the end to make the rice creamy.
Thank you Sarah! So glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it was amazing! So healthy and comforting, and so tasty too! I forgot to add herbs at the end, so tomorrow I’ll try it with cilantro. This will be in regular rotation for sure–hubby loved it too!
Thank you so much Heidi! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This looks delish! Have you tried Making it in an instapot? I would love to hear if anyone has and how to adjust cook times?
Hi Jeanene! For the instant pot, I am not sure on directions as I have not tested the recipe for this and do not feel comfortable advising. I am sorry!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
As is, I give this recipe 3 stars. It has a lot of fat, and misses the opportunity to amp up the greens! I would probably double the greens as well as the chickpea mixture. It was tasty, and with amping up the veg, I would bump it to 4 stars.
Hi Gwen! Thank you so much! Are there any questions I could help you with? xTieghan
This was amazing!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much Mal! xTieghan
Can I use brown jasmine rice to make this? Would it impact the cooking time? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie! I would use 2 cups broths and add 30 minutes to the rice cooking time for brown rice. This is just an estimate, but I think it should work well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
THIS WAS SO GOOD! Thank you so much! I forgot to add mint and I’m one of those people who doesn’t like cilantro, but still SO GOOD. I can’t wait to make again and again.
Thank you so much Katherine! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
WOW. This was absolutely delicious! Didn’t have jasmine rice/basmati rice or coconut milk, so we made it with risotto rice and coconut cream + water. Added a squeeze of fresh lime juice at the end as well. Am going to make again and again! Thank you, Tieghan!
Thank you Sara!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this last night and loved it! So easy and with mostly pantry ingredients. I just didn’t use the yogurt because we don’t really do dairy but everything else worked great!
Thank you so much Meredith! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Good morning. Wondering about Bal Brown rice and Instapot too.
Since I cannot have heat spice..thinking of adding Marinaded Artichokes with the plain c peas for added flavor.
thank you.
Thank you Mort! I hope you enjoy this recipe! xTieghan
This was SO good! I made it with the sheet pan chicken shawarma and they paired so well together. I added some Thai spice to this because we like things spicy and used reduced fat coconut milk and it was still really creamy and flavorful!
Thank you for trying this! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan