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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
This recipe was the best I’ve made in a very long time! The flavors were out of this world and I plan to make it again and again. I used brown Jasmine rice since it’s all I keep on hand. I probably ended up using close to 4 cups broth and it took about 30-35 minutes to cook. I’m not usually a fan of coconut flakes but loved it crisped up in this recipe.
Thank you so much for trying this Emma! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This recipe is so good y’all! Many of the ingredients are staples that I already had on hand. Adding it to my rotation. Thank you Tieghan!!!
Thank you Danielle! Its the best when you already have everything you need! I hope you continue to love this and others! xTieghan
Thanks for a great Valentine’s Day dinner. Fun to make and delicious to eat! We even made our naan! Forgot the dollop of yogurt on top but we can do that for lunch today!
And a beautiful dinner it was!
Thanks again!
Thank you Ellen!! I am so glad you loved this recipe! And with homemade naan is the BEST! I hope its just as amazing for lunch! xTieghan
Tried this dish. Amazing! One thing though, instead of tossing the chickpea juice (aquafaba), add it at the end instead of the final 1/2 cup of broth. Made the whole dish even thicker and more delicious. This is a winner for sure!
Oh amazing! Thank you so much Lowell! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Absolutely delish! Easy and quick, perfect for a weeknight dinner. I will absolutely make again.
Thank you so much Jen! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Loved this! I’m not typically a vegan eater, but this was so completely and deeply satisfying. So flavorful, and very easy to bring together. On the next go around, I may skip the flaked coconut and Greek yogurt, as I’m not the biggest fan of coconut in general, and the dish is already so wonderfully creamy— but even so, I have no complaints. I couldn’t find red harissa sauce, but I did have a red harissa spice blend that I sprinkled over the top and it was fantastic. Took the flavors to a new level. Also: tried it with mint. Definitely curious to go the cilantro route and see how that changes it up!
Hi Aaron! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
it looks really delicious <3
I love the fact that its easy to make vegan.
If some also are interested in the healing effect of herbs – check this out: bit.ly/2HjpTa0
I hope it's ok to post here. Otherwise just dismiss it <3
Thank you Lisette! I hope you try this! Also, I have been so interested in healing effects of herbs, so thank you for sharing that! xTieghan
For those asking about using brown rice, I made this last night with brown long grain rice. I ended up simmering it uncovered for about 30 minutes. I then added the greens at the stage where you add more broth to get it creamy and stirred them in to cook. Making the rice this way required more broth (I think I used closer to 3/3.5 cups) to keep it soupy, but it still turned out well! I do think the next time we make this, I would double the chickpea mixture and maybe top with a fried egg per other commenter recommendations.
Hi Lizzie! Thank you so much for sharing this! I am sure it will help so many! Also, I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
This recipe was soooo delicious! I could eat it all day, every day.
Hi Betsy! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I hope you love others as well! xTieghan
SO good!! Ate it for 5 meals in a row without complaint. Easy to add onto with leftovers – fried egg, spinach (any greens!), mint, sour cream, greek yogurt… the possibilities are endless. Was able to make it last a few days by omitting the last step to make it soupy and souped it up in individual servings instead. Chick peas just needed a quick re-pan fry over high heat to crisp back up again after being in the fridge. Had everything already in my pantry so this is definitely going in the rotation. Thank you!!
Yes!! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this MK! xTieghan
This was amazing! My meat loving hubby was skeptical but took one bite and loved it. Thanks for this recipie ! 10/10 yum!
Thank you so much Hope! xTieghan
Delicious weeknight meal!! Came together really easily.
Thank you so much Kara! xTieghan
Whole family including all 3 children loved this recipe. I toasted the chickpeas for longer making them uber-crispy… absolutely delicious.
Amazing! Thank you Christine! xTieghan
All I can say is, WOW! If you haven’t already made this, do it now! So fast, easy, and delicious. I don’t make many meals more than once because there are so many recipes I want to try, but this will definitely be entering my rotation. Tip: add Trader Joe’s chili onion crunch on top— takes this meal over the top 🙂
Thank you so much Samatha! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Easy and delicious gluten free dish. Extremely flavorful – I drizzled additional coconut cream on top of it! Thank you for all your inspiring combinations I would never come up with myself!
Thank you Wendy! I am so glad you have been enjoying them! xTieghan