Mediterranean Rice Bowl (Printable)
A colorful rice bowl with fresh Mediterranean vegetables, chickpeas, feta, and tangy lemon dressing.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Grains
01 - 1 cup long-grain white rice or brown rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
→ Vegetables & Legumes
04 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1 English cucumber, diced
06 - 1 red bell pepper, chopped
07 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
09 - 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
10 - 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
→ Dairy
11 - 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
→ Dressing
12 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
14 - 1 clove garlic, minced
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
17 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
# How To Make It:
01 - Rinse rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 15–18 minutes for white rice or 35–40 minutes for brown rice until grains are tender and liquid is fully absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff gently with a fork, and let stand covered for 5 minutes.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper until the dressing is emulsified and well combined. Set aside.
03 - Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the English cucumber into small cubes, chop the red bell pepper into bite-sized pieces, slice the red onion into thin half-moons, and roughly chop the fresh parsley.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, toss together the prepared tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, drained chickpeas, Kalamata olives, and chopped parsley. Drizzle with half of the prepared dressing and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - Divide the cooked rice evenly among four serving bowls. Spoon the dressed vegetable and chickpea mixture generously over each portion of rice. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top of each bowl.
06 - Drizzle the remaining dressing over each assembled bowl. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for 20 minutes for a refreshing chilled bowl.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dressing alone is worth making, and you will want to put it on everything from salads to roasted potatoes.
- It keeps well in the fridge so you can prep it Sunday and eat it through Wednesday without getting bored.
02 -
- Do not dress the entire bowl if you plan to save leftovers because the vegetables will release water and turn the rice mushy by day two.
- Letting the dressing sit for ten minutes before using it gives the garlic and oregano time to bloom into the oil and the flavor improves dramatically.
03 -
- Squeeze the lemon over a strainer to catch any seeds before they end up in your dressing because fishing them out later is annoying and you will miss one.
- Make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge because it lasts a week and you will find yourself reaching for it constantly.