This is an easy and healthy chickpea bowl that can be enjoyed for a weeknight meal or meal prep. The recipe is made with salsa-seasoned chickpeas, fluffy rice, loaded with vegetables, and topped with a drizzle of creamy lime tahini sauce.
The chickpea tahini bowl is easy to customize. Try it with your favorite veggies, cilantro brown rice, or a vegan chipotle dressing. For more chickpea recipes, try a potato Buddha bowl with roasted red pepper dressing, a chickpea couscous bowl, or a Mediterranean hummus bowl.
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Recipe features
- Vegan, dairy-free, plant-based, and oil-free!
- An easy recipe for a weeknight dinner!
- Great for meal prep!
- Easy to customize!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
The recipe uses simple ingredients, but please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and the exact measurements.
White rice - We enjoy this easy meal with basmati rice or millet, but use any grain that sounds appetizing to you in these veggie rice bowls.
Chickpeas - The recipe calls for two cans of chickpeas for convenience, but about three cups of cooked chickpeas can be used if you're not using the canned variety. For another recipe with chickpeas, try tomato chickpea stew with spinach.
Chunky salsa - We use store-bought chunky salsa to season and flavor the chickpeas. I haven't tried it with a fresh pico de Gallo or a thin salsa, so I can't say for sure how well they would work. Pico de Gallo should work fine, but a thin salsa might make the chickpeas more saucy.
Red bell pepper - The red bell pepper can be enjoyed raw instead of cooked, or substituted with any vegetable that sounds good and is in season. Instead of cooked red bell peppers, try fresh sliced cherry tomatoes or fresh chopped broccoli.
Frozen roasted corn - We love the flavor of roasted corn, but feel free to substitute with regular frozen sweet corn, canned corn, or fresh off the cob when it's in season. The frozen corn just needs to be thawed.
Romaine lettuce - This adds bulk to the bowl; try it with fresh baby spinach or shredded kale.
English cucumber - We enjoy English cucumbers; they don't have to be peeled, and the seeds are small. They can be substituted with any veggie that you enjoy and would pair well with salsa-flavored chickpeas and lime tahini sauce.
Lime tahini dressing - The tahini-based sauce pairs tahini, fresh lime juice, and cilantro for an easy, flavorful sauce. The vegan oil-free salad dressing can be substituted with vegan chipotle dressing, cilantro cashew dressing, lemon herb tahini dressing, or smoky tahini dressing.
Tips
- If you prefer, the corn and the red bell pepper don't need to be cooked. Instead, thaw the corn and add sliced raw red bell pepper to the chickpea bowl.
- I haven't tried it with a fresh pico de Gallo or a thin salsa, so I can't say for sure how well they would work. Pico de Gallo should work fine, but a thin salsa might make the chickpeas more saucy.
Variations
Instead of white rice in the chickpea bowl, try:
- Cilantro lime rice
- Millet
- Brown rice
Instead of tahini lime dressing, try:
Topping ideas
- Spicy pickled red onions
- Fresh cucumber salsa
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Sliced cherry tomatoes
- Fresh or steamed broccoli
How to make a chickpea Buddha bowl
1. Cook the rice according to the package instructions. When it's done, remove the pot from the burner and leave the lid on for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff the rice.
2. Cook red bell pepper and frozen corn in a preheated medium saucepan on medium heat just until the bell pepper has softened but isn't mushy and the frozen corn has thawed, about 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then set it aside.
3. Reuse the saucepan and heat the chickpeas with the salsa until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, make the tahini lime dressing.
5. To each bowl, add the rice, red bell pepper corn mixture, chickpeas, cucumbers, lettuce, and a drizzle of tahini lime dressing.
Storage
The chickpeas, cooked red bell peppers, corn, and rice can be stored together in an airtight container for about 5 days in the refrigerator. Store the fresh components and sauce in separate containers in the refrigerator.
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Recipe
Chickpea Bowl with Tahini Lime Dressing
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is an easy and healthy chickpea bowl that can be enjoyed for a weeknight meal or meal prep. The recipe is made with salsa-seasoned chickpeas, fluffy rice, loaded with vegetables, and topped with a drizzle of creamy lime tahini sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white rice, brown rice, or millet
- 2 cans (15.5 ounces/ 439 grams each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup frozen roasted corn
- 3 to 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 English cucumber, sliced
- Lime tahini dressing
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package instructions. When it's done, remove the pot from the burner and leave the lid on for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff the rice.
- Cook red bell pepper and frozen corn in a preheated medium saucepan on medium heat just until the bell pepper has softened but isn't mushy and frozen corn has thawed, about 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then set it aside.
- Reuse the saucepan and heat the chickpeas with the salsa until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, make the tahini lime dressing.
- To each bowl, add the rice, red bell pepper corn mixture, chickpeas, cucumbers, lettuce, and a drizzle of tahini lime dressing.
Notes
If you prefer, the corn and the red bell pepper don't need to be cooked. Instead, thaw the corn and add sliced raw red bell pepper to the chickpea bowl.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american
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