Loaded Broccoli Rice Bowls

I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen broccoli look this good. And it’s not just looks, people. These bowls do the pics justice in the taste department.

Broccoli gets a bad rep sometimes but when it’s roasted until crispy with some spice it really is a nice option for a healthy rice bowl like this. Even better? The little chickpea studs that seem almost fried they get so crispy.

Gotta love it.

Betsy and I had these guys for lunch last week and I felt really energized and ready to tackle the afternoon afterwards. You could easily make a dinner out of them also. They are plenty filling.

I couldn’t help myself though… I did add a little butter to the situation. Deal with it.

Broccoli Brown Rice Bowls

Print Pin

3.78 from 9 votes

Author: Nick Evans

Servings: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Roasted broccoli rice bowls with chickpeas and a tangy yogurt sauce. A healthy but filling lunch or dinner option (plus it’s really pretty)!

Ingredients 

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 tablespoon butter, opt.
• ¼ cup pistachios, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh parsley, garnish

Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup yogurt
• ½ lemon, juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook brown rice by boiling in a large pot of boiling water until it’s cooked al dente (has some bite to it). This will probably take 15-20 minutes. Then drain the rice, return it to the hot pan, cover it, remove it from the heat, and let the rice steam for 5-10 minutes. Optionally, stir in a small bit of butter before serving.
• Cut broccoli into small florets. Drain, rinse, and dry chickpeas. Toss broccoli and chickpeas with olive oil, red pepper flakes, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Spread out mixture on a baking sheet. Roast the broccoli and chickpeas at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Go longer if you want them to be really crispy.
• Mince garlic and parsley and stir into yogurt with lemon and season with cumin seeds and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Assemble bowls by scooping in steamed browned rice. Top with a big dollop of yogurt sauce. Then spread broccoli mixture around the bowl and top with chopped pistachios and fresh parsley leaves.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Bowl | Calories: 542kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 688mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 854IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 3mg

Course: Main Dishes

Broccoli Rice Bowls: The Broccoli Mix

The two things you need to cook for these bowls, the broccoli and the rice, take roughly the same time to cook which is nice.

For the broccoli mix, cut the broc into small florets and then toss them with the chickpeas with some olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. For the chickpeas, just make sure to drain, rinse, and dry them so they get crispy in the oven.

Roast this mix on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. You can go longer if you want the veggies crispier. I wouldn’t go longer than 20 minutes though.

This would be a beautiful side dish just like this actually with a squeeze of lemon.

Broccoli Rice Bowls Sauce

These bowls need a little sauce in my opinion and an herbed yogurt sauce just made sense. Mince up a little garlic and parsley and stir it together with the other sauce ingredients. To be honest, I kind of winged the sauce and I encourage the same. Taste it as you go and adjust it to your liking.

The Rice

If you’ve read Macheesmo much, you know that I’m a big fan of boiling/steaming rice instead of trying to measure out the exact amount of water. Just cook it like pasta. Boil it until it’s al dente and has just a small bite to it. For brown rice this will take around 15 minutes depending on the exact kind you get (you could use short or long grain for this recipe).

Then drain the rice and return it to the pan. Cover it and remove it from the heat and let the rice steam for 5-10 minutes. I like to stir in some butter at the end to make the rice a bit richer, but it’s optional.

Loading the Broccoli Rice Bowls

This is easy stuff. If you can, try to use a wide bowl for these so you spread out the goodness. Scoop in some rice and add some sauce right on the rice. This will help the flavors mingle.

Then top with the broccoli mix, some chopped pistachios, and fresh parsley.

I really think I could turn around a broccoli hater with this guy.

Here are a few other great broccoli recipes!

• Broccoli Parmesan Gratin
• Broccoli Cheddar Casserole
• Mashed Potato Pizza
• Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli from Once Upon a Chef