Mediterranean Rice Bowls

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These vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowls with roasted veggies, hummus, and tzatziki are the perfect balance of healthy and comforting for a satisfying lunch or dinner.

A vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowl with roasted vegetables, hummus, and tzatziki

Mediterranean dishes tend to taste light, fresh, and healthy while being super comforting at the same time, thanks to delicious dips like hummus and tzatziki. That’s exactly why we created these vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowls with roasted vegetables – to have yet another comforting, satisfying dinner in our rotation that doesn’t rely on meat and provides tons of nutrients.

Not only do these Mediterranean veggie bowls make a super easy hands-off dinner, they’re also a great lunch bowl option for healthy meal prep. Served with roasted chickpeas, hummus, and tzatziki, these Mediterranean bowls provide the perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, tender, sweet, tangy, and savory in every bite. Which might sound like a lot – but trust us, these veggie bowls have a surprising amount of delicious, complex flavor for how easy they are to make!

A rice bowl with Mediterranean roasted veggies, chickpeas, hummus, and tzatziki

Mediterranean Rice Bowl Recipe Ingredients

Like we said, it’s not hard to make these Mediterranean rice bowls with roasted veggies. With just 4 kinds of vegetables, a can of garbanzo beans, hummus, tzatziki, and rice, you can easily make our delicious vegetarian rice bowls at home! Here’s the full list of ingredients you’ll need:

  • Eggplant
  • Cucumber
  • Bell pepper
  • Yellow onion
  • Olive oil
  • Seasoning blend – sea salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, ground coriander, and turmeric for sprinkling on the veggies
  • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) – for roasting in the oven
  • Hummus – try our easy homemade recipe here or use your favorite store brand
  • Tzatziki – we highly recommend the 365 brand from Whole Foods for the best flavor and a deliciously creamy texture
  • Basmati rice – this type of rice is widely used in Mediterranean dishes and has a lovely aroma to complement the roasted veggies
  • Lemon juice – adds just a hint of zesty flavor to the rice

Eggplant, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion are the best vegetables for roasting in olive oil and adding to Mediterranean rice bowls. We love the freshness of cucumber contrasted with the sweet and tangy flavors of the other veggies! Along with a savory homemade seasoning blend and aromatic basmati rice, there’s so much flavor in this vegetarian bowl.

We love the crunchy texture added to these bowls by the roasted chickpeas. You can always skip the hummus if you want a lighter dish and just use tzatziki on top, since you’ll have the flavor of chickpeas already. But we love the similar flavor and contrasting textures of having both roasted chickpeas and a dollop of hummus in our bowls!

A closeup of a Mediterranean rice bowl with roasted veggies, chickpeas, hummus, and tzatziki

How To Make A Mediterranean Rice Bowl

This Mediterranean roasted vegetable bowl recipe is probably one of the easiest weeknight dinners you can make, especially if you use store-bought hummus and tzatziki. All you need to do is slice the veggies, roast them in the oven alongside the garbanzo beans, and steam the rice. Then simply assemble, top with hummus and tzatziki, and dig in!

Here’s a full breakdown on how to make our vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowls:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper for roasting the chickpeas. Also, grab one XL sheet pan (or two large sheet pans) for roasting the veggies.
  2. Drain and rinse the canned garbanzo beans, shake off the excess water or gently pat them dry, and spread them out on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
  3. Slice the eggplant, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion and spread out into a single layer on the XL sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil.
  4. Mix the seasoning blend together in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the veggies.
  5. Roast the veggies and chickpeas in the oven until the veggies are tender and the chickpeas are crispy, about 30 to 35 minutes.
  6. In the meantime, steam the rice and prepare the hummus if you’re making our homemade recipe (here). Once the rice is done, fluff with a fork and stir in lemon juice.
  7. Serve roasted veggies and chickpeas over rice, topped with a dollop of hummus and a drizzle of tzatziki.

Note that it’s important to roast the chickpeas on their own sheet pan, separate from the veggies. We typically find they take an extra 5 minutes or so in our oven once the vegetables are done, so it’s nice to be able to let them keep crisping without overcooking the veggies. Cook them until they’re hard on the outside and have a crunchy texture when you bite into them.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

Leftovers of these Mediterranean veggie bowls will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Store the rice and veggies together in an airtight container in the fridge and store the chickpeas at room temperature. To reheat, simply microwave the rice and veggies for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the chickpeas and topping with hummus and tzatziki. 

See our suggestions below for meal prepping these Mediterranean grain bowls!

A rice bowl topped with roasted Mediterranean veggies and chickpeas, served with hummus and tzatziki

Mediterranean Bowl Meal Prep

It’s super easy to meal prep this vegetarian Mediterranean bowl recipe for lunch if you want! Here are a few recommendations:

  • Prepare the roasted veggies, chickpeas, and rice as you normally would
  • Pack the rice and veggies in microwave-safe lunch containers for easy reheating
  • Portion out the chickpeas into small containers and pack on the side. Avoid reheating them – they’ll lose their crunch that way! Then add them on top after reheating the rice and veggies.
  • Same thing goes for the hummus and tzatziki – you want these toppings to be cold, so pack them in separate containers on the side and add them as toppings before eating.

Try the recipe below for vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowls and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share if you love it!


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A vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowl with roasted vegetables, hummus, and tzatziki

Vegetarian Mediterranean Rice Bowls

Nicole
These vegetarian Mediterranean rice bowls with roasted veggies, hummus, and tzatziki are the perfect balance of healthy and comforting for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main, Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 3 bowls
Calories 635 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 XL sheet pan
  • 1 small baking sheet

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 medium eggplant sliced into quarter-inch thick triangles
  • 2 medium cucumbers sliced into quarter-inch thick semicircles
  • 1 medium bell pepper sliced
  • 1 medium yellow onion sliced
  • 15 ounces canned garbanzo beans
  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup basmati rice dry
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Roasted Veggies Seasoning Blend

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • teaspoon black pepper
  • teaspoon turmeric

Toppings

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Spread the prepared veggies out on an extra large sheet pan in a single layer and drizzle with about 1 teaspoon olive oil. Mix the seasoning blend in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the veggies.
  • Drain and rinse the canned garbanzo beans, then shake off the excess water or gently pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Spread them in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, then season with a pinch of sea salt.
  • Roast the veggies and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in the oven until the veggies are tender and the chickpeas are hard and crunchy, about 30 to 35 minutes.
  • In the meantime, bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Stir in the basmati rice, then lower the heat and cover. Steam until the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 25 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in the lemon juice.
  • To serve, plate the roasted veggies over a bed of rice. Top with roasted chickpeas, hummus, and tzatziki and serve immediately.

Notes

Roasting the veggies & chickpeas: It’s important to use two separate pans for this, since the chickpeas may take longer to cook than the veggies. (We usually find an extra 5 minutes or so does the trick once the veggies are done, but oven temps and cook times will vary).
Homemade hummus: We suggest making our easy homemade hummus to go with these Mediterranean bowls – all you need is a food processor and a few simple ingredients! You can prepare this while the veggies are roasting and then stick it in the fridge until it’s time to eat. Otherwise, use your favorite store brand (we love Cedar’s).
Storing & reheating leftovers: Leftovers will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Store the rice and veggies together in an airtight container in the fridge and store the chickpeas at room temperature. To reheat, simply microwave the rice and veggies for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the chickpeas and topping with hummus and tzatziki. 
Meal prep: These vegetarian bowls are great for healthy meal prep – check out our blog post above for some tips and recommendations!

Nutrition

Calories: 635kcalCarbohydrates: 103gProtein: 21gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 1217mgPotassium: 1095mgFiber: 18gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1635IUVitamin C: 64mgCalcium: 232mgIron: 5mg
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Keyword basmati rice, bell pepper, chickpeas, coriander, cucumber, cumin, eggplant, garbanzo beans, hummus, lemon juice, lunch, lunch bowl, meal prep, olive oil, onion, roasted veggies, turmeric, tzatziki
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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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