Vegetarian Mediterranean Rice Bowls

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

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!

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.