This vegan, gluten-free chickpea brown rice spinach artichoke casserole incorporates the beloved spinach-artichoke combination into a grounding, nourishing vegan casserole that sticks to your ribs and is guaranteed to warm you right up.
Hope your weekend is going well so far! Figured I’d drop a recipe early on Sunday so that you’ll be able to try it this evening if you so desire. 🙂 This chickpea brown rice casserole is exactly the kind of meal that I make regularly once the mercury starts to dip below a certain temperature, which, where I live, was last night, when the low was 3 degrees C!
I feel as though casseroles are coming back into vogue, don’t you? They’re so practical, wholesome, and grounding, not to mention economical! A casserole such as this one is made primarily with affordable chickpeas and brown rice, and seasoned with artichokes, onion, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Topped with cashew or sunflower seed parmesan for some extra flavour and nutrients and then baked, this is one casserole that I have a hard time passing up!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- FOR THE CASSEROLE: Olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, artichokes in brine, spinach, brown rice, chickpeas, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and vegan parmesan cheese, for topping.
- FOR THE HERB AIOLI: Vegan mayonnaise, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by cooking the brown rice: To a medium saucepan, add 2 ½ cups of water. Rinse and drain brown rice through a fine mesh sieve. Add to the pot along with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and lightly fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. Add the pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, artichokes, spinach, chickpeas, cooked brown rice, balsamic, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil and scoop the rice and chickpea mixture into it. Top with ½ cup of vegan parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the aioli by blending together vegan mayonnaise, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Alternatively, make the Magic Green Avocado Sauce from this recipe if mayo isn’t your thing.
- Serve the casserole warm, with extra parmesan and aioli on top.
MORE COZY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE DINNER IDEAS
- Cheesy Vegan Broccoli, Quinoa, and White Bean Bake
- Thai Chickpea Sweet Potato Burgers with Almond Butter Sauce
- Southwestern White Bean, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Soup
I hope you love this Chickpea Brown Rice Spinach Artichoke Casserole! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment or rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen.
Enjoy!
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Chickpea Brown Rice Spinach Artichoke Casserole (Vegan)
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This chickpea brown rice spinach artichoke casserole incorporates the beloved spinach-artichoke combination into a grounding, nourishing vegan casserole that sticks to your ribs and is guaranteed to warm you right up.
Ingredients
CASSEROLE
- 1 ½ cups long grain or basmati brown rice
- 2 ½ cups water
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 1 ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup artichokes in brine (drained before measuring, chopped)
- 6 packed cups spinach, chopped
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 14-oz cans, drained and rinsed)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup vegan parmesan*
HERB AIOLI
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (such as Chosen Foods vegan mayonnaise)
- ½ cup fresh herbs (I like basil or parsley)
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Start by cooking the brown rice: To a medium saucepan, add 2 ½ cups of water. Rinse and drain brown rice through a fine mesh sieve. Add to the pot along with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and lightly fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. Add the pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, artichokes, spinach, chickpeas, cooked brown rice, balsamic, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil and scoop the rice and chickpea mixture into it. Top with ½ cup of vegan parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the aioli by blending together vegan mayonnaise, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Alternatively, make the Magic Green Avocado Sauce from this recipe if mayo isn’t your thing.
- Serve the casserole warm, with extra parmesan and aioli on top.
Notes
*Make the hemp cashew parmesan according to the directions in that recipe, but omit the hemp and use an additional ½ cup of cashews instead.
I sometimes add a handful of sliced pitted Kalamata olives to the mix for extra flavour.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Supper
- Cuisine: North American
Keywords: vegan spinach artichoke rice casserole, vegan brown rice chickpea casserole
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
Joyce
Really delicious. My teenage kids and husband liked it as well. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Allison
I’m so glad to hear that!
Cheryl
Delicious and healthy! My husband and all three kids enjoyed this one! Thank you!
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you very much! I’m happy to hear that it’s a hit in your household!
Laurie
So yummy! I used kale instead of spinach and added mushrooms. Thank you for sharing this delicious vegan dinner with us!
★★★★★
Allison
So glad you enjoyed it, Laurie!
Dominique
Lovely casserole!
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you!
Elizabeth
Delicious! I used lime I instead of lemon because my husband doesn’t like lemon. Everyone loved it.
★★★★★
Donna Fields
This is a wonderful recipe Allison. Really different and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
Allison
Hi Donna! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment! It means a lot to me, and I’m really happy to hear that you enjoyed this casserole. ?
Kirsten
This was SO good. Even my non vegan husband was impressed. To make things easier I cooked the rice in my instant pot. I also crushed some potato chips and mixed them with the vegan Parmesan for the topping and broiled for the last 5 minutes. It made the dish slightly less healthy but it was yummy!
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Kirsten! I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment. Have a great day! -Allison 🙂
Barbara
Great recipe! The whole family loved it (even my picky kids)! I wonder if it would freeze well?
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Barbara, I’m so glad that you and your family loved it! That’s great to hear. 🙂 Hmmm, I haven’t tried freezing it yet, but I have a feeling that it would freeze well. Have a great weekend!
Abby
Did you ever try freezing it? I want to make it for a family member to prep for postpartum, but I’m not sure how long it would need to thaw or cook from that temperature.
Stacy
I added a cup of dried cranberries. Great flavors!! Do you have the nutritional information?
Allison
Hi Stacy! The addition of cranberries is a great idea. I will calculate the nutritional information and update the recipe card with a label. Thanks for your comment!
Tara
Does the nutritional info include the vegan parm and aioli? Or just the casserole? This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Allison
Hi Tara, the nutritional info includes the aioli and vegan parm as well. I hope that you enjoy this recipe!
Zola
I love this recipe. Totally comfort food and so delicious. Your photos are amazing too!
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Zola, thank you so much!
Sheilad
Excited to try this recipes!
Allison
Hi Sheilad, that’s wonderful! I hope you enjoy it! ?
Liz
Absolutely fabulous casserole. A great family meal too!
★★★★★
TJ
Add artichoke brine to the aioli and thank me later.
Allison
Great idea!
Andy
5 stars for this!!
★★★★★
Sandra cini
I hate to be the one lone voice of dissent, but this was horrible. It was not like any casserole I’ve ever had, the best you could say is that it’s a warm salad. It might have been better without the rosemary but I’ll never know as I won’t be trying it again.
Allison
Sorry to hear that!
Jonathan Boyer
This recipe looks delicious. How do I measure packed spinach?
Thanks,
Jonathan
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Jonathan, I apologize for the late response! You can measure the packed spinach by firmly compressing raw baby spinach in your measuring cup.
Enjoy! 🙂
Jonathan Boyer
This dish was delicious! Hard to believe it is actually healthful.
★★★★★
Allison
Wonderful! Thank you!
Christine Star
This was a tasty and filling meal. I love artichokes and chick peas so this was yummy in my tummy! I didn’t have enough spinach so I will double up next time and definitely add mushrooms like someone suggested. Instead of the Parmesan and aioli I added vegan feta. I also drizzled sriracha for an added kick. Thanks again!
Allison
Hi Christine, I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! ?
Lindsay
Wow this was amazingly delicious! Thank you!! Only thing I did different was I ended up making my own rendition of the magic green sauce.
★★★★★
Allison
Hi Lindsay, thanks so much for making this recipe! I’m glad that you enjoyed it, and thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Amanda
Really enjoyed this! I made it exactly as stated. Will def make again!
★★★★★
Allison
Thanks, Amanda! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this casserole!
Linda Hau
This is a perfect vegan dinner! My husband said it’s the best he’s ever tasted. Whoever said it was horrible needs their taste buds examined.
Allison
Hi Linda, I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this casserole! Thanks so much for your nice comment!
P
Make a video for this recipe so we can see the two different sauces you created. I’m unable to decide which to make because I can’t see how it looks with either being made.
★★★★
Kariss
This was really delicious! I will definitely make it again soon, thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Lisa
This was a great find for my vegan daughter and the addition of Kalamata olives drew my non vegan husband to the table. I still have one picky eater who won’t eat chickpeas, any ideas for a good substitution?
★★★★
Suzanne
Can you make this in advance and bake the next day?
Sherri
Made this yesterday. Very tasty. My husband and I are not chick pea fans so I used a can of hominy in place of chick peas. Only cooked 1_cup of brown rice so we would not have quite so much left overs. Also added vegan feta morsels to the casserole. Very good. Will make again.
★★★★★