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This dump-and-bake Chickpea & Rice Casserole is easy AND delicious! Made from only 10 plant-based ingredients, it delivers big flavor with minimal effort.
Dump and bake casseroles have pretty much become a staple for From My Bowl. I love to make them almost as much as you love to eat them!
But really though – what’s not to love about throwing everything in a casserole dish, covering it, and then baking it in the oven?! You get maximum flavor with minimal prep-time, hands-on time, and kitchen cleanup.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKPEA RICE CASSEROLE
This casserole is made from only 10 plant-based ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry! Here are some of the key components:
- White Rice: for fragrant flavor and fluffiness, I’d recommend jasmine or basmati rice. White rice has a different cooking time than other grains, so if you’d like to use brown rice please see the recipe notes!
- Chickpeas: for plant-based protein and fiber. If you’re using canned beans, make sure to drain and rinse them first!
- Broth and Coconut Milk: to add flavor and creaminess to our casserole, I found it best to use a combination of vegan chicken-flavored stock and coconut milk.
- Flavorful Veggies: a.k.a. onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms!
This casserole is essentially a riff off of the classic Chicken & Rice Casserole, which is normally made with chicken, rice, and a few different cans of pre-made soup. The broth, coconut milk, and vegetables combine to replace the soup cans, which aren’t traditionally vegan. Swap the animal protein for some chickpeas and we’re good to go!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKPEA RICE CASSEROLE
- Add the broth, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast to a pot and bring to a boil
- Layer the rice, chickpeas, and vegetables in a casserole dish
- Pour the boiling liquid into the casserole dish, then
- Cover and bake until the rice is fluffy!
Not only is this a totally hands-off cook time, but the rice and chickpeas get infused with extra flavor while everthing bakes away in the oven! Once the rice has cooked for 45 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
I love this Chickpea & Rice Casserole because it’s the perfect comfort food – it’s creamy, cozy, and also packed with veggies. I like to top mine with a little freshly ground black pepper, but it would also be good with some extra dairy-free cheese or maybe even a drizzle of Vegan Ranch.
If you’re looking for more dump-and-bake casserole recipes, you’ll also love this Buffalo Cauliflower Casserole, this Southwestern Black Bean Casserole, and this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintVegan Chickpea & Rice Casserole
This dump-and-bake Chickpea & Rice Casserole is easy AND delicious! Made from only 10 plant-based ingredients, it delivers big flavor with minimal effort.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) vegan chicken-flavored stock (or sub vegetable broth)
- 3/4 cup (174 ml) full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 cup (185 g) uncooked white jasmine rice
- 2 cups (400 g) chickpeas, cooked
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 rib of celery, finely diced
- 5 oz cremini mushrooms (about 5 medium)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and set a 9×13″ or similar pan.
- Add the stock, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast to a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. While the liquid heats, add the rice, chickpeas, onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms to the casserole dish. Mix them around and spread evenly across the bottom of the casserole with a spatula.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the casserole and cover with a layer of parchment paper (optional) followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then uncover. Top with parsley and serve warm; leftovers will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Brown Rice: if you wish to use brown rice instead of white, preheat the oven to 400F instead and bake for 60 minutes instead of 45. I have not tested this recipe with any other grain substitutions
Keywords: chickpea rice casserole, vegan chicken rice casserole, healthy chicken rice casserole, chickpea casserole, vegan rice casserole
Hi! I made this this evening, needing to sub different veggies for what I had on hand. Very nice flavor, and found the trick of lowering the heat to 350º and adding 10 minutes for the glass 13×9 pan to be perfect. Looking forward to trying different flavor concoctions with this method. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★
Glad you liked it, Ava!
I have the boil in a bag of brown rice. Do I just put it in the dish uncooked?
Yes!
What could I substitute for the nutritional yeast? Don’t have any on hand.
You can use Miso paste, soy sauce or liquid aminos, or vegetable bouillon.
WOW! I cannot believe how simple this was to throw together. SO affordable,accessible, and YUMMY. I love it, will definitely make it again. I’m looking forward to checking out your other “dump & bake” casseroles ❤️
★★★★★
Lots of dump and bake recipes in the blog for you. Glad you loved it, Jen!
This looks delicious! Im wondering what i could swap the mushrooms with? 🙂
Tempeh or tofu are great alternatives.
I’m making this right now! For some reason the rice wasn’t fully cooked after 45 minutes, but that could’ve been a mistake on my part since I might have used a dish that was too small. Had a small bite to tast it and it’s fantastic! Definitely going to make this again 🙂
★★★★★
Happy to know it still worked out well, Giulia! I recommend a 9×13″ pan for when you make it again. ♥
Just made this today and it was delicious. We aren’t mushroom lovers so I subbed in zucchini and added sun dried tomatoes. It was amazing. Excited for the leftovers.
★★★★★
So glad you loved it, Casey!
Can you recommend a substitute for the coconut milk. Someone in our family is allergic to coconut.
Soy milk is a great alternative to coconut milk. Also, Almond Milk and Cashew milk.
Thanks so much for this great, super comforting recipe! This casserole tasted so rich and creamy, and it seems like a very forgiving recipe, too: I used a glass baking pan (that’s the only 9×13 I own!) and didn’t adjust the temperature or bake time, but it still cooked up perfectly fluffy rice. I also had slightly more rice in the pantry than 1 cup, and I decided to use it all so I wasn’t left with a tiny awkward amount, which meant I eyeballed the addition of more veggie stock to compensate… and it worked beautifully anyway! Also topped the finished dish with some hot sauce for an extra kick.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the feedback, Miranda! I’m glad it came out beautifully.
Would you be able freeze and then bake this recipe later? Trying to come up with some vegan freezer meals with the upcoming arrival of twins! Thanks!
Wow, twins! Congratulations! This is freezer friendly so you can use this for meal prep.