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This Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas is the best bowl of (healthy) comfort food. Kind of like soup, similar to a stew, but creamier with more rice. Turmeric infused golden rice made creamy with coconut milk and made “soupy” with a bit more broth than usual. Top each bowl of souper golden rice with spiced, extra crispy chickpeas, and a dollop of creamy yogurt. The perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s also healthy and quickly made on the stove in less than an hour. Just be sure to serve with a side of fresh naan for a bowl of (easily made vegan) comfort food.
Starting the week off on a healthy, but still cozy, note with this Indian..ish inspired recipe. Somehow it’s already the second week of February and I know many of you have spring on your minds. Here in Colorado, it’s still very much winter, and very, very much comfort food kind of weather.
That said, we’re coming off a weekend of enjoying way too much ski resort food, meaning lots of french fries and cocktails, after watching my younger brother, Red, compete (and win!!!) at the Dew Tour on Saturday. I will share more details and photos in Sunday’s Favorites post, but I will say that it was such a special weekend and everyone soaked up the time together. I know I’ve said it before, but being able to watch both Malachi and Red achieve their goals, and do it together, makes me the happiest, proudest sister.
Anyway, a fun weekend spent snowboarding and eating with family means that colorful recipes full of food with all things good for us are very much needed today.
Enter this “souper” creamy golden rice. This is the ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food that’s truly just as delicious as a bowl of cheesy pasta. That’s saying a lot coming from the girl who loves both cheese and pasta more than most.
It. Is. SO GOOD. Creamy, herby, perfectly spiced, and topped with addictingly delicious crispy chickpeas…and served with naan. Of course.
The inspiration.
Growing up my mom would make what she called “souper rice”. Basically, it was cream of chicken soup plus a whole lot of rice. So much rice that you really couldn’t call it soup anymore…enter “souper rice”. To this day she still recalls it as one of her favorite childhood comfort foods.
I drew inspiration from mom’s souper rice and created a more Indian inspired version, made with coconut milk for extra creaminess. It’s not quite the same as mom’s canned soup version (thankfully), but it’s just as delicious. Different, but delicious.
Here is how you make this creamy golden rice.
First up, the rice. GOLDEN RICE, I’m all about some golden rice. It’s simple. Just melt a little butter, add in some turmeric, crushed red pepper, canned coconut milk (preferably full fat for extra creaminess), and water. Once boiling, stir in the rice, then add plenty of greens, cover and let the rice steam until cooked.
For the greens, you can really use whatever greens you love most. My top choices are kale, spinach, or chard. The greens steam with the rice, so you don’t even have to worry about cooking them. It’s so easy.
While the rice is cooking, you should make the chickpeas, and trust me, you do NEED the chickpeas. They add not only heartiness but a nice crunch and plenty of good flavor to this creamy rice. They’re salty, savory, and just a little hard to stop eating. Kind of like a healthier chip with crispy shallots, nutty coconut, and toasty sesame seeds too.
The secret to souper golden rice?
Once the rice is cooked, stir in a splash more broth to make the rice on the soupy side. As you are stirring, smells of turmeric, coconut, and butter will quickly hit your nose.
It’s wonderful.
Remove the rice from the heat, and simply top with a dollop of yogurt, those spiced crispy chickpeas, and plenty of fresh mint or cilantro. At this point, you should eat immediately. This dish is meant to be on the soupy side, meaning there should still be broth around the rice. The rice will soak up the broth if it sits too long. So enjoy it right away, it will be just perfect.
So much flavor. Extra creamy. A touch crunchy. So delicious.
How are the leftovers?
The leftovers are just as good, but a little different. Even though this is best right off the stove, the leftovers are still so delicious. The rice becomes more like risotto and when heated up, makes for the perfect lunch the next day. Love a dish that you can enjoy for dinner one night and lunch the following day!
If you’d like to make this a little heartier, try adding a fried or soft boiled egg. Or serve alongside last week’s lemon garlic chicken. That would be so good.
And that’s it. The simplest, healthy bowl of winter comfort food. Hope you all enjoy!!
If you make this creamy golden rice with spiced chickpeas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Souper Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1080 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (using vegan butter or olive oil, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 2-2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 cups roughly torn greens such, as kale, chard, or spinach
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 2-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh mint or cilantro
- toasted naan, Greek yogurt, and red harissa sauce, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the rice. Melt the butter, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium pot over high heat. Add the rice and toss to coat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of broth, the coconut milk, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the greens on top of the rice, but do not stir. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, make the chickpeas. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, chickpeas, garlic, shallots, ginger, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are crisped all over, about 8-10 minutes. Add the coconut flakes and sesame seeds, tossing to combine. Cook 2 minutes, until toasted, remove from the heat.3. When the rice is cooked, switch the heat onto low, add additional broth 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. Taste, adding salt as needed.4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and spoon the chickpeas overtop. Serve with naan, yogurt, and fresh mint or cilantro. Enjoy!
ABSOLUTE COMFORT FOOD I AM IN LOVE
Thank you so so much! xT
Delicious recipe and very easy to throw together. Someone in the comments mentioned not turning the heat off your rice, and I would have to agree. After letting it come to a boil, I turned it to low and let it cook for the entire 20 minutes. My rice was still a touch under cooked, so I left it for another 5 minutes. Also, you may think at first your rice is creamy enough without adding the extra 1/2 cup broth at the end, but it’s not! I’m glad I slowly added it to see how much richer the dish got since it would’ve been very dry as leftovers.
Hey Jordan,
Love to hear that this recipe was delish! Thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great weekend!🍁🍃
Made this to use my leftover coconut milk rice from making the Sesame Soy Miso-Glazed recipe (in the book). So good! Had never cooked with harissa and didn’t realize how much I’d love it. That combined with the yogurt reminded me of when I’d mix salsa and sour cream as a kid to dip tortilla chips in.
Thank you so much Alex! xT
This is a favorite! We’ve made this so many times and continue to enjoy it 🙂
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
This has become a family favorite. I make it all the time with some slight variations. I keep the heat on low as the rice steams as it doesn’t cook through if the heat is turned off. I also double the spinach since it cooks down so much. Lastly, I make a yogurt dressing of Greek yogurt, lime juice, minced/grated garlic and salt that everyone adds on top. Absolutely delicious!
Thank you Sarah! xT
What adjustments should I make if I use brown jasmine rice?
Hi! I don’t use brown rice as much so I would just follow the cooking instructions on the package! xT
So yummy! This has become one of our go to’s!!
Thanks so much Danielle! Love to hear that this recipe is a fave, thanks for making it so often! Happy Wednesday! xT
Hi! I am going to make this on Sunday. Did you sue white or black sesame seeds? Also, if I am going for a less soupy and stiffer rice as a side for an Indian meal would you use less liquid or cook it longer to cook off the liquid?
Hi Cari,
For this recipe, I used white sesame seeds. I would try reducing the liquid just slightly:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Wow, Tieghan, this was really, really good! I did make a couple of modifications to suit my tastes/needs, but I feel it kept the flavor profile of the recipe. I used light coconut milk instead of full-fat) , and rather than cook the chickpeas in oil, I lightly sprayed them with cooking spray and tossed them with the spices and baked them until crispy, adding the coconut at the end of the baking time so that it could get toasted. And I loved your suggestion of serving it with a bit of harissa. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey Coby,
Happy Friday!!🌸☀️ I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it and sharing your review! xx
A big home run for me! The flavor is amazing and the textures a pleasure to eat!
Hey Tiffany,
Wonderful!!🍀 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out:)
Needed a tasty meal for a meat-less Friday during lent and you nailed it! This was incredibly delicious!
Hi Katelyn,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Loved this recipe. I had a couple jars of chick peas in the cupboard I wasn’t sure how I would use. Found this recipe and it was delicious. The whole family loved it. I had to substitute the ground ginger for 1 tsp Garam masala which was a great substitute I will keep. We also only had tortillas and vanilla yogurt and sweetened coconut which made it a sweet dish that was really enjoyable.
Hi Tara,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and your comment, I love to hear it was a hit! 😊
I loved this! So flavorful and delicious! I doubled the pepper flakes bc I like more spice. I really appreciate all the vegetarian options on the site! Please keep them coming!
Hey Anita,
Happy Sunday!!🌸 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xT
Fabulous! Such an easy recipe that even my 3 year old loves!
Hey Sydney,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)