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4.80 from 5 votes

Baked Rice with Garbanzos and Dates

A easy and delicious baked rice recipe with garbanzos and dates. Vegetarian friendly and ready in an hour!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 680.36kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 whole head of garlic trimmed (take about ¼ inch off the top of the head of garlic to expose the tops of the garlic cloves)
  • 2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
  • ¾ cup of assorted dried fruits like prunes, dates, and apricots, chopped
  • 1 onion sliced Julianne style
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon pimentón dulce sweet Spanish paprika
  • 2.5 cups vegetable stock for the vegetarian version or chicken stock
  • 11/4 cups of Spanish bomba rice
  • ¼ cup almond slivers or raw almonds that you've crumbled with a rolling pin into large chunks

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F
  • Ideally you will use an oven safe pan such as cast iron for this baked rice recipe. If not you'll have to switch pans before adding the rice (below)
  • Sauté the onion in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until caramelized
  • Add the minced garlic for 30 seconds
  • Add ½ of the chopped dried fruits and sauté for two minutes
  • Add the tomato paste and cherry tomatoes and stir
  • Add the paprika, chickpeas, stock and salt and bring to a boil
  • Add the rice and stir (if not using a cast iron pan that can go from stove to oven, transfer the stovetop mixture into an oven safe casserole pan before adding the rice)
  • Place the whole head of garlic in the center of the pan and sprinkle the rest of the dried fruits on top of the rice
  • Drizzle the head of garlic with a bit more olive oil (about a tablespoon)
  • Bake the rice for thirty minutes at 400°F
  • In the meantime, place the almonds in a hot frying pan (with a touch of olive oil if you wish). Sauté constantly until browned. Don't let them burn!
  • Top the finished dish with the toasted almonds and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 680.36kcal | Carbohydrates: 120.44g | Protein: 13.63g | Fat: 15.69g | Saturated Fat: 2.06g | Sodium: 744.34mg | Potassium: 436.6mg | Fiber: 5.95g | Sugar: 7.45g | Vitamin A: 711.19IU | Vitamin C: 7.86mg | Calcium: 88.97mg | Iron: 2.4mg