Spanish Baked Rice with Garbanzos and Dates

4.80 from 5 votes

Spanish Baked Rice with Garbanzos and Dates

This delicious and simple vegetarian Spanish rice recipe is a winner! This baked rice with garbanzos and dates is ready in an hour and will impress your guests.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Spanish

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 717.96kcal

Author: Lauren Aloise

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion sliced
¾ cup assorted dried fruits chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 ½ cups vegetable stock or chicken stock for a non-vegetarian version
1 cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika pimentón dulce
1 ¼ cups Spanish bomba rice
1 head garlic
¼ cup almond slivers

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Sauté the onion in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until caramelized.
Add the minced garlic for 30 seconds, then add half of the chopped dried fruits and sauté for 2 minutes.
Mix in the tomato paste and cherry tomatoes, then add the vegetable stock, chickpeas, paprika, and salt. Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice.
Slice about ¼ inch off the top of the head of garlic to expose the tops of the garlic cloves. Place the head of garlic in the center of the pan, sprinkle the rest of the dried fruits on top of the rice, and drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
Bake the rice dish for 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
In the meantime, brown the almonds in a hot frying pan (with a touch of olive oil if you wish). Be sure to stir them constantly, and don't let them burn!
Top the finished dish with the toasted almonds and enjoy while it's hot and fresh.

Notes

Use a Spanish short grained rice--such as Bomba--for this recipe. If you must substitute, try another short grained type like Arborio.

Experiment with different dried fruits based on your taste and what you have on hand. I like using a blend of dates, prunes, and apricots.
Ideally, use an oven safe skillet, such as cast iron, for this baked rice recipe. If not, you'll have to switch to an oven safe pan before adding the rice.

Don't have sliced almonds? Crush raw almonds with a rolling pin into smaller pieces.

Nutrition