Lemon Chickpea and Rice Casserole (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)

A super easy dump-and-bake meatless meal for the family! This Lemon Chickpea and Rice Casserole is a healthy, hearty, vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-free dinner idea! Dairy-free, creamy, and zesty, this casserole recipe can be made ahead of time, is freezer-friendly, and a comforting weeknight meal everyone will love!

If you need an EASY dump-and-bake casserole that the entire family will love and you can feel good eating...this chickpea and rice bake is your answer! Packed with plant-based nutrition, this casserole is hearty and satisfying, even though it's meatless! There is so much flavor with the zestiness of lemon and a little creaminess from coconut milk! It's healthy vegan comfort food that you don't need to slave away in the kitchen to prepare!

Just A Few Simple Ingredients

An easy cooking process also means a super simple ingredient list! You can easily make a few modifications too and swap in what you have in your pantry!

• Onion: You can even use frozen or pre-diced!
• Garlic: Pre-minced.
• Vegan/Allergy-Free Butter: You can use olive oil as well. This is just used for a quick saute.
• Celery: You can use pre-diced.
• Parsley: Fresh is best!
• Black Pepper: Add this to taste.
• Coconut Milk: Full fast canned coconut milk is best for creaminess! However, you can use light coconut milk or other non-dairy milk if coconut is a concern.
• Vegetable Stock: Use a low-sodium stock or broth.
• Lemon Juice & Zest: About one large fresh lemon is all you need.
• Instant Rice: Minute white rice is what I suggest, however, you can use brown Minute rice too! This recipe was written specifically using instant rice, not raw rice.
• Canned Chickpeas: Crack open those cans, drain, rinse, and dump! If you have already cooked chickpeas already, you can use those too!
• Frozen Peas: You can swap in another frozen veggie here! Broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, or spinach would be fantastic, just defrost before using.

Can you use raw rice instead?

I have not tested this myself, but if you really want to use a raw long-grain white rice instead, you will need to use 2 cups of uncooked rice and add an additional cup and a half of vegetable stock to the dish. Increase the cooking time of the covered casserole by another 25 minutes. If you are using uncooked brown rice, increase the covered cooking time to about 60 minutes.

Easy Dump and Bake Process

It's essentially a 3-step process: saute, dump, bake. Pretty hands-off, minimal cooking and prep, just let the oven do the heavy lifting for you and have dinner ready in 30 minutes!

1. 5-minute prep of sauteing the onion, garlic, and celery. Then dumping in the coconut milk, stock, and lemon juice.
2. Layer a large casserole dish with the rice, chickpeas, defrosted veggies, then pour in the hot liquid.
3. Last, just bake the casserole in the oven covered in foil. For a nice crispy top, remove the foil and bake the casserole uncovered for a few extra minutes (so worth it!)

Additional Tips and Notes

• Add the lemon juice last: When sauteing the veggies and then heating the coconut milk and vegetable stock, add the lemon juice last, slowly stirring it in, so you won't curdle the coconut milk (if you do see separation, don't worry, it's fine and not harmful).
• Give it an extra "cheesy" flavor: You can add a few tablespoons (2 or 3 will do) of nutritional yeast to give this chickpea casserole a nice cheesy flavor! The coconut milk already helps in this area, but to add to the flavor, add some nooch!
• For a crispy topping: This casserole only needs to bake for about 20 minutes covered, but to give it a crispy top (like the famous Persian Tahdig, but on top!), remove the foil and bake the casserole for an extra 10 minutes. You can also add a few thin lemon slices to the top during this time too!

How to Store and Freeze

• Storage: This casserole can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. Simply reheat portions in the microwave or oven at 350°F until warmed through.
• Freezing: You can freeze the baked casserole dish for about 3-4 months and reheat it by simply heating the casserole dish at 350°F, covered with foil for about 60 minutes or until it is warmed through. You can defrost the frozen casserole dish overnight in the fridge and then cut the reheating time down to about 30-45 minutes.

A Healthy Vegetarian Family Meal

This is basically a meatless version of a classic chicken and rice casserole! Just swap chicken for chickpeas and you've got a plant-powered dinner to serve your family! This simple chickpea and rice bake is also:

• Gluten-Free
• Vegan & Vegetarian
• Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free)
• Sugar-Free
• Nutritional Complete & Protein-Packed
• Kid-Friendly
• Freezer-Friendly & Great for Meal Prep

More Meatless Dinners To Try:

• Easy Spanish Vegan Paella
• Italian Chickpea Casserole
• Healthy Air Fryer Falafel
• Chickpea Nuggets
• Vegan Cauliflower Lentil Loaf

Lemon Chickpea and Rice Casserole Recipe

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A simple and easy all-in-one dinner idea that is guaranteed to please everyone in your family! Naturally gluten-free and vegan, all whole foods and plant-based; there is nothing not to love about this healthy and hearty casserole that takes minimal effort to make!

So tell me:

+ Do you have a go-to casserole dish you like to make?

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