Rice Bowl
Published Jan 23, 2026
Super easy rice bowl recipe with Mediterranean ingredients like seasoned rice, chickpeas, fresh veggies, feta, and Greek yogurt sauce.
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MEAL PREP THIS MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA RICE BOWL!
I’m fully committed to bowl recipes at this point; I have over 15 on my site. They’re low effort, easy to prep ahead, and don’t require much thinking once everything’s on the counter. This Mediterranean-style rice bowl is vegetarian and has Greek-inspired flavors. I like to make my rice bowls with basmati rice, and for this one, I season the rice with garlic, oregano, and turmeric, so the rice actually has flavor on its own. From there, it’s all the good stuff… marinated red onions with sumac, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, chickpeas, olives, feta, and a spoon of yogurt sauce. It’s a rice bowl where every bite has something going on, and it works just as well for packed lunches as it does for a quick, build-your-own dinner.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Rice Bowl Ingredients
- For the rice: You’ll need basmati rice, a small yellow onion, garlic, olive oil, water, oregano, turmeric, and salt.
- Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas to save time, but if you want to use dried, read my tips on how to cook dried chickpeas.
- Cherry tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are a good substitute.
- Persian cucumbers: I prefer Persian cucumbers because they’re thin-skinned, but you can use any cucumber you have.
- Red onion: I use a red onion, but you can use 3–4 shallots if that’s what you have. Read my tips on how to slice an onion.
- Kalamata olives: If you don’t like the taste of olives, you can skip them and add extra crumbled feta.
- Feta: I recommend buying a block of feta and crumbling it yourself for the best taste.
- Herbs and seasonings: Fresh parsley, sumac, and salt. If you don’t have sumac, you can substitute with lemon zest.
How to Make Rice Bowls
Rice Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
For the Bowl Assembly
- ½ red onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 Persian cucumbers halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup kalamata olives sliced
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Greek yogurt sauce for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the rice, water, salt, oregano, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes without opening the lid. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
- In a small bowl, combine the sliced onions with sumac and salt. Allow to sit while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- Assemble the bowls by dividing the rice among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with the seasoned onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, olives, feta, and parsley.
- Add the Greek yogurt sauce on top and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- My Top Tip: Keep the rice covered while it cooks. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid! Removing it releases steam and lowers the temperature, which can lead to unevenly cooked rice.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container. They’ll last about 3–4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Roast the chickpeas. I like to season roasted chickpeas with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika for extra flavor.
- Finish it with a crunch: Slivered almonds or toasted walnuts are great options.
Recipe Tips
- Marinate the red onions first. Do this step before you start the rice to give the onions extra time to soak in the sumac and salt.
- Keep the rice covered while it cooks. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid! Removing it releases steam and lowers the temperature, which can lead to unevenly cooked rice.
Serving Ideas
- Sides: Spanakopita Triangles, Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves, Greek Lemon Potatoes
- Kabobs: Salmon Kabobs, Shish Tawook, Grilled Lamb Kabobs
- Sauces: Tzatziki Sauce, Lebanese Garlic Sauce, Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
FAQs
Sumac is a tangy spice made from ground red berries of the sumac shrub. It has a tart, tangy, lemony taste.
