Chickpea Brown Rice Spinach Artichoke Casserole (Vegan)

Published: Sep 13, 2020 Last Modified: Mar 14, 2022 by Allison

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This vegan, gluten-free chickpea brown rice spinach artichoke casserole incorporates the beloved spinach-artichoke combination into a grounding, nourishing vegan casserole that sticks to your ribs and is guaranteed to warm you right up.

Hope your weekend is going well so far! Figured I’d drop a recipe early on Sunday so that you’ll be able to try it this evening if you so desire. 🙂 This chickpea brown rice casserole is exactly the kind of meal that I make regularly once the mercury starts to dip below a certain temperature, which, where I live, was last night, when the low was 3 degrees C!

I feel as though casseroles are coming back into vogue, don’t you? They’re so practical, wholesome, and grounding, not to mention economical! A casserole such as this one is made primarily with affordable chickpeas and brown rice, and seasoned with artichokes, onion, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Topped with cashew or sunflower seed parmesan for some extra flavour and nutrients and then baked, this is one casserole that I have a hard time passing up!

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

FOR THE CASSEROLE:Olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, artichokes in brine, spinach, brown rice, chickpeas, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and vegan parmesan cheese, for topping.
FOR THE HERB AIOLI:Vegan mayonnaise, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Start by cooking the brown rice: To a medium saucepan, add 2 ½ cups of water. Rinse and drain brown rice through a fine mesh sieve. Add to the pot along with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and lightly fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. Add the pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, artichokes, spinach, chickpeas, cooked brown rice, balsamic, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with olive oil and scoop the rice and chickpea mixture into it. Top with ½ cup of vegan parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the aioli by blending together vegan mayonnaise, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Alternatively, make the Magic Green Avocado Sauce from this recipe if mayo isn’t your thing.
Serve the casserole warm, with extra parmesan and aioli on top.

MORE COZY VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE DINNER IDEAS

Cheesy Vegan Broccoli, Quinoa, and White Bean Bake
Thai Chickpea Sweet Potato Burgers with Almond Butter Sauce
Southwestern White Bean, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Soup

I hope you love this Chickpea Brown Rice Spinach Artichoke Casserole! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment or rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen.

Enjoy!