Lemony Spinach Feta Rice Casserole with Chickpeas
Get a healthy dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes with this quick and easy spinach feta and rice casserole. The recipe features plant-based protein from fibre-rich chickpeas, plus nutrient-dense baby spinach and TWO types of cheese (feta and parmesan). The fresh flavour comes from lemon, dill, and garlic and it all comes together in one pan.
What Makes it Great: Convenience Ingredients!
WOW. If this isn’t a quick and healthy dinner recipe, I don’t know what is! I’m pretty proud of this recipe as a dietitian and recipe developer because of:
- how quickly it comes together
- how simple the ingredients are
- how full of plant nutrition goodness it is!
The key to a quick recipe like this is using ingredients that require minimal prep time. We use cooked rice (prep it ahead of time to make life even easier), baby spinach leaves (no prep here!), and canned chickpeas that you just need to drain and rinse. These plus a few other simple and wholesome ingredients mean this spinach feta casserole is the perfect weeknight meal.
Trying to eat more spinach? Add my garlicky sauteed kale & spinach or my spinach, kale & strawberry salad to your list of must-make recipes after this one!
30 Minutes, One Pan:
Grab a large oven-safe pan (I use a cast iron skillet), preheat your oven to 400F, and get started!
Serving The Casserole:
Serve it warm out of the oven with a sprinkle of black pepper and an extra squeeze of lemon. If you like you can also add a dollop of plain yogurt. In my house we enjoy this feta and spinach casserole as a main but it also works wonderfully as a tasty and nutrient-dense side dish!
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Lemony Spinach Feta Rice Casserole with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 6 cups baby spinach, packed
- 3 cups cooked rice, I use long-grain brown or white rice
- 1 19 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 medium lemon, juice of
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Warm oven in an oven-safe frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Season with 1/4 tsp salt.
- Add the spinach and cook it down, approximately 2-3 minutes. Stir in the other 1/4 tsp salt.
- Reduce heat and stir in chickpeas, rice, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill. Taste, and add/adjust seasonings and/or salt as needed.
- With the back of your spatula or spoon, evenly spread the mixture throughout the pan and gently press it down into the pan.
- Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and crumbled feta on top. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes until it starts to brown a little on top.
- Serve as a side dish or main!
This is a go to recipe for my family! Super easy, delicious and budget friendly. Highly recommend.
Thanks Jessy 🙂 Can’t wait til Riley can enjoy it too!!
I loved this recipe and so did my mum. It was comforting and delicious and easy and healthy. I used a package of frozen spinach. After squeezing out the water, I added to the onion and garlic and sauteed it until the extra liquid in the spinach had evaporated and it was well coated in the garlic and onion mixture. Also I used an extra virgin olive oil herb bomb of thyme rosemary and oregano that I freeze in ice cube trays and use for sauntering. I only had 1/2 red onion so though it was still delicious, but a whole onion as per the recipe would have added more flavour. I omitted the dill as I didn’t have any on hand. Thank you. Definitely going to be part of the regular rotation
Hi Toria, thanks so much for the comment. Using the olive oil herb bomb sounds fantastic – I’m going to make some of those! So glad you and your mum enjoyed the recipe!