
One-pan cheesy chickpeas, broccoli and rice
Rice, broccoli and chickpeas cooked together in one skillet and stirred with sharp cheddar until creamy, the kind of cozy, cheesy dinner that tastes like childhood but with more staying power.
- 35 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.78 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free

Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 2¼ cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups frozen broccoli
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ tsp ground mustard
From your pantry
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 550 calories, 22 g protein, 64 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $1.78 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No frozen broccoli? Broccoli works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the butter in a large with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until soft, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Add the rice and stir 1 minute, until coated.
Medium heat
Pour in the broth, add the salt, and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 12 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 12 min
Scatter the broccoli and chickpeas over the top without stirring, cover again, and cook 6 to 8 minutes more, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Low heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: The broccoli steams on top of the rice, so leave the lid on.Take it off the heat and stir in the cheddar, milk, ground mustard and pepper until creamy.
Dolly’s tip: A pinch of mustard powder makes cheese taste cheesier. You won’t taste mustard.Taste for salt and serve right away.

Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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One-pan dinners ›Vegetarian dinners ›What to make with rice and broccoli ›What to make with broccoli and cheddar ›What to make with chickpeas and rice ›