Hello, winter. It was almost 70 degrees F on Christmas day which is definitely not normal for Connecticut. Yesterday night dipped to 6 degrees F and the high was only 24 degrees F. Boy, that change is jarring.
My life has now become all about keeping warm and hydrated. That means that I’m cozying up with a scarf, a sweater, blanket, or all of the above. I use lip balm and hand lotion more times a day than I can count. I never seem to have the stuff handy when I remember to use it which means that I go without it until my lips and hands dry out. This year I got smart. I decided to stock most of the rooms at home with some variety of lip balm and lotion so that no matter where I am when I remember to use it there is some nearby.
Plus I’m craving warm comfort foods, like this one. I wanted an easy vegetarian dinner to satisfy my craving and this is it. Guys, this sauce is everything. I’ve made a few times before, but with pasta. I decided to switch it up and make it with rice and add a little protein and veggies. Nice, right? It’s so versatile and seriously one of the most delicious sauces I’ve ever made. Ever. My husband agrees and may have mentioned that it could even make tennis shoes tasty.
I used whole milk in the sauce to get it nice and creamy today because that’s what I had on hand in the fridge. I’ve made it before with heavy cream and 2% milk. All three options work very well. Just keep in mind that the dairy with the higher fat content will yield a creamier sauce.
This dish also makes for great leftovers. I would love another bowl of it right now except my husband ate it for lunch the next day.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Chickpeas and Spinach Recipe
(About 4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jar (12 ounce) roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk.)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 ounces chopped spinach
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Directions:
- Cook the rice according to the directions on the package and then set it aside.
- In a medium skillet, on Medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the chopped onions and minced garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Add the chopped roasted red peppers and cook the mixture for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s hot.
- Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree it until it’s smooth.
- Pour the pureed mixture back into the skillet. Stir in the broth, and season with salt, pepper, and parsley.
- Gradually pour in the milk and grated Parmesan cheese and stir until it’s combined.
- Add the spinach and chickpeas and continue to cook until the spinach has wilted and the ingredients are hot.
- Pour the roasted red pepper mixture over the rice.
Source: Tina’s Chic Corner
Here are some other rad roasted red pepper recipes.
Roasted Red Pepper, Eggplant, and Corn Quinoa
We’ve had the same weather down here in NC – it’s so bizarre! I was wearing flip flops on Christmas and earlier this week it was below freezing!!
But this … this looks delicious! I love how creamy it is!
This weather is crazy! Hope you had a lovely holidays, Ashley. 🙂
This looks so bomb! It’s quite cold here too so I’d definitely love me a bowl of this 😉 xx
Awesome! 🙂 xoxo