Baked Rice Puttanesca with Basil Aioli
Fragrant and fluffy, this Baked Rice Puttanesca is loaded with bursting cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and classic Italian flavors. No need to turn on the stove—simply throw everything in a pot, bake and serve with a drizzle of creamy vegan basil aioli.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 557kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 lemon peel strips
- 1 tbsp pizza seasoning
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice rinsed well
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives roughly chopped or torn
- 3 tbsp capers drained
- 2 cups boiling water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Basil Aioli
- 1/4 cup aquafaba
- 2 tbsp chickpeas
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Handful of fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, cinnamon sticks, lemon peels, spices and sugar to a large lidded pot. Toss with olive oil to combine and bake covered for 20 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Reserve 1/4 cup of the canning liquid (aquafaba) and 2 tbsp of chickpeas for the basil aioli.
- Once the tomatoes have softened in the oven, stir in the remaining chickpeas, rice, olives and capers. Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover the dish and return to the oven for another 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the basil aioli. Add the aquafaba, chickpeas, lemon juice and salt to the container of a high speed blender. Blend until very smooth. With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the aioli thickens. This may take a couple minutes of continuous blending. Finally, add the chopped basil and blend until smooth.
- Serve the baked rice in shallow bowls with a drizzle of basil aioli and more fresh basil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 557kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 38g | Sodium: 510mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g