Middle Eastern Tomato-Tahini Beans over Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup Cooked rice
• 3/4 cup Dried chickpeas (or canned chickpeas, drained)
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 medium Onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 cup Crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Water or bean liquid
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper
• 3 tbsp Tahini
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Water (for tahini sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep (10 minutes): If using dried chickpeas, rinse and soak if needed; otherwise drain canned chickpeas. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.

2. 2

   Cook (35 minutes): Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion until softened, 4–5 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.

3. 3

   Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then stir in crushed tomatoes, water/bean liquid, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened and flavors meld, about 20–25 minutes (add chickpeas at the start of simmering).

4. 4

   Make tahini drizzle: Whisk tahini with lemon juice and water until smooth and pourable.

5. 5

   Serve: Spoon warm tomato-tahini beans over rice and drizzle with tahini sauce.