Cauliflower Rice with Basil-Spinach Pesto and Chickpeas

In this recipe, cauliflower rice is tossed with a spinach and basil pesto and chickpeas. It makes an easy light meal or side dish for anyone at the table because it also happens to be vegan and gluten free. 

I usually post things on Instagram the day I make and shoot them with a note about when they will be live on the blog. Call me old fashioned, but I’m just one of those diehards who still believes in preserving the real-time aspect of social media. Especially those platforms that have a portion of the word instant in their names. 

I typically get a few comments from people who can’t wait to see it, but none quite like this recipe. After posting this cauliflower rice, I not only got comments on Instagram, but also follow up on other social sites about when the recipe would be live. 

I think there is some unspoken rule that says your simplest recipes, the ones you just kind of throw together on a whim, are the ones that garner the most attention. 

That is definitely the case here. 

I’ve been on the riced cauliflower or cauliflower rice (whichever you choose to call it) train for a while now. Like everyone else, I was making it with a fresh head of cauliflower by sending it through a food processor. (Yes, this time I was smart enough to use the food processor.) Then Trader Joe’s starting carrying it in both the fresh and frozen varieties. 

It is a shortcut I will gladly take. It is a huge pain to get all those tiny pieces of cauliflower out of the crevices of the food processor! 

I prefer the fresh over the frozen so I pick up 2 to 3 bags every time I shop there. Usually I just turn it into some sort of fried rice remake with soy sauce and Asian veggies. 

This time around, though, I had spinach that needed to be used up and basil in the garden. I put spinach in my pesto often so I decided that would make a nice sauce for the cauliflower along with some green onions that had the same life expectancy as the spinach, and some chickpeas for protein. 

I was out of the walnuts I usually use in pesto so I subbed pecans. No parmesan in this version either. 

Simple, but really delicious. I even got a second vote on this particular dish. Usually you are reliant on my and my husband’s taste buds for judgement, but we currently have a house guest that loved this one, too. 

What you’ll need:

1 cup packed spinach
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped raw pecans
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. bag riced cauliflower (or about 1 medium head)
3 green onions, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas)
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

How to make it:

Place the spinach, basil, garlic, pecans and 1/4 cup olive oil in a single serving blender or small food processor. Pulse for 5 to 10 second intervals until all ingredients are pureed. It needs to have a sauce consistency so add more olive oil as needed. 

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the cauliflower. Cook for 3 minutes, until it begins to soften and browns slightly. Add the green onions and cook 1 more minute. Stir in the chickpeas and cook about 1 more minute, just until the chickpeas are heated through. Turn off the heat. 

Pour in the pesto and stir to coat all ingredients. Season with the salt and black pepper. Serve warm.