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Mediterranean Chickpea and Bulgur Bowl

A warm tomato-scented bulgur pilaf topped with crisp spiced chickpeas, a fresh chopped salad and garlicky yogurt.

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At a glance
  • 480 gcanned chickpeas
  • 250 gripe tomatoes
  • 200 gcoarse bulgur
  • 200 gcucumber
  • 200 gwhole-milk yogurt
Serves 4

This bowl brings together a few staples of Turkish and wider Mediterranean home cooking: a bulgur pilaf cooked with onion and tomato paste, chickpeas, a chopped cucumber and tomato salad, and a spoonful of garlic yogurt. Bulgur is cracked, pre-cooked wheat, and it is eaten across Turkey, the Levant and neighboring regions in pilafs, salads and stuffings.

The bowl works because every part has a different texture and temperature. The pilaf is soft but chewy and savory from the tomato paste, the chickpeas are seared until the edges turn crisp, and the salad is cold, sharp with lemon and full of herbs. The yogurt ties it together.

Everything can be cooked at once while the bulgur steams, so the whole dish takes under an hour. It makes a filling main course, and the components keep well if you want to prepare it for lunches.

Mediterranean Chickpea and Bulgur Bowl

Formula & Method
Servings
4
Units
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Ingredients

Tomato bulgur pilaf

Spiced chickpeas

Chopped salad

Garlic yogurt and topping

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Preparation

  1. Step 013 min

    Drain the chickpeas in a colander, rinse them under cold water, then spread them on a clean towel or paper towels and pat dry. Dry chickpeas sear better and spit less in the pan.

  2. Step 026 min

    Warm 15 g olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped yellow onion and 0.5 g of the pilaf salt and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes until soft, translucent and just starting to turn golden at the edges.

  3. Step 032 min

    Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly to a brick red and smells sweet.

  4. Step 043 min

    Add the bulgur and stir for 1 minute so every grain is coated in the tomato mixture. Pour in the 400 g water and the remaining 2 g pilaf salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.

  5. Step 0514 min

    As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low, 90 C / 195 F simmer or the lowest setting, cover with the lid and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the surface has small steam holes. Do not stir while it cooks.

  6. Step 0610 min

    Taste a few grains. If they are tender but slightly chewy, remove the pan from the heat, keep the lid on and let the bulgur rest for 10 minutes. If the centers are still hard, add 30 g (2 tablespoons) hot water, cover and cook over the lowest heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the water is absorbed. Taste again and repeat once more if needed, then take the pan off the heat and rest it, covered, for 10 minutes.

  7. Step 072 min

    While the bulgur cooks, mix the yogurt, garlic paste, 1 g salt and 15 g of the lemon juice in a small bowl. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed, then refrigerate until serving.

  8. Step 088 min

    In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, mint and olives. In a small bowl or jar whisk together 55 g lemon juice, 30 g olive oil, 2 g salt and the black pepper. Do not dress the salad yet.

  9. Step 0910 min

    Heat 15 g olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 190 C / 375 F, until it shimmers. Add the dry chickpeas in one layer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring only every minute or two, until golden, with crisp edges and some split skins.

  10. Step 101 min

    Lower the heat to medium. Add the cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and 1 g salt to the chickpeas and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care that the spices do not scorch. Remove from the heat.

  11. Step 111 min

    Fluff the rested bulgur with a fork. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently just before serving so the vegetables stay crisp.

  12. Step 122 min

    Divide the bulgur among 4 bowls. Top each with warm chickpeas, a generous scoop of the chopped salad, a spoonful of garlic yogurt and crumbled feta. Serve right away.

Kitchen notes

  • Storage: cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, at 4 C / 40 F or below. Keep the bulgur, chickpeas, salad and yogurt in separate containers and eat within 3 days.
  • Reheat the bulgur and chickpeas until steaming hot throughout, at least 74 C / 165 F. Serve the salad and yogurt cold.
  • Make-ahead: the yogurt sauce and chopped vegetables (undressed) can be prepared a day ahead. Add the dressing and herbs just before serving.
  • Dried chickpeas: soak 200 g dried chickpeas in plenty of cold water, covered, in the refrigerator (4 C / 40 F) for 12 hours, then drain and rinse. Simmer in fresh water for 45 to 60 minutes, until a chickpea mashes easily between two fingers, then drain and use as in the recipe.
  • Fine bulgur (number 1 or 2) needs no simmering; it only needs soaking in hot water, so do not use it in the pilaf method above without changing the method.
  • Vegetarian: choose a feta labeled vegetarian or made with microbial or plant-based rennet, as some feta is made with animal rennet.
  • Dairy-free: leave out the feta and either replace the yogurt with the same amount of unsweetened dairy-free plain yogurt or skip the yogurt sauce. Removing only the feta is not enough, because the yogurt also contains milk. Add a few extra olives and a little extra dressing for salt and richness.
  • Variations: add a spoonful of pomegranate molasses to the dressing, or use roasted red peppers in place of some of the tomatoes.
  • Allergens: bulgur contains wheat (gluten). Yogurt and feta contain milk. Check the label of canned chickpeas, olives and any dairy-free yogurt for added ingredients or allergens.

Diet and allergens

Suitable for: Vegetarian, Nut-free.

Contains: milk, gluten (wheat).

Labels come from the ingredient list by fixed rules. If you cook for someone with an allergy, check the labels of packaged ingredients such as stock, spice blends, tahini and bread, since brands differ. How labels work.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this bowl gluten-free?

Bulgur is made from wheat, so it is not gluten-free. Cook quinoa or short-grain rice separately, following its own package directions for water, cooking time and resting time, then add it to the bowls in place of the pilaf. Do not simply swap it into the bulgur method, as the timing differs.

Why is my bulgur mushy or still crunchy?

Mushy bulgur usually means too much water or stirring while it cooks. If it is still hard in the center, add 30 g hot water, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 3 to 5 minutes, check, repeat if needed, then rest it off the heat. Use coarse bulgur and keep the lid on.

Can I make this vegan or dairy-free?

Yes. Leave out the feta and use an unsweetened dairy-free plain yogurt in the sauce, or skip the yogurt sauce and drizzle the bowls with a little extra dressing or tahini. Leaving out only the feta would not make it dairy-free.

Can I serve it cold?

Yes, it works as a packed lunch. Let the bulgur and chickpeas cool, refrigerate within 2 hours, and toss everything together with the dressing just before eating.

References and sources

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