Spring green vegetable bowl (Printable Version)

A nourishing bowl with spring vegetables, hearty grains, and a zesty lemon dressing for a light meal.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, brown rice, or farro
02 - 2 cups water
03 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Spring Vegetables

04 - 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
05 - 1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
06 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
07 - 2 cups baby spinach leaves

→ Lemon Dressing

08 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
11 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
12 - 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
13 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Toppings

15 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
16 - ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, omit for vegan
17 - Fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, or dill, chopped

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Rinse grains under cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add grains, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, approximately 15 minutes for quinoa, 35 minutes for brown rice, or as package directs. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch peas, asparagus, and green beans separately for 2 to 3 minutes each until just tender and bright green. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain thoroughly.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until just wilted. Remove from heat.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
05 - Divide cooked grains among four bowls. Top each with blanched peas, asparagus, green beans, and sautéed spinach. Drizzle with lemon dressing.
06 - Sprinkle with toasted seeds, crumbled feta if using, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in 40 minutes flat, which means weeknight dinner without the stress or takeout guilt.
  • The vegetables stay bright and crisp instead of turning to mush, because blanching them separately is the small trick that changes everything.
  • You can prep components ahead and assemble fresh whenever hunger strikes, making it perfect for meal prep without the boredom.
02 -
  • Blanching vegetables separately sounds tedious until you realize it's the only way to nail the timing—peas cook much faster than asparagus, and trying to do them together results in one perfect batch and one disaster.
  • Make the dressing in advance if you want, but assemble the bowl only when you're ready to eat, because warm grains will wilt the spinach and soften everything if they sit together too long.
  • The ice bath is non-negotiable; it stops the cooking process immediately and locks in that impossible bright green color that makes the bowl photograph itself.
03 -
  • Lemon zest changes the game—use a microplane grater and you'll understand why bottled dressing never quite lands the same way.
  • If you're meal prepping, store the dressing separately and dress the bowls only right before eating, otherwise the grains absorb all the moisture and everything becomes dense.
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