Vegetable and Legume Bowl (Printable Version)

Roasted seasonal vegetables and protein-rich legumes over hearty grains with tahini dressing.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

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

→ Legumes

04 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas or 1 can, drained and rinsed
05 - 1 cup cooked green or brown lentils

→ Vegetables

06 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
07 - 1 zucchini, sliced
08 - 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
09 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 2 cups broccoli florets
11 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
14 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnishes

15 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
16 - 1 avocado, sliced
17 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
18 - Lemon wedges

→ Dressing

19 - 2 tablespoons tahini
20 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
21 - 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed
22 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
23 - Salt and pepper to taste

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Set oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
02 - In a medium saucepan, bring water or broth and salt to a boil. Add grains and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until tender, approximately 15 minutes for quinoa, 40 minutes for brown rice, or 25 minutes for farro. Fluff with a fork.
03 - Toss bell pepper, zucchini, onion, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.
04 - Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until vegetables are tender and slightly charred.
05 - If desired, heat chickpeas and lentils in a small pan with a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add additional water as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.
07 - Divide cooked grains equally among four bowls. Top each with roasted vegetables and legumes. Drizzle generously with tahini dressing.
08 - Garnish each bowl with fresh parsley, avocado slices, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You get a complete meal in one bowl without feeling like you're eating "health food" or suffering through boring textures.
  • Everything can be prepped while your oven does the real work, leaving you free to actually relax on a weeknight.
  • The tahini dressing tastes restaurant-quality but costs a fraction of takeout and comes together in under a minute.
02 -
  • If your tahini dressing breaks or becomes grainy, you probably added the lemon juice too fast, so start over with fresh tahini and add lemon drop by drop while whisking constantly.
  • Roasted vegetables are infinitely better the second they come out of the oven, so time your roasting to finish about five minutes before you want to eat.
  • Don't assemble these bowls more than an hour before eating, because avocado oxidizes and some vegetables start releasing water that makes the grains soggy.
03 -
  • If you forget to cook legumes ahead of time, canned chickpeas and lentils work beautifully and no one will know the difference.
  • Taste your tahini dressing after it's been sitting for five minutes, because it thickens and you might need to add more water than you initially thought.
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