Vegetable and Legume Bowl (Printer-friendly)

A nourishing bowl with roasted vegetables, protein-rich legumes, and hearty grains topped with creamy tahini dressing.

# What You'll 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

# How to Make It:

01 - Set oven to 425°F and allow 10 minutes for full temperature reach.
02 - Bring water or broth with salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add grains, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender: quinoa requires 15 minutes, brown rice requires 40 minutes, farro requires 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork when complete.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, toss bell pepper, zucchini, onion, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
04 - Spread coated vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until tender with light charring.
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 over medium heat.
06 - Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, water, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add additional water as needed to achieve a drizzling consistency.
07 - Divide cooked grains evenly among four bowls. Top each portion with roasted vegetables and warmed legumes. Drizzle generously with tahini dressing.
08 - Top each bowl with fresh parsley, avocado slices, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour and actually tastes like you spent way more time on it than you did.
  • You can swap vegetables based on what's in season or what's hiding in your crisper drawer, so it never gets boring.
  • The tahini dressing is creamy and rich enough to feel indulgent but keeps everything on the lighter side.
  • One bowl has enough protein and fiber to keep you satisfied through an afternoon of actual work.
02 -
  • Don't skip the olive oil on the vegetables—it's the difference between them steaming sad and actually caramelizing into something special.
  • The tahini dressing thickens as it sits, so make it looser than you think you want it, then adjust once you taste it.
  • Roasting vegetables at a higher heat for less time beats low and slow if you want those charred edges that make everything taste better.
03 -
  • Cook your grains ahead if you're meal prepping—they taste better once they've had time to cool and firm up, and assembly becomes five minutes instead of fifty.
  • Toast your pumpkin seeds yourself if you can find them raw, because the difference between toasted and untoasted is night and day in terms of flavor and crunch.
  • Don't dress the entire bowl until just before eating unless you're okay with everything softening slightly—the dressing is delicious but it does its work on the vegetables.
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