Quinoa and Veggie Buddha Bowl

A blue bowl with quinoa, spinach, chickpeas and veggies drizzled with a lemon tahini dressing.

5 from 1 vote

Quinoa and veggie Buddha bowls are a filling, but light, vegetarian bowl with chickpeas, carrots, peppers, spinach and a tangy lemon-tahini dressing to bring it all together.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Yield: 3 -4 servings

Ingredients

For the Buddha bowl:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large red or yellow bell pepper or 4-6 mixed smaller sweet peppers, cut into thin strips
1 14 oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained (or 1 bag crock pot chick peas)
3 medium carrots, peeled into thin strips
2 heaping cups spinach, roughly chopped

For the lemon-tahini dressing:

3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (a sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons water, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Buddha bowl: Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
Turn off the heat and stir in the chick peas and carrots. This helps warm them through. Just before serving, stir in the spinach (you don’t want it to cook or wilt, just to combine with the other veggies).
For the dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, tahini, one tablespoon of the water, soy sauce, garlic, cayenne (if using) and salt and pepper. (Or add them all to a small jar or container and shake it up.)
Add up to the additional tablespoon of water if needed for the right consistency. (This will depend on how thick or runny your tahini is.)
Assemble the bowls: Divide quinoa between four bowls. Top with sautéed peppers, chick peas, carrots and spinach.
Drizzle dressing over everything and enjoy!

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Notes

Quinoa: Quinoa is the base of these bowls, but you could also use another grain, such as brown rice or farro.

Vegetables: Feel free to use your favorite veggies for these bowls, or whatever you have on hand. Sautéed cremini mushrooms or snap peas (along with the peppers) to add to this quinoa recipe. You could also add in some steamed or roasted broccoli or cauliflower to really ramp up the veggies here.

Chickpeas: These help bulk up the bowls and make them more hearty. They also go really well with the dressing, but you could swap in a different type of bean or use edamame instead if you prefer.

Lemon tahini dressing: This dressing is super easy to make, but you could use a store-bought Asian style dressing if you'd rather.

Meat or seafood: You can add some cooked chicken or shrimp if you don’t want to go vegetarian.

Toppings: Try topping your Buddha bowl with chopped peanuts or cashews for a little extra crunch.

Nutrition

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