This Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl with roasted chickpeas is a healthy lunch idea packed full of nutrients and yummy veggies.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Quinoa – replace with another grain like brown rice, couscous, barley, farro, etc. Cook time will vary based on the grain.
Roasted chickpeas
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- Chickpeas – use bulk or canned chickpeas. Rinsed and drained canned chickpeas will be easier.
- Olive oil – or another neutral oil like canola, grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Lemon juice – use fresh or bottled lemon juice. In a pinch, use lime juice.
- Chili powder – cayenne pepper, crushed chili flakes or paprika will work in place of chili powder.
- Garlic powder – onion powder, garlic salt or finely minced fresh garlic can be used.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Veggies
- Kale – use any leafy green such as collard greens, spinach or Swiss chard.
- Olive oil – any neutral oil can work in place of olive oil.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic.
- Butternut squash – kabocha, buttercup squash, pumpkin or sweet potato would all be good in these bowls.
- Frozen peas – use any frozen veggies of your choice like corn.
- Red pepper – use any bell pepper colour or substitute with another vegetable altogether.
- Red onion – yellow onion, shallots or white onion can work in place of red onion.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Parsley – cilantro or another fresh herb of choice can be used to garnish these bowls.
- Avocado – use fresh sliced avocado or guacamole.
Tahini dressing
- Tahini – cashew butter or another nut or seed butter can be used in place of tahini.
- Lemon juice – use fresh or bottled lemon juice. In a pinch, use lime juice.
- Cilantro – use parsley or another herb of your choice.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make this recipe
- Roast the chickpeas.
- Cook the butternut squash.
- Make the quinoa.
- Prepare the rest of the veggies.
- Blend the tahini dressing.
- Assemble your bowls and enjoy!
Roasting the chickpeas
Besides being a great addition to these bowls, roasted chickpeas are the perfect protein-packed snack that you can enjoy throughout the day. Make your roasted chickpeas up to 2 days in advance for these bowls and leave any extras for snacking purposes.
Roast the chickpeas in the oven on a sheet pan for 20-30 minutes and you're golden! You can roast them for longer if you prefer them extra crunchy. Make sure to coat the chickpeas well with olive oil so that they are evenly roasted and then season them with the herbs and spices of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These kale and quinoa bowls are super healthy. Kale is a superfood that’s full of amazing nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, calcium, potassium and magnesium; while quinoa is high in fibre and rich in antioxidants and iron.
You’ll need 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of quinoa to get the best texture. I recommend cooking the quinoa in the rice cooker – all you have to do is press the button and you’ll have perfect quinoa!
Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds, oil and sometimes salt. For this recipe, I used a yummy tahini dressing that’s made with tahini, water, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper.
This bowl has 540 calories per serving. It’s packed full of healthy ingredients and plant-based protein, so you’ll stay full for longer.
Storing and reheating
These bowls will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, so they’re easy to prep on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week. I suggest storing the chickpeas and dressing separately; that way, the chickpeas will stay nice and crunchy and the veggies don’t get all soggy.
This bowl can be eaten cold, but if you want to reheat the quinoa, butternut squash and chickpeas, keep them separately from the rest of the ingredients. To revive the chickpeas, heat them up on a sheet pan in the oven for a few minutes at 450° Fahrenheit and reheat the quinoa and butternut squash in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Freezing components of this recipe
Unfortunately, you cannot freeze these bowls as a whole, but you can freeze various components of this recipe. You can freeze the chickpeas and butternut squash separately for up to 3 months in airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Defrost them in the fridge overnight, reheat as normal and then add them to your fresh bowls.
More healthy bowl recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into your weekly lunches.
- I love to use my Vitamix to make this tasty tahini dressing!
- I like this brand of tahini.
Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa cooked
Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas drained, rinsed and dried
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Veggies
- 1 cup kale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup butternut squash cubed (about 1/2 squash)
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas defrosted
- 1/2 red pepper sliced
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup parsley or cilantro chopped
- 1/2 avocado sliced
Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Toss chickpeas in olive oil, lemon juice, chili powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper, then cook on parchment-lined baking sheet in oven for 40 min.
- Place butternut squash on a separate baking sheet and cook for 20 min.
- Cook quinoa according to package directions (usually 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups of water in a rice cooker or pot on the stove until liquid has absorbed).
- Wash, chop and dry kale. Slice and prepare other desired veggies, then mix with kale, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven until veggies are warmed and roasted, about 10 min.
- In the meantime, add ingredients under tahini dressing heading to a blender or food processor, then divide cooked quinoa among 4 bowls. Top with butternut squash, and additional tray of mixed veggies. Sprinkle fresh herbs overtop, and sliced avocado.
- Take chickpeas out of the oven, and top each bowl with about 1/2 cup of them. Finish by drizzling tahini dressing overtop of bowls and serve immediately.
Cathy Palleria says
Made your dish for my daughter and her coworker. They LOVED it. Making it again as we speak. Thanks for sharing.
Taylor Stinson says
YAY! Thanks so much for sharing with me Cathy! This bowl is one of my favourites too 🙂
Kylie says
Will this last in the fridge if I prep 5 of them for work lunches?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kylie! Yes for sure – just make sure to keep the dressing separate 🙂
Miriam says
I love chickpeas and roasted veggies in a grain bowl. I put eggplant in mine. Can’t wait to try yours! Always looking for different ways to eat butternut squash!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Heather – hope it worked out for you! I find tahini is kind of a rich nut butter that has a bit of a salty taste so maybe that combined with the salt can be a bit much! In any case, I adjusted the dressing recipe to read 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of salt so that should help in the future! I hope you liked this bowl, it’s one of my favourites 🙂
janet @ the taste space says
Looks fabulous and just my kind of winter meal. Always love to find other Toronto bloggers, too. 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks Janet!! Will have to pop on over to your blog more often..your gingerbread cookies look delicious!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I’m definitely pinning this for later! This is like all of my favorite things in one bowl!
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks Liz! Let me know if you end up trying it 🙂
Carmella says
This looks sooooo good. The photos look so fresh and inviting, I feel like I need to make this salad right now!
Taylor Stinson says
Aww thanks Carmella!! I’m obsessed with warm winter salads 😉
Michele Harris Casey says
Oh my gosh…I made this the other night and I could eat it every day! It was unbelievably good!