Two things to start this post. First, remember how I said one of my new year food goals was to cook more recipes and eat less throw together whatever I have bowl combinations? We’re 15 days into the new year and so far it doesn’t look like my grain bowl meals are going anywhere. Second, dad…if you’re reading this one you probably want to just come back another day. (Haha, remember my last post about bowl meals that my dad wouldn’t eat?) I promise I’m still baking a lot of sourdough and I did cook myself a steak last weekend.
Last night I wrote a post on Instagram about my love for warm grain bowls and so many people chimed in that they felt the same. I also a request to write a blog post with ideas for grain bowl combinations so that’s what I’m here to do today! 🙂
When I am assembling these bowls, I typically include these elements:
- Some sort of grain like rice, quinoa, lentils or couscous. (I realize that some of these are not grains but you know…) You can also play around with things like farro, millet, barley or grain blends.
- Veggies. Sautéed greens like kale or spinach are faves and cook super quickly. I also do roasted, sautéed or steamed veggies like brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, winter squash, zucchini, etc.
- A protein. Fried eggs are my go-to but I also do veggie burgers, shredded chicken, salmon, chicken sausage, tuna, shrimp, baked tofu, ground beef or turkey, etc.
- Fat. More often than not, it’s half an avocado but I also typically cook the grains in some type of oil as well as the veggies.
- Flavor enhancers. This is stuff like cheese, nutritional yeast, seasoning blends, fresh herbs, etc.
- Spreads, dressings and sauces. No grain bowl is complete without some sort of spread, dressing or sauce to finish it off. I am a big fan of hummus, ranch dressing and aiolis.
One of my favorite things about grain bowls is that they are so versatile and easy to assemble. Oftentimes, l bulk cook a grain early in the week for me and Finn so that’s easy to pull out and warm up. I try to keep veggies on hand that I can quickly steam, roast or sauté. Leftovers work great too!
I honestly don’t get tired of these bowls and there’s something about them that is so comforting and satisfying to me. I went back through all of my food photos from the last year and pulled 15 of my favorite warm grain bowls for this post!
15 WARM GRAIN BOWL MEAL IDEAS
Quinoa, roasted broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chicken sausage, sauerkraut, plain hummus.
This one actually doesn’t have a grain but a lot of roasted potatoes! Roasted carrots and potatoes tossed in pesto and topped with feta and a fried egg.
Sautéed lacinto kale, steamed basmati rice, avocado, sauerkraut, fried egg, buffalo hummus.
Brown rice, roasted beets, roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, roasted delicata squash, feta, veggie hummus.
Quinoa, baked salmon, roasted Brussels sprouts, avocado, hummus.
Steamed basmati rice, shredded cheese blend, avocado, fried egg, buffalo hummus, sautéed spinach.
Lentils, veggie burger, shredded cheese, fried egg, hummus, sauerkraut, sautéed spinach and Tessamae’s ranch.
Brown rice, roasted chicken sausage, roasted mushrooms, roasted sweet potatoes, shredded cheese, hummus.
Quinoa, veggie burger, fried egg, sautéed spinach, hummus, avocado, feta and sriracha.
Sautéed lacinto kale, basmati rice, baked fish (I think it was cod), shredded cheddar, avocado, salsa, plain greek yogurt. This was was fish taco bowl themed.
Baby spinach topped with brown rice, smoked salmon, artichoke hearts, feta, avocado and Tessamae’s Avocado Ranch dressing.
Quinoa, corn, ground beef, sautéed spinach, plain greek yogurt (or it might have been a lime crema), salsa, black beans.
Steamed brown rice, seared sesame tuna, steam in a bag asian veggie blend, sriracha aioli.
Quinoa, fried egg, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted mushrooms, baked tofu, hummus, feta.
Cilantro-lime basmati rice, shredded chicken tossed in salsa, shredded cabbage, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, cilantro, lime, spicy aioli.
I hope this gave you some fun meal in a bowl inspiration! Here’s a Pinnable graphic so that you can remember this post. 🙂
YOUR TURN
I would love for you to share some of your favorite bowl combos in the comments below.
I don’t know why, but I MUCH prefer to eat all my food out of bowls! Plates are so rarely used in my apartment, unless I have company, haha. My bowls are similar: starch, protein, veggie and fat. Sweet potato, ground beef, broccoli. Rice, baby bok choy, some type of sausage and a healthy helping of TJ’s Greek Style Feta Dressing (my FAV!). Potatoes, chicken thighs, Brussels with ranch/sriracha or TJ’s Greek dressing. I live by these bowls for all meals! (My coworkers thinks I’m nuts when I heat a similar concoction up for breakfast and my retort is always the same: IT’S JUST FOOD! 😉 ) I’ll have to use some of your ideas and I agree, these are SUPER easy to meal prep with!
Today I ate a bowl with a red and white quinoa blend, sweet potato rounds roasted with garlic powder, and chickpea purée. I love eating food in a bowl!
I started being very into meals in bowls when my son was born. They were an way to get a full, comforting meal that I could eat while walking around with him. Even though he is a toddler now, they are still a go-to and I appreciate the ideas in this post! My personal favourite combination is roasted squash or sweet potato with your red cabbage and cubes of pork roast.
Just had a bowl for dinner and will be having the leftovers for lunch today. It was Greek style with quinoa, avo, yogurt, hummus, cucumber, feta, kalamata olives, sweet potato and grilled steak. Delish, filling, healthy. I make a bowl variation at least once a week so you are not alone!
I have never really been a grain bowl person, but I cannot wait to try some of these out! They look so yummy!!
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
I love this. Thank you Jen!
I love all of these! Thanks for sharing / inspiring!
I always love to see what people are eating. I find it so interesting and sometimes shocking too! I fee like what a person eats says a lot about them!
Please keep sharing your bowl ideas!
Thanks for all the ideas you shared! There is something so much more exciting and satisfying to me about a grain bowl meal versus a salad. I think it’s the warmth of it and cooked ingredients. Especially in the winter! Two of my go-to’s:
Greek inspired chicken sausage bowl:
– Couscous (regular or pearl)
– Spring mix or arugula
– Organic chicken spinach sausage
– Roasted or sauteed veggies (Asparagus, mushrooms, red onions, red pepper)
– Diced grape tomatoes
– Diced cucumber
– Feta cheese
– Hummus (sometimes)
– A lot of times I’ll make a homemade Dijon lemon vinaigrette to go with this.
“Sushi” grain bowl
– Smoked salmon
– Spring mix or arugula
– Rice (Brown or white)
– Shelled edamame
– Diced cucumber
– Diced scallions
– Diced avocado
– Homemade sriracha aioli and soy-ginger dressing
These prepare so well in advance for lunch the next day too.
These are amazing! Thank you so much!