Description
When you’re craving Italian flavors without a huge dose of heavy cheese and starchy pasta, try throwing together these healthy, meatless quinoa bowls. All the components roast for about the same time while the quinoa cooks, so it’s ready much quicker than you’d guess!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/3 C vegetable broth, stock, or water
- 3/4 C dry red quinoa, rinsed
- 4 C bite sized broccoli florets (about 3/4 lb.)
- 3 T olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 15 oz. can (1 1/2 C) chickpeas or white beans; drained, rinsed, and dried
- 1 C mini tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.)
- 1/2 t red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1/4 C raw pumpkin seeds (or slivered almonds)
- 3 T lemon juice
- 1/4 C pesto, store bought or homemade (recipe in my free eBook)
- Fresh herbs, lemon wedges, or parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
- Optional garnish: grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil or other herbs, lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 (F) and position 1 rack near the top and another near the bottom.
- Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in quinoa. Return to boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until tender, then drain, return to pan, and cover with a dish cloth and the lid for 5 minutes or more (the cloth absorbs steam so quinoa doesn’t become mushy).
- Place broccoli on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and arrange on one side of the baking sheet. Place chickpeas on the other side of the sheet, drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil, and stir (don’t season). On a small rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake both pans for 10 minutes, with broccoli pan on the lower rack, then stir each ingredient. Sprinkle broccoli with red pepper flakes and pumpkin seeds. Roast both pans 5 to 10 more minutes, until tomatoes are wrinkled and juicy, broccoli is browned in places and tender inside, and chickpeas are starting to brown. In a medium mixing bowl, mix pesto with 1 T lemon juice and 1 T water and set aside.
- Immediately toss roasted broccoli with 2 tablespoons lemon juice on the tray. Add chickpeas to the pesto and stir to coat. Toss quinoa with a bit of good olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Build each bowl with a generous scoop of quinoa, topped with half the broccoli, pesto chickpeas, and roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
The quantities shown will yield good sized bowls for two. However, feel free to adjust based on what you have–that’s the beauty of veggie bowls! Leftovers keep well, so if you have lots of broccoli and tomatoes to use up, roast them all!
Gluten free and vegetarian. Vegan if you use/make vegan pesto and don’t add any other cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Vegetarian