If I told you this Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Yogurt Dressing was about to become one of your favorite under 300-calorie lunches, would you believe me? If you’re already a vegetarian, you’re probably lining up to get the recipe! But, many omnivores worry that meatless meals won’t be satisfying. For a long time, I thought that was true. Luckily, delicious and filling vegetarian bowls like this quinoa bowl proved me wrong!
This bowl has everything you need to get you through a busy day. The quinoa is an ideal source of plant-based protein, and the roasted vegetables have a perfectly sweet, caramelized flavor. Cooking them in a high-temperature oven gives them a tender-crisp characteristic that you’ll absolutely fall in love with. And this dressing is ridiculously good; you’ll want to put it on everything!
(Psst: Make this bowl 100 percent plant-based by swapping in this vegan ranch dressing)
The Secret to Perfect Roasted Vegetables
You want to make sure you get the veggies right for this Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl. Luckily, we have a fool-proof technique that you can use on this bowl (and any other time you want to roast vegetables).
First, you have to cut everything into similar sizes. It’s pretty easy with these vegetables: quartered Brussels sprouts are roughly the size of a small broccoli or cauliflower floret. If your sprouts are small, feel free to simply cut them in half. You want everything the same size so it will all cook evenly. So, make sure you pay attention to your knife skills with this one. You don’t want to burn the carrots before the broccoli cooks through!
Next up, it’s all about making space. You want everything spread in an even layer on the baking sheet, but you don’t really want anything to touch. When the veggies have space, the air circulates around them and caramelizes the edges. If they’re pressed too tightly together, they will simply steam and taste pretty lack-luster. It’s absolutely worth cleaning an extra dish if you have to use two baking sheets to make it happen.
Finally, it’s all about a high-temperature oven. If you roasted the vegetables at 350 degrees F, they would be good (but not great). Over 400 degrees F creates the perfect environment to cook the veggies to a perfect golden brown color.
It’s All About That Dressing
Keep this Creamy Yogurt Dressing recipe in your back pocket! Combining lemon juice, Greek yogurt, garlic, and dried dill creates a tangy, flavorful dressing that perfectly brings together the earthy quinoa and caramelized vegetables. You’ll be digging back in to get some on every bite!
This dressing is not only good on this Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl, but it also makes a great dipping sauce. Give it a try with faux fries, raw vegetables, or veggie chips. It’s slightly reminiscent of ranch dressing (but without all the excess sodium).
Yield: 2 servings | Serving Size: 1 bowl | Calories: 279 | Total Fat: 16 g | Saturated fat: 2 g | Carbohydrates: 27 g | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 4 g | Protein: 10 g | Cholesterol: 2 mg | Sodium: 487 mg | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 9
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup Brussels sprouts, stems removed and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dry dill
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, Brussels sprouts, olive oil, and salt. Toss until all the vegetables are coated in the olive oil. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and tender.
- Place the quinoa into serving bowls, only filling half the bowl on one side. Place the cooked vegetables on the other side.
- Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Drizzle over the vegetables and quinoa.
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