Grain Bowls Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Two (7-ingredient) Grain Bowls with a delicious creamy garlic sauce. Versatile, easy, and perfect for meal prep. Vegan, budget-friendly, and healthy.

Published: Mar 29, 2023 by Nisha Melvani, RDN · I earn commissions from purchases via links on this post.

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Two (7-ingredient) Grain Bowl recipes and a Creamy Garlic Sauce that packs in flavor. Meal prep these recipes for a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy. They're easy, healthy, and budget-friendly.

Buddha Bowl with sweet potato, roasted chickpeas, quinoa, white creamy dressing, and a chopped parsley garnish.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Grain Bowl

Roasted Puy lentils and carrot rounds on a bed of white rice with creamy white dressing, two lime wedges, and chopped parsley in a white bowl.

Roasted Lentil and Carrot Grain Bowl

Eating healthfully and deliciously is made easy with these two easy grain bowl recipes that can be meal-prepped together for the week. They're rich in plant-based protein, iron, and fiber.

This recipe was inspired by Easy One Pot Quinoa on this site, as well as this Best Vegetable Bowl recipe.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🍠 Substitutions
📖 How to Make Two Grain Bowl Recipes
💡 Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Garlic, lemon, cashews, chives, and parsley.

Cashews give the garlic sauce a creamy texture and add heart-healthy fats and a modest amount of protein.
Chives add a mild onion flavor similar to leeks. They are rich in several nutrients and antioxidants.
Roasted chickpeas with sweet potatoes and quinoa is the protein-vegetable-grain combination I typically use for this Grain Bowl recipe. However, I also make it will lentils, carrots, and rice on occasion. Both options are included.

See the recipe card for quantities.

🍠 Substitutions

Sweet potato and carrot- instead of sweet potato, you can use root veggies you already have on hand (parsnip, beet, turnips, potatoes)
Chickpeas and lentils - use a different plant-based protein (cooked lentils, tofu, butter beans, tempeh)
Quinoa and rice - Make Quinoa Rice instead and use it for both grain bowls. Or substitute with farro, brown rice, couscous, barley, millet, or a different grain of your choice
Chives - the chives in the creamy garlic sauce can be replaced with a different herb (parsley, dill, basil, cilantro)
Cashews - use firm silken tofu, or soaked almonds or sunflower seeds instead for the sauce

Add a drizzle of my homemade Easy 7-Minute Chili Crisp to pack in even more flavor. Visit my Veggie Bowls page for more Buddha Bowl ideas.

📖 How to Make Two Grain Bowl Recipes

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cook the quinoa (or a grain of your choice) according to the directions on the packet.

Cut sweet potato and chickpeas on a white rimmed baking sheet with garlic powder and olive oil.

Step 1. Transfer the sweet potatoes, and chickpeas to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Change the oven setting to grill or broil and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the chickpeas are crispy.

Puy lentils and cut carrot rounds on a white rimmed baking sheet with garlic powder and olive oil.

Step 2.: Transfer cut carrot rounds, and cooked Puy lentils to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Change the oven setting to grill or broil and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the carrots are crispy.

Creamy garlic, lemon, cashew dressing garnished with chopped chives.

Step 3. Meanwhile, transfer the cashews, garlic, chives, lemon juice, and ½ cup water to a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add more water as needed until the desired consistency. Season with salt, and more lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.

Two white round meal prep containers with Buddha Bowl meal prep. One with roasted chickpeas and sweet potatoes, and the other with roasted lentils and carrots.

Step 4. Combine the components. Serve with a generous drizzle of garlic sauce, and a sprinkle of nuts and seeds as desired. Or meal prep this recipe in advance and refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 5 days.

💡 Expert Tips

For the sweet potato chickpea grain bowl recipe, place the chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Do not overcrowd them or they will not brown and crisp evenly. Broil for about 3 minutes once the sweet potatoes are done cooking for extra crispy chickpeas. For even crispier chickpeas, dry them between the layers of a kitchen or paper towel before seasoning.
For the lentil and carrot grain bowl recipe, use Puy, French, or green lentils. These hold their shape better than other lentil varieties. Cook the lentils until al dente before roasting them. Do not overcook them or they will be mushy.
Make Quinoa Rice instead and use it for both grain bowls.
Storage: Refrigerate the sauce and cooked Grain Bowl ingredients in two separate airtight containers for up to 5 days. Serve the bowls warm or chilled.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

What are the components of a Grain Bowl?

For a complete and balanced meal, it should contain the following 5 components: whole grains, veggies, protein, a dressing with heart-healthy fats, and toppings such as nuts, seeds, herbs, or sprouts.

What is the purpose of a Grain Bowl?

Grain bowls are about balancing the different types of food that you eat, and not eating too much of any one thing. They are also known as bliss bowls, nourish bowls, or power bowls, and are a healthy one-dish meal.

Are chickpeas healthy?

Chickpeas are very healthy. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. These characteristics may support weight management, blood sugar regulation, and brain health while reducing the risk of chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer.