Name: Lemon Herb Greek Quinoa Bowl
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 15 oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed); 2 cups eggplant (peeled and diced); 1 cup red bell pepper (diced); 1 cup red onion (diced); 3 cups zucchini (diced); 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided); 2 tablespoons lemon juice; ½ teaspoon lemon zest; 1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill; 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano; 1 teaspoon fresh chopped mint; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 2 cups baby spinach leaves; 2 cups cooked quinoa; 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved); 1 cup cucumber (sliced); ¼ cup garlic tahini sauce

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Roasted chickpeas and vegetables are tossed with fresh herbs and lemon zest to create an incredibly fresh and flavorful topping for this Greek Quinoa Bowl! It's light, healthy, gluten free, vegan and easy to make in 30 minutes!

overhead image of two bowls filled with roasted vegetables, fresh vegetables and quinoa

When I think of Greek or Mediterranean recipes, I think light, fresh flavors and lots of herbs and vegetables. For this bowl, I wanted to highlight the flavors of Greece, so I focused on just those things, herbs, vegetables and bright, fresh flavors!

Did you know that fresh herbs are best when added at the end of the cooking process or to simply finish a dish? Especially when they're delicate herbs, like dill, mint or basil. Because fresh herbs have a more subtle taste, you don't want to cook them too long, or you'll cook out most of the flavor.

To maximize the flavors of the dill, oregano, mint and lemon zest in this recipe, I roasted the vegetables first, then tossed them with the fresh herbs. It adds a wonderful brightness to this Greek Quinoa Bowl, that I know you're going to love!

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Ingredients
Step by step instructions
Frequently asked questions
How to make it low carb
How to meal prep it
Add a protein to the bowl
More vegan recipes
Recipe
Comments

two bowls filled with roasted and fresh vegetables

Ingredients

Canned Chickpeas - drained and rinsed from the can, and roasted with the vegetables, these chickpeas add a nice texture to the bowls. They're also a great source of plant-based protein!
Eggplant - when I think Greek food, I think eggplant, so of course I had to include it in this bowl! Peeled and diced, it roasts up perfectly with the other vegetables.
Red Bell Pepper
Red Onion
Zucchini
Olive Oil
Fresh Lemon - you'll use both the zest and juice from the lemon, so be sure to pick a fresh lemon without blemishes on the outside of the fruit.
Fresh Dill - I do recommend using fresh herbs whenever possible, as they add so much flavor to this bowl! If you need to use dried herbs, I recommend these Litehouse Freeze-Dried Herbs. They're the closest you'll get to fresh in a dried herb!
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Mint
Sea Salt
Baby Spinach Leaves
Cooked Quinoa - use this link to head over to my post where I share how to cook quinoa 3 ways, in an Instant Pot, rice cooker or on the stove. Get the quinoa cooking before you start roasting the vegetables and it will be done at the same time as the veggies!
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Garlic Tahini Sauce or Lemon Tahini Dressing - I drizzled these bowls with my delicious garlic tahini sauce, but if you're a huge lemon fan, you can double up on the lemon and whip up a batch of this lemon tahini dressing instead! Each of these sauces only takes 5 minutes to make in a blender, so you can easily whip one of them up while the veggies are roasting in the oven.

Step by step instructions

Prepare the roasted vegetables.
- Add chickpeas, diced eggplant, bell pepper, onion and zucchini to a large rimmed baking sheet, lined with non-stick foil or parchment paper.
- Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil.
- Place in a 425°F preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Prepare the lemon herb dressing for the vegetables.
- While the vegetables are roasting, add olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh chopped dill, oregano, mint and sea salt to a large bowl.
- Whisk to combine the ingredients and set aside.
Toss the vegetables with the prepared dressing.
- When the roasted vegetables come out of the oven, immediately transfer them to the large bowl with the prepared lemon herb dressing.
- Also add the baby spinach leaves to the bowl.
- Toss everything together until all of the vegetables are coated in the dressing.
Assemble the bowls.
- Divide cooked quinoa between four bowls.
- Add the roasted vegetables to each of the four bowls.
- Top each bowl with sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
- Drizzle with garlic tahini sauce or lemon tahini dressing.

overhead image of two bowls filled with vegetables drizzled with tahini sauce

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this bowl with other veggies? Of course! Feel free to mix up the veggies based on what's in season. You want 7 total cups of diced vegetables. Feel free to use more eggplant, less zucchini, more zucchini, less eggplant, or add summer squash, potatoes or other peppers.
Can I make the quinoa ahead of time? Absolutely! In fact, I usually make a big batch of quinoa once a week, then store it in the refrigerator to use in bowls throughout the week. To reheat the quinoa, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes.
What else can I add to the bowl? Kalamata olives or sliced avocado are both great additions to this bowl. If you're not vegan, you can also add this whipped feta dip or tzatziki sauce to the bowl.

How to make it low carb

Omit the chickpeas and quinoa. Add an additional 8 cups of spinach to replace the quinoa (2 cups of spinach per bowl). This will reduce the total carbs from 51 grams, down to 19 grams and will reduce the net carbs down to 12 grams.

How to meal prep it

For storage
- Roast the vegetables in the oven. Instead of tossing them in the lemon herb dressing immediately, divide the lemon herb dressing between four separate small containers. This will prevent the veggies from getting soggy in the refrigerator.
- Divide the quinoa between four large storage containers. Add the roasted veggies to each of these containers, along with the small container of lemon herb dressing and a small container of the garlic tahini sauce.
- Place the spinach, cucumber and tomatoes in 4 small zipper bags. Add the bags to the larger containers with the veggies and quinoa.
To reheat and eat
- Remove the small containers of lemon herb dressing and garlic tahini sauce. Also remove the zipper bag of fresh vegetables.
- Place the quinoa and roasted vegetables in the microwave, reheat for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave and drizzle the lemon herb dressing over the vegetables, toss them in the dressing.
- Add the fresh tomatoes, cucumber and spinach to the bowls.
- Drizzle with the garlic tahini sauce.

Add a protein to the bowl

For a plant based recipe, these bowls are already high in protein at 14 grams per bowl. If you’d like to add more plant based protein, I recommend adding a tablespoon of hemp seeds to each bowl, which will add an additional 3 grams of protein. You can also double up on the chickpeas and roast 2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, which will add 5 grams of protein to each bowl.
For a meat based protein addition to these bowls, add chicken or shrimp.
- If you want to add chicken, I highly recommend checking out these Greek Chicken Quinoa Bowls and using the spinach lemon chicken marinade in that recipe. It's SO good and would be a perfect addition to these bowls!
- Adding 4 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to each bowl will add an additional 33 grams of protein per bowl.
- If you want to add shrimp, I recommend checking out this Mediterranean Shrimp and Rice Bowl. The shrimp in this recipe can easily be made in less than 10 minutes on the stove and will add great flavor to this quinoa bowl!
- Adding 4 ounces of shrimp to each bowl will add an additional 24 grams of protein per bowl.

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