Making a comforting and easy dinner doesn’t have to be time consuming. In fact, my favorite meals usually end up taking less than 20 minutes to prep. Now this recipe does take a bit longer, but that’s the cooking time, you only need a solid 10-15 minutes to get everything prepped ahead to bake. That’s it! Then you can enjoy this delicious entree full of color!
Earlier this week I shared a recipe for my Kale & Roasted Sunflower Seed Pesto – which by the way, is so good I’ve been making it for a ton of other things. Like pizza! Anyways, I digress. This pesto is really the finishing touch to these buddha bowls. Since we’re not adding any oil or seasoning, it can be a bit bland on it’s own – I personally prefer this, so I can season as needed after roasting, without the seasonings getting burnt. But with this pesto, you really don’t need anything else. I love to dollop a nice portion in the center of my roasted veggie bowl and then mix it altogether, you know, after snapping a photo and before it looks kind of gross from all the mixing and mashing.
If you plan on saving some for later, omit the pesto so you can reheat your bowl. Then add it on afterwards. This is also fantastic with salsa, hot sauce, a vegan cheese sauce or even cashew sour cream. If you follow me on Snapchat (psvegan), then you’d know that I’m an avid believer in mixing tons of sauces/dips – it’s kind of a bad habit that I have no problem with. The more sauce the better! Lately I’m loving my zesty ranch dressing + hot sauce, I literally put it on everything. Not too sure if it would be good on this, but it’s worth a try!
Let me know if you give this recipe a try. I would love to see photos! Also, tell me what sauce you would want to put on this bowl. I bet a teriyaki would be delicious too!
Can’t wait to make this again soon, I’ll be adding diced red potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower for a different variation. You can never to wrong with roasted veggies, especially when they’re slightly crispy – okay I’m done rambling. Go make some buddha bowls!
Slow Roasted Buddha Bowls + Kale & Sunflower Seed Pesto
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2 -3 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant, halved
- 1 Sweet Potato, medium diced
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, halved
- 1/2 pint Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium Yellow Onion, quartered
- Kale Pesto, as desired to top
- 1 cup dried Quinoa, steamed
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Balsamic Vinaigrette, to top (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and cut everything as listed above, place cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 F for 45-55 minutes. Until tender and browning on top.
- While your vegetables are roasting, add your dried quinoa to a medium-sized pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Steaming for 20 minutes, or until tender.
- Remove your veggies from the oven and let rest for 3-4 minutes. Diagonally slice the roasted eggplant to serve. Thinly slice your onions and bell peppers as well.
- Assemble bowls starting with quinoa as the base.
- Pile on the veggies, topped with a bit of Kale Pesto in the center.
- Serve warm, enjoy mixed together (seasoned to taste).
Notes
Nutritional Info. is without the pesto.
Courses Entree
Cuisine Gluten-free, Vegan, Oil-free, Kid-friendly
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 497 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 6 g | 9% | |
Sodium 69 mg | 3% | |
Total Carbohydrates 100 g | 33% | |
Dietary Fiber 18 g | 72% | |
Sugars 18 g | ||
Protein 16 g | 32% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Where does the 6 gm of fat come from??
It seems to me this is an Esselstein friendly recipe ( minus the pesto). Which I am trying to do to reverse cad.
I love many of your recipies and commentary. Yours is s really fun site with great content.
Congrats on your transformation ?
Also really cute pic of you with the flower headband ….takes me back to my hippie days. Now I’ve dated myself.
The quinoa I used. Thanks so much, hope you enjoy it, if you happen to give it a try! <3
Just wonderful. I love my Buddha bowls.
So colourful and full of flavours.
I have two jet black bowls and the food looks stunning.
Thank you, I completely agree <3
Looks delicious! Roasted veggies – especially as leftovers – are the absolute best!
Thanks! I totally agree, perfect leftovers for sure 🙂
Hi!!! I love your page so much and have tried a lot of your recipes, thanks for all you do! Just out of curiosity, I’m a potter and have been trying to up my photography game for my website and etsy account and am wondering if you have any tips or could tell me what kind of lights you use. Lighting is my biggest struggle and I adore the way your photos are lit as well as the way you stage products. Thank you so much!!
Hi Elyse! Thank you so much, I appreciate the kind feedback. I actually use natural lighting and reuse things from packages for the backgrounds. I recommend working close to a large window or maybe setting up a spot outside if your home is dark. Direct light is harsh, but anything shaded will do!
Thank you so much! I will play around with a few different spots around the house as well as backgrounds.
Absolutely! I think your shots are wonderful, such beautiful work.