10 Recipes That Show the Best Summer Meals Come in Bowls (2024)

Veggie meal bowls are hot. No longer are bowls reserved for soup or pasta. A veggie meal bowl has your whole meal – entrée and sides – all in one. Meal bowls are easy to make and extremely versatile. While there is a basic formula for what kinds of foods to include in a meal bowl, the combinations are endless. Start with a grain, add some greens, pile on the veggies, pack on the protein, and top with a sauce or dressing and garnishes. If you do some prep work and cook some of the ingredients like the rice in advance, you can throw a bowl together in minutes which is especially smart in the summer. For tips and tricks, check out How to Make Different Veggie Bowls for Every Type of Flavor Craving.

Reminiscent of salad bars and food bars where you make your personalized dish, meal bowls can be personalized to your specific likes. They can be big or small, healthy or indulgent, raw or cooked, carefully composed, or freely tossed together. There are breakfast bowls, lunch bowls, and dinner bowls. No matter how you make it, you get a delicious, nutritious meal. Here are 10 recipes that prove the best summer meals come in bowls.

1. Veggie Quinoa Bowl

Quinoa is the base for this Veggie Quinoa Bowl that will leave you happily satisfied. Tofu, spinach, beets, carrots, tomatoes, and avocados fill out the bowl topped with nuts, seeds, and a creamy tahini-based dressing.

2. Roasted Buddha Bowl

Before meal bowls became trendy, there were Buddha bowls filled with grains, veggies, and a sauce. This Roasted Buddha Bowl has roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and radishes on a bed of quinoa. It’s topped with a creamy lemon white bean sauce for a healthy, enlightened meal anyone would be grateful for.

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3. Persephone Bowl

Start with bulgur and add lentils, roasted cauliflower, cabbage, and green beans. Add some seeds, an orange, and a pomegranate and you have this Persephone Bowl, a colorful, vibrant dish of mythical proportions.

4. Farro Black Beans Mexican Bowl

This Farro Black Beans Mexican Bowl is a beautiful combination of raw and cooked ingredients. Healthy farro is topped with sauteed veggies and black beans with Mexican spices and aromatics. Served on fresh lettuce and avocado, this bowl is a fiesta in your mouth.

5. Tempeh Bacon Bowl

Try a new grain like freekeh and build your bowl around it. In this Tempeh Bacon Bowl, butternut squash and chickpeas are roasted with chili and thyme and served with spring greens, seaweed, and tomatoes. Top it with sweet and smoky tempeh bacon and a creamy sweet and spicy dressing and you have a satisfying and delicious meal packed with flavor.

6. Nourishing Power Bowl With Lemon Tahini Dressing

There are salads and then there are power bowls. This Nourishing Power Bowl layers leafy greens, carrots, avocado, and tomatoes and then adds roasted veggies and chickpeas for a protein-rich meal. The lemon tahini dressing is just a delicious bonus.

7. Teriyaki Romanesco and Beet Bowl

A veggie bowl doesn’t have to have a million ingredients to be a complete meal. In this Teriyaki Romanesco and Beet Bowl, there are only 3 main ingredients – rice, Romanesco, and beets – but the bowl is overflowing with flavor.

8. Big Ol’ Texas Bowl With Nut-Free Nacho Cheese

No rule says veggie bowls have to have greens and chickpeas. In this Big Ol’ Texas Bowl, a bed of kale is topped with roasted sweet potatoes, BBQ tempeh, avocado, red peppers, and creamy nacho cheese made with sunflower seeds. Yum!

9. The Glow Bowl: Baked Sweet Potato With Pesto Pasta, Tomatoes and Pumpkin Seeds

Whole grain pasta provides a bed for all the goodness that is in this Glow Bowl. Roasted sweet potatoes, greens, tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds are dressed with a creamy kale pesto for a meal that is not only delicious but will have you glowing with healthy nutrition.

10. Puy Lentil and Red Pepper Hummus Bowl

This Puy Lentil and Red Pepper Hummus Bowl is so big and filling, you may need someone to share it with. With sweet potato wedges, lentils, hummus, and veggies all on a bed of spinach and quinoa, this hearty bowl will keep you fueled all day long.

Each of these bowls is unique, hearty, and delicious in its own way. A bowl is just a blank canvas waiting to become a masterpiece. How will you paint your summer veggie bowl?

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