Easy Mediterranean-Inspired Nourish Bowls

Original recipe from Minimalist Baker

Mediterranean-inspired nourish bowls with roasted eggplant, chickpeas, lemon rice, tomato-cucumber salad, and creamy tahini sauce. A fresh, flavorful, plant-based bowl that’s easy to make!

Ingredients

EGGPLANT

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (1 eggplant yields ~5 cups or 400 g)
• 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

CHICKPEAS

• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or sub ~1 ½ cups homemade)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

GRAINS

• 1 batch Easy Greek-Inspired Lemon Rice (or ~3 cups or 475 g cooked white rice or quinoa)

SALAD

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (1 pint yields ~2 cups or 360 g)
• 1 medium cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (we like English cucumbers but regular work as well // 1 cucumber yields ~250 g or 1 cup)
• 1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch squares (1 bell pepper yields ~1 ½ cups or 90 g)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional but recommended)
• 1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives (optional but recommended)
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

SAUCE

• 1/3 cup tahini
• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8-1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

• EGGPLANT & CHICKPEAS: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your cubed eggplant on one side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to coat. To the other half of the large baking sheet, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the eggplant and chickpeas are golden brown and caramelized. The eggplant should be soft to the touch.
• GRAINS: Meanwhile, prepare your grain of choice: lemon rice, white rice, or quinoa.
• SALAD: While your grain is cooking, make the salad. To a large mixing bowl, add quartered cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped green bell pepper, optional chopped parsley, and chopped kalamata olives. Add lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt. Stir well to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
• SAUCE: To a small mixing bowl, add tahini, lemon juice, sea salt, and water. Whisk well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt for saltiness, lemon for zing, water to loosen, or tahini to make thicker. Any leftover sauce is great on veggies, grains, or proteins.
• Assemble your bowls: Divide the rice (or quinoa), eggplant, chickpeas, and salad between serving bowls and drizzle each with ~1-2 Tbsp of tahini sauce.
• Each component can be stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The rice or quinoa is freezer-friendly, but the other components are not.

Notes

*Recipe as written makes ~2/3 cup tahini sauce, which is enough for generously topping the bowls or having leftover sauce for other meals.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with half of the tahini sauce and without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 527 Carbohydrates: 66.4 g Protein: 12.3 gFat: 26.3 g Saturated Fat: 3.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.7 g Monounsaturated Fat: 14.9 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 885 mg Potassium: 729 mg Fiber: 10.6 g Sugar: 10.7 g Vitamin A: 158 IU Vitamin C: 49 mg Calcium: 75 mg Iron: 2.6 mg