A nourishing and hearty meal, this ancient grains bowl is made with quinoa and farro, roasted sweet potato, broccoli, and chickpeas, and topped with a delicious creamy tahini sauce.
Why I Love This Recipe
When it comes to a satisfying, savory meal, I love nothing more than a saucy, hearty grain bowl packed with protein and veggies.
This Ancient Grains Bowl is loaded with plant-based protein from the chickpeas, quinoa and farro and fiber rich ingredients like broccoli, avocado and sweet potato.
It’s bursting with flavors and textures and topped with a delicious tahini sauce that is creamy, nutty, and tangy. It has a subtle sweetness from the sweet potato, crunch from the broccoli, and chewiness from the farro.
This dish is hearty, wholesome, and perfectly satisfying when you’re craving a warm bowl of nourishing ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Notes on Ingredients
chickpeas: adds plant-based protein. Be sure to rinse, drain and remove skin
sweet potato: I don’t peel my sweet potatoes but you can choose to either fully or partially peel if you prefer
Cook the farro and quinoa according to instructions on the packages.
Make miso sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together miso, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and tahini until combined.
Coat the veggies. Add sweet potato, broccoli, and chickpeas to a large bowl then pour the miso sauce on top and toss to evenly coat.
Bake vegetables. Transfer vegetables to a baking sheet and bake until they are tender and browned, about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Make tahini sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic, salt and water until combined and smooth.
Build grain bowls. Using a mix of farro and quinoa as the base, add roasted vegetables, avocado, and a drizzle of tahini sauce on top.
Expert Tips
Remove as many of the skins off the chickpeas as possible! Transfer rinsed and drained chickpeas to a clean, dry kitchen towel. Cover half of the towel over the chickpeas and rub the chickpeas back and forth with the towel to rub as many of the skins off as possible. This helps remove moisture from chickpeas to get them crispier when roasting.
Meal prep the components of the bowl over the weekend so that you have dinners or lunches that are quick to assemble for the week!
Customize the bowl to your liking! Use whatever ancient grains, veggies, and sauces strike your fancy!
Recipe FAQs
What is an ancient grains bowl?
An ancient grains bowl is a a nutrient-packed meal that’s filled with plant-based goodness like grains, vegetables, and legumes and is topped with a flavorful sauce. A bowl starts with a base of a grain (or multiple grains!) like quinoa, farro, bulgur, or barley and is topped with protein (think chickpeas, lentils, chicken, salmon, edamame, beans, tofu, or tempeh), any mix of vegetables (roasted, steamed, or raw) and a sauce (tahini sauce, peanut sauce, hummus, green-goddess dressing, a vinaigrette, etc.). Ancient grain bowls can be easily customized to vary the veggies, swap in a different protein, change up the grain, or switch the sauce depending on what you’re craving or what you have on hand.
What are ancient grains?
Ancient grains are loosely defined as grains that have been largely unchanged over the past several hundred years. Some ancient grains include kamut, sorghum, amaranth, millet, farro, barley, quinoa, bulgur, rye, teff, and wild rice. They tend to be less processed than more modern grains like corn and wheat and contain higher amounts of vitamins and minerals.
They can be! The version in this recipe is not gluten-free since it contains farro, but the farro can easily be substituted for a different grain like brown rice, wild-rice or more quinoa.
Can ancient grains bowls be made in advance?
Ancient grains bowls can definitely be made in advance. I recommend prepping all of the ingredients ahead of time (cooking the grains, roasting the veggies, making the sauce) and storing them in separate containers in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, heat the grains and veggies, cut up some fresh avocado and drizzle that creamy tahini sauce on top!
Storage and Preparation
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can prep the elements of these bowls separately ahead of time, the grains, the vegetables, and the sauce. Then when you’re ready to eat simply build your bowl, heat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, and add your avocado!
Recipes That Pair Well
Instant Pot Asparagus
Air Fryer Cauliflower
Air Fryer Eggs
Garlic Scape Pesto
For more bowl inspiration, check out my other recipes below!
Chipotle Inspired Vegan Burrito Bowl
Spicy Salmon and Avocado Poke Bowl
Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowl with Bok Choy
Fall Harvest Grain Bowl with Creamy Cashew Apple Cider Dressing
Farro Breakfast Bowl
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Description
A nourishing and hearty meal, this ancient grains bowl is made with quinoa and farro, roasted sweet potato, broccoli, and chickpeas, and topped with a delicious creamy tahini sauce.
3/4 cup quinoa
3/4 cup farro
1 medium sweet potato (2 cups chopped)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and skins removed* (about 2 cups)
2 small or 1 large avocado, sliced
For the roasted vegetables:
2 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tahini
For the tahini sauce:
1/3 cup tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cook the quinoa and farro according to instructions on the packages.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together miso, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and tahini until combined.
In a large bowl, add sweet potato, broccoli and chickpeas. Add miso sauce and toss to evenly coat vegetables.
Transfer vegetables to baking sheet. Bake until vegetables are tender and browned, about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
While the vegetables are roasting, make the tahini sauce. In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic, salt and water until smooth (sauce will thicken as it sits).
Build your grain bowls with a mix of quinoa and farro as the base. Evenly divide the chickpea/sweet potato/broccoli mixture between bowls. Add avocado and drizzle tahini sauce over top.
Notes
To remove skins from chickpeas, transfer rinsed and drained chickpeas to a clean, dry kitchen towel. Cover half of the towel over the chickpeas and rub the chickpeas back and forth with the towel to rub as many of the skins off as possible. This helps remove moisture from chickpeas to get them crispier when roasting.
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:35 minutes
Category:Dinner
Method:Bowl
Cuisine:Vegetarian
Keywords: ancient grains bowl, ancient grain power bowl, vegetarian grain bowl, vegan grain bowl