These Caprese Quinoa Lunch Bowls are recent, flavorful and simple to throw collectively! They are often ready forward of time for wholesome, vegetarian meal prep lunches, or loved as a colourful aspect salad to accompany dinner. These summer season impressed lunch bowls are filled with protein, whereas additionally feeling gentle and refreshing.
The children are again to highschool, which form of makes it really feel like summer season is over, however actually, it’s in full swing! My cherry tomato vegetation are additionally in full swing and producing repeatedly now. I’m excited to lastly have the ability to share my first recipe utilizing them, together with a giant handful of backyard basil 🙂 These Caprese Quinoa Lunch Bowls are bursting with recent summer season flavors and nice for vegetarian meal prep
Cherry tomatoes are my favourite factor to develop within the backyard, so this 12 months I made positive to plant just a few totally different varieties. I like all the colours and each style just a bit bit totally different. Recent tomatoes are nice for these Caprese Quinoa Bowls, however any sort will work nice!
Why You’ll Love These Refreshing Quinoa Salad Meal Prep Bowls!
- Straightforward to make – There isn’t a lot precise cooking concerned on this recipe, other than getting ready the quinoa. I like meals with minimal preparation, particularly in the summertime.
- Style like summer season – Tomato and basil are such basic summer season flavors, and this recipe is bursting with each! You’re greater than welcome so as to add any additional backyard veggies or herbs you might have readily available.
- Nice for meal prep – This recipe is nice as a result of you may prep each the quinoa and caprese chickpea salad forward of time and assemble these bowls simply earlier than work, or in the beginning of the week.
Caprese Quinoa Bowl Recipe Elements
- Quinoa – I like to make use of quinoa as a base to those lunch bowls as a result of it’s fast and simple to organize and it’s filled with protein and vitamins. You need to use a unique grain for those who desire although.
- Cherry Tomatoes – I used my backyard cherry tomatoes, however any form of tomatoes will work. If utilizing a big tomato, simply cube it into smaller, chunk sized items earlier than including in.
- Basil + Garlic – Recent basil is a should for this recipe! It provides a lot taste and completely compliments the tomatoes. I additionally like so as to add just a few cloves of freshly minced garlic, use as a lot as you want!
- Chickpeas – Chickpeas usually are not conventional in a caprese salad, however they add additional protein and are gentle in taste, so I added them in. White beans might be used as nicely.
- Roasted Purple Peppers – Roasted purple peppers are additionally not conventional in a caprese recipe, however I had some readily available they usually assist praise the sweetness from the tomatoes and baslamic vinegar.
- Vinegar + Oil – I dressed these bowls with a easy sauce, utilizing simply olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. You too can use a store-bought balsamic French dressing for those who desire.
- Mozzarella Pears – I added just a few mozzarella pears to the highest of every bowl. You too can simply cube up a giant ball of recent mozzarella. I’d counsel utilizing recent, because it has a creamier texture that goes nicely with this recipe.
- Greens – I like so as to add some recent greens to those lunch bowls. You need to use lettuce greens, kale, spinach, arugula or another inexperienced you like. They simply add some additional coloration and vitamins.
How To Make Straightforward Caprese Quinoa Lunch Bowls
- Prepare dinner quinoa in response to bundle instructions. Let quinoa sit, with lid on for about 10 minutes earlier than fluffing with a fork. Put aside and permit to chill.
- To a big mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, roasted purple pepper, basil and garlic. Subsequent, pour over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Give every part a superb combine and season with salt and pepper, to style.
- You’ll be able to both assemble all of the bowls without delay and retailer till able to eat, or you may put together the quinoa and tomato salad and retailer individually till able to assemble and eat bowls. If you happen to assemble every part without delay, you do run the danger of the greens wilting extra rapidly.
- To every lunch bowl: 1 cup cooked quinoa, a handful of recent greens, 1/4 of the tomato/chickpea combination (use a slotted spoon so you allow behind a lot of the liquid dressing. Subsequent, add in about 5 mozzarella pears to the highest and a few recent basil leaves, if desired. You’ll be able to then spoon desired quantity of additional dressing over particular person parts.
Recipe Incessantly Requested Questions
- This recipe is gluten free.
- Make this recipe vegan by utilizing a vegan mozzarella cheese substitute. Lately they’ve fairly good ones at specialty grocery shops like Complete Meals.
- Can this recipe be made as a giant salad? Sure, as a substitute of packing this recipe into particular person meal prep containers, you may simply put every part into a giant bowl collectively and blend it up. I’d counsel chopping up the greens and the mozzarella pears into smaller items.
- Can these bowls be made forward of time? Sure, I’d counsel getting ready the quinoa and tomato salad forward of time. Then, every morning you may rapidly throw collectively a bowl that’s recent and scrumptious!
- How lengthy do leftovers final? If saved in an air-tight container within the fridge, leftovers ought to final about 4-5 days.
Have a query I didn’t reply? Ask me within the remark part beneath and I’ll get again to you ASAP!
Wanting For Extra Straightforward Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes?
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Caprese Quinoa Salad Lunch Bowls
Whole Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Weight loss program: Vegetarian
Description
These Caprese Quinoa Salad Lunch Bowls are recent, flavorful and simple to throw collectively! They are often ready forward of time for wholesome, vegetarian meal prep lunches, or loved as a colourful aspect salad to accompany dinner. These summer season impressed lunch bowls are filled with protein, whereas additionally feeling gentle and refreshing.
- 1 1/2 cups dried quinoa, white or tri-color
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup small diced roasted purple peppers
- 1–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped recent basil
- 1 (8 oz) container mozzarella pears
- 2 tablespoons additional virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt and black pepper, to style
- Balsamic glaze, if desired
Directions
- Prepare dinner quinoa in response to bundle instructions. Let quinoa sit, with lid on for about 10 minutes earlier than fluffing with a fork. Put aside and permit to chill.
- To a big mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, roasted purple pepper, basil and garlic. Subsequent, pour over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Give every part a superb combine and season with salt and pepper, to style.
- You’ll be able to both assemble all of the bowls without delay and retailer till able to eat, or you may put together the quinoa and tomato salad and retailer individually till able to assemble and eat bowls. If you happen to assemble every part without delay, you do run the danger of the greens wilting extra rapidly.
- To every lunch bowl: 1 cup cooked quinoa, a handful of recent greens, 1/4 of the tomato/chickpea combination (use a slotted spoon so you allow behind a lot of the liquid dressing. Subsequent, add in about 5 mozzarella pears to the highest and a few recent basil leaves, if desired. You’ll be able to then spoon desired quantity of additional dressing over particular person parts. A drizzle of balsamic glaze can be good too, for those who like. Place lid on and refrigerate till able to eat.
Notes
Learn how to prepare dinner the quinoa: Rinse and drain 1 1/2 cups dried quinoa nicely after which add to a small saucepan. Add in 3 cups of water and place the lid on. Flip burner on medium warmth till combination begins to simmer. As quickly because it involves a simmer, flip warmth to the bottom setting and permit quinoa to prepare dinner, with the lid on, till all of the water has absorbed and cooked out. Let quinoa sit, with lid on for about 10 minutes earlier than fluffing with a fork. Put aside and permit to chill.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Prepare dinner Time: 20 minutes
- Class: Lunch, Vegetarian
- Technique: Stovetop
- Delicacies: Italian Impressed
