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This butternut squash Buddha bowl is vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and packed with veggies. The plant-based bowl is filled with roasted squash and Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, kale, then topped with a creamy tahini-mustard dressing.
There are a lot of components to this dish, but it comes together fairly easily and works well for meal prepping.
Most butternut squashes I buy are around 2-3 pounds, so when I’m prepping for this dish I reserve half of the squash for another meal. Most of the time I just make this quinoa bowl again to use up the squash, but it can also be thrown into soups, curries, or frozen for later.
Tips for Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl
- I reuse the same bowl that I tossed the sprouts and squash in for the chickpeas, then again for the kale. It saves dishes and reuses any leftover lemon juice and seasoning for the next step.
- Trim off any tough stem ends to the Brussels sprouts, cut them in half, and remove any yellow or damaged leaves.
- If the Brussels sprouts aren’t browning enough for you, use the broiler in your oven to brown the tops, keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
- If you’re new to oil-free cooking, a small spritz of cooking spray on the vegetables will help them brown and it’s very minimal oil. This method is of course not oil-free but may help you transition to reducing oil in your diet.
Preparing the Kale for Butternut Squash Bowls
Remove the kale from its stalk and tear the leaves into smaller pieces. Massaging the kale with a tablespoon of dressing will break down the tough cell structure. If you use baby kale, you can skip the massaging. Alternatively, if you’re not into massaging kale, you can chop it finely.
Substituting Brussels Sprouts with Broccoli
If you are not a fan of Brussels sprouts, the dish works well with broccoli too. If you substitute the vegetables, only roast the broccoli for about 15-20 minutes instead of the 35 minutes that the sprouts require.
Split the 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice for the sprout/squash mixture and save half for the broccoli (since you are not using it for Brussels sprouts). Toss the broccoli with the chickpeas and the rest of the lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt. Then roast for 15-20 minutes.
Substitutions for Butternut Squash Buddha Bowl
- If you substitute kale with a more tender green like spinach, there’s no need to massage the dressing into the greens. Just add the sauce to the top of the Buddha bowl.
- If you prefer a cashew dressing instead of a tahini dressing, try creamy cashew dijon dressing.
Storing Quinoa Power Bowls
I prefer to store the kale and dressing separately from the vegetables and quinoa. I warm up leftovers just enough so they’re not cold, and just as a personal preference I like to keep my kale cold. When the components are separated in air-tight containers in the fridge they'll keep for about 4-5 days.
I hope you enjoy this easy roasted butternut squash and quinoa Buddha bowl!
More Nourishing Vegan Bowl Recipes
- Vegan Taco Bowl
- Burrito Bowl
- Vegan Sushi Bowl
- Chickpea Vegetable Rice Bowl
- Roasted Sweet Potato Bowl
- Peanut Tempeh Bowl
- Mustard Tempeh Buddha Bowl
More Butternut Squash Recipes
Originally published on April 17, 2019, updated on January 5, 2022.
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Butternut Squash Buddha Bowl
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan and oil-free butternut squash Buddha bowl is filled with roasted Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, kale, then topped with a creamy tahini-mustard dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cubed (about 3 ½ cups cubed)
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts sliced in half
- 1 ½ tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4-5 cups kale, removed from stem and torn into bite-size pieces
Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini (measure after stirring)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2-4 tablespoon water
Instructions
Vegetables and Chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 425˚ F (220˚C) and prep the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash.
- In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash with 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and salt.
- Place the vegetables onto a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined cooking tray.
- Bake for 35 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- While the vegetables are roasting, rinse the quinoa and prepare according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chickpeas, toss the chickpeas with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Bake the chickpeas for 15 minutes at 425˚ F (220˚C), they can be placed in the oven with the vegetables for the last 15 minutes of roasting.
Kale and Dressing
- Remove the stem from the kale and tear the leaves into smaller pieces.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking the tahini, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and maple syrup together. Then whisk in 2-4 tablespoons of water to thin it out. Start with 2 tablespoons of water, then add more if needed. The quantity of water depends on how thick your tahini is and your desired consistency for the dressing.
- In a bowl, add the kale and 1-2 tablespoons of dressing then massage the dressing into the kale. Massaging the kale will break down some of the fibers. You’ll see the volume of kale in the bowl reduce in size.
Preparing Bowls
- Add the cooked quinoa to the serving bowls, top with the sprout/squash mixture, add the chickpeas, add a handful of kale, then add the tahini dressing to finish off the bowl.
Notes
If the Brussels sprouts aren’t browning enough for you, use the broiler in your oven to brown the tops, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
If you’re new to oil-free cooking (though not oil-free), a small spritz of cooking spray on the vegetables will help them brown and it’s very minimal oil.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: quinoa veggie bowl, vegan quinoa power bowl, vegan quinoa bowl meal prep
Allie
Loved the recipe, thanks for posting. The tahini sauce is super delicious!
★★★★★
Allie
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!