The ingredients list may seem a bit long, but the prep time on this recipe is only a few minutes and while your farro grains are getting nice and plump and your squash and chickpeas are getting toasty you can have the rest of the ingredients gathered and ready to assemble these bowls.

BONUS: This makes an excellent meal prep choice! It's delicious warm or cold and packages up nicely for meals during the week.

This Buddha Bowl Recipe is perfect for Fall!

I took this buddha bowl for a harvesty (made-up words are my fave) spin with roasted butternut squash, candied pecans, and pomegranate arils. The chewy farro grains and toasted chickpeas give it a bit of a protein boost.

What is a Buddha Bowl?

A buddha bowl is a vegetarian bowl with a configuration of vegetables, grains, protein, and sometimes variations on this delicious meal! If you're looking for some variation on this recipe I included some ideas below.

Buddha Bowl Ingredients

• Uncooked farro grains: This is an Italian strain of wheat. You can find it in most grocery stores near the packaged grains (oats, barley, etc.). Some bulk departments have it, too. You could also use pearled barley, quinoa, or brown/wild rice in place of the farro if you can't find it or would rather use something else.
• Butternut squash: Pre-cut squash is a REALLY great shortcut. You can even use frozen cubed butternut squash here.
• Garbanzo beans: Also called chickpeas sometimes.
• Avocado oil or coconut oil
• Dried rosemary
• Granulated garlic
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Spring greens or other tender lettuce
• Chopped pecans: Candied pecans are delicious here, if you can find them. I included some notes on quickly making candied pecans with some maple syrup in a skillet. See recipe notes below.
• Feta crumbles: Leave this out if you'd prefer this to be gluten free. You could also use goat cheese, Parmesan shavings or your favorite sharp flavored cheese.
• Pomegranate arils
• Balsamic vinaigrette: If you'd prefer to make your own, I included a simple recipe in the card below!

How to make a Grain Bowl

• Cook the farro.
• Toss the squash and garbanzo beans in the seasonings and oil. Roast until nice and toasty.
• To assemble, add some spring greens and farro to each bowl. Top with some of the roasted butternut squash and garbanzo beans, pecans, feta, and pomegranate arils.
• Drizzle with balsamic dressing.

How to make Harvest Grain Bowl Dressing

• Put all of the dressing ingredients into a lidded jar and shake well. You can also whisk it together well in a bowl.
• Store chilled for up to 3 days for best flavor. If the oil clumps up from being chilled, just leave it on the counter for a while until it loosens up or put it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Harvest Grain Bowl Variations

There are lots of swaps you can make in this recipe! Here are a few suggestions:

• Grains: Brown/wild rice (plan for 45 min of cooking time), quinoa, or barley.
• Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, or mushrooms would be delicious roasted.
• Toppings: Dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pepitas, other types of nuts, goat cheese, Parmesan shavings, diced apples, diced pears.
• Dressings: Red wine vinaigrette or just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt would keep things simple.

How to serve a Butternut Squash Grain Bowl

Each person can assemble their grain bowl how they like! Add some greens and grains to a bowl with some of the roasted squash and chickpeas, top with cheese, pomegranate arils, nuts, and a drizzle of the dressing.

No need to make any side dishes for this. It's an entire meal in a single bowl, which is my favorite.

How to store a Harvest Vegetables and Grain Bowl

Store components of this grain bowl separately in lidded containers for up to 5 days.

Alternately, you could assemble single-serving bowls for a great meal prep option! Just keep the dressing separate until right before serving so the greens don't get soggy.

More Easy Vegetarian Recipes on Perry's Plate

If you like this recipe, try my other buddha bowl recipe and other vegetarian recipes here:

Vegan Quinoa Bowl: Also features roasted chickpeas and a creamy vegan sauce that you'll want to put on ALLLL the things.

Lentil Curry: Warm and cozy and fills you up without weighing you down.

Butternut Squash Kale Salad: Roasted squash and apples on a hearty kale salad.

Roasted Chickpea Salad: Yay! More roasted chickpeas with some roasted carrots in a great make-ahead salad.

Egg Curry: A place for extra hard-cooked eggs!

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Harvest Grain Bowl Recipe

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

While I'm not opposed to fun fall desserts, the majority of the time I'm craving hearty, healthy things to keep me going during these busy months. Things like this buddha bowl recipe!

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Ingredients

For the bowls:

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 cups uncooked farro grains
• 1 pound butternut squash, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4-5 ounces spring greens
• ⅔ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup feta crumbles
• ½ cup pomegranate arils

For the dressing:

Toggle ingredient group

• ¼ cup avocado oil or another light tasting oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Put the farro in a large saucepan with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-18 minutes until farro is tender. (The water won't cook off like it does with rice.) Drain the water and set farro aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425F. Put the butternut squash and drained garbanzo beans on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil. Crush the dried rosemary in your fingers as you sprinkle it on the squash and beans. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, then toss everything around with your hands to coat with oil and seasonings. Spread out evenly on the sheet pan.
3. Roast on a low oven rack for 25-30 minutes until the squash is cooked through and golden brown in spots and the garbanzo beans start to crisp up. Flip things around halfway through roasting.
4. Make the balsamic dressing by combining all the ingredients into a lidded jar and shake well to combine.
5. To assemble, add some spring greens and farro to each bowl. Top with some of the roasted butternut squash and garbanzo beans, pecans, feta, and pomegranate arils. Drizzle with balsamic dressing.

Notes

1. Farro is an Italian form of wheat. It's incredibly nutritious! You can find it in most grocery stores in the baking aisle or in bulk departments, or online. (Psst... Trader Joe's has it, too.)
2. Garbanzo beans = chickpeas.
3. If you don't want to make your own balsamic dressing, feel free to use your favorite store bought brand.
4. If you're feeling a little extra, use candied pecans or another type of nut. You can easily make them from scratch by putting the nuts in a small skillet with 2 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup and cooking them on medium for a few minutes, stirring often, until no more liquid is in the pan and the nuts are sticky. Remove from the pan immediately and put them in a bowl.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Roland Foods Pearled Italian Farro, Specialty Imported Food, 47.9-Ounce Bag

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size ¼ of the recipe
Amount Per Serving Calories 1091Total Fat 48gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 36gCholesterol 17mgSodium 928mgCarbohydrates 147gFiber 30gSugar 31gProtein 34g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post Harvest Buddha Bowls Recipe appeared first on Perry's Plate.

It’s recipes like this that get me excited about meal prepping. It’s exactly the thing I love eating for lunch, but it would be time consuming to make this every single day. Thankfully, the kale holds up well dressed for a few days!

You can even swap out some of the ingredients for ones you prefer more! I gave you a bunch of ideas below along with all my tips to help you nail this recipe on the first try!

What is Farro Salad?

Let's start with farro -- a type of wheat that is cultivated in the Mediterranean. It has a nutty, chewy bit similar to barley and is chock full of nutrients! I love adding it to salads to make them heartier and more filling.

This particular salad has kale, feta, a few vegetables, and tossed in an easy cilantro-lime dressing.

You can find farro in most grocery stores and if your grocery store has a big bulk section, chances are it's there, too. And you can also find farro online.

Why You'll Love This Farro Salad Recipe

• It’s a salad that’s hearty AND filling AND full of good-for-you ingredients.
• It’s a fab option for meal prep! Keeps in the fridge for a few days without getting slimy.
• Use it as a springboard to customize it how you like!

Best Farro Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Farro - a Mediterranean strain of wheat found in most grocery stores. If you can't find farro, you can swap it out for barley, wild rice, or quinoa to get that chewy texture.
• Kale - Curly kale or lacinato (dino) kale both work here. You can use pre-chopped kale if you don't mind bits of stems in your salad. If you want something lighter in flavor, use baby spinach or shredded Napa cabbage.
• Pumpkin seeds or pepitas
• Roasted red peppers - jarred is fine!
• Cherry tomatoes
• Feta cheese
• Fresh cilantro
• Limes
• Rice vinegar
• Salt, pepper, & a neutral tasting oil like avocado oil

How to make Farro Salad with Feta

1. Start cooking the farro. By the time you prep the rest of the ingredients it'll be finished! Farro cooks up similar to barley or rice. The ratio is 1 cup of farro to 3 cups of water. It simmers for about 15-20 minutes and then I strain off the remaining water.
2. Roast the corn under the broiler for about 8 minutes.
3. Strip the kale off the stems and slice it into thin strips. Rub it with a little lime juice and oil.
4. Buzz up the dressing ingredients and set aside.
5. When the farro is finished, add it to the bowl with the kale. Add the (cooled) roasted corn, chopped roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and feta.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
7. Serve!

Kale and Farro Salad Recipe Variations & Substitutions

Swap the grains: Use cooked barley, wild rice, or quinoa in place of the farro.

Use different veg: Add some cooked zucchini, cooked black beans, or some avocado in place of the ones in the recipe.

Don’t like kale? Use another type of hearty greens like Swiss chard, cabbage, or Napa cabbage. Using lettuce or spinach will make the salad wilt more quickly. You can definitely use them in this recipe, but know that it likely won’t be good as leftovers the next day.

Dress it differently: Use your favorite store-bought cilantro-based vinaigrette or another southwest/Mexican style dressing.

Best Ever Farro Salad recipe tips

• Cook the farro well. Make sure it's cooked all the way through so you don't end up with tough bits in your salad.
• Run some cold water over the cooked farro to help it cool faster before you add it to the salad. Make sure it's drained well, too.
• Rub the kale with lime and oil. This mellows out a lot of the bitterness in the greens. Don't skip this step!
• This salad can be prepped ahead of time. It's great at room temperature or even cold out of the fridge. And because the kale is a sturdy green it won't get slimy after you dress it.

What to Serve with Farro Salad

While this stands really well on its own as a vegetarian meal, feel free to serve it with some protein! Here are a few ideas:

• Herb Marinated Chicken
• Grilled Lemon Chicken
• Marinated Flank Steak Fajitas
• Instant Pot Shredded Beef
• Homemade Chorizo Recipe

How to Store Kale and Farro Salad Recipe

If you have leftovers or are making this salad a day ahead of time, store it in a lidded container, chilled for up to 5 days. After you pull it out of the fridge, you may need to add a little salt or lime juice to freshen it up.

Best Farro Salad Recipe FAQS

More Vegetarian Salad Recipes on Perry's Plate

Spring Mix Salad Recipe with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Feta

Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Salad

Wild Rice Salad with Cucumber and Pesto

Syrian Salad with Za'atar Vinaigrette

Kale Quinoa Salad

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Kale and Farro Salad Recipe

Yield: Serves 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

One of my favorite types of recipes to create are ones that are nutritious, also tasty. (Yes, it's possible.) It might seem like there's a lot going on here, but this farro salad can go from zero to in your face in under 30 minutes.

Print

Ingredients

For the salad:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup uncooked farro grains
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 small bunch kale, any type
• 3 limes
• 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• ⅓ cup pepitas
• ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the dressing:

Toggle ingredient group

• ½ bunch cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup avocado oil

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan add the farro grains and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 18-20 minutes or until the grains are tender. Strain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to high broil. Spread the corn kernels out on a small baking sheet drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of oil. Broil for about 8 minutes or until the corn is golden brown in spots. If you have fresh corn you may not need to broil it this long.
3. Remove the kale from their stems by pinching the bottom of the stem and running your pinched fingers up the stalk. Discard the stems and slice the leaves into narrow strips. Put the sliced kale into a large salad bowl. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of oil and squeeze the juice from ½ a lime over the kale. Use your hands to massage the oil and lime juice into the kale for a minute or two. The kale should be more tender and darker green. Don't skip this step!
4. Prep the roasted red peppers and tomatoes and add them to the bowl with the kale. Along with the pepitas and feta cheese.
5. When the farro is finished, add the drained farro grains to the bowl as well.
6. Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender along with the juice from the rest of the limes (you should have about ¼ cup) and blend thoroughly. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of the salt over the salad and mix again. Taste, and add a little more salt if you think it needs it.
7. Serve!

Notes

1. This salad is great freshly made! You can also store it chilled and eat it right out of the fridge. For best flavor eat it within about 5 days.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Roland Foods Pearled Italian Farro, Specialty Imported Food, 47.9-Ounce Bag

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 330Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 11mgSodium 389mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 6gSugar 11gProtein 10g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

The post Best Farro Salad Recipe with Feta appeared first on Perry's Plate.