Veggie Protein Bowls – A Couple Cooks

May 25, 2025

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These veggie protein bowls are my go-to weeknight dinner that’s nutritious, filling, and fast! With roasted candy potatoes and chickpeas, creamy cottage cheese, and a drizzle of honey mustard sauce, they’re easy and customizable—my reply to these viral beef protein bowls.

So I maintain seeing these floor beef protein bowls bowls throughout social media, and whereas they seemed scrumptious, I needed to create a vegetarian model that will be simply as satisfying (since we eat the Mediterranean food regimen). I swapped in chickpeas for the meat and these veggie protein bowls have been born – they usually is likely to be even higher than the unique!

The sudden hero of those protein bowls? Cottage cheese! I do know it’d seem to be an uncommon addition, however it creates this creamy sauce-like component that brings every part collectively whereas including a big protein increase. Our children truly devoured these down—and I like the way it’s so easy, you don’t need to assume an excessive amount of while you make it!

Why these protein bowls work

The key to really nice protein bowls is balancing flavors, textures, and diet. Right here’s why this mixture works:

Texture and taste contrasts: The gentle roasted candy potatoes and crispy chickpeas play superbly towards the creamy cottage cheese and the contemporary, crunchy cabbage.
Important vitamins: Every element serves a function – complicated carbs from candy potatoes, protein from chickpeas and cottage cheese, wholesome fat from avocado and olive oil.
Customizable warmth degree: The honey mustard sauce could be stored gentle or kicked up with a number of shakes of sizzling sauce, letting you management the spice degree. The unique beef protein bowls have sizzling honey, however I didn’t love how that tasted with cottage cheese. The mustard sauce is far more enjoyable!

Suggestions for bowl meeting

This recipe comes collectively shortly, with more often than not being hands-off whereas the greens roast. It’s such a fantastic meatless meal thought that I’ve made typically and all the time take pleasure in. Listed here are some tips about the tactic:

1. Roast the candy potatoes and chickpeas.

Toss diced candy potatoes and drained, rinsed chickpeas with olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, and kosher salt. Unfold them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 450°F for about 25 minutes, till the candy potatoes are tender and browned and the chickpeas are barely crispy.

For the tip: Don’t crowd your baking sheet! The greens want area to roast correctly. Use two sheets if vital.

2. Make the honey mustard sauce.

Whereas the greens roast, whip up a fast honey mustard sauce. I like so as to add a number of shakes of sizzling sauce for a spicy-sweet mixture that actually brings the protein bowls to life.

3. Assemble your protein bowls.

Begin with a mattress of coleslaw combine or thinly sliced cabbage, high with the roasted candy potatoes and chickpeas, add a beneficiant scoop of cottage cheese (about ½ cup per bowl), fan out some avocado slices, and drizzle with honey mustard sauce.

Meeting tip: I choose drizzling the sauce over the greens and cabbage, not the cottage cheese, to keep up that good distinction between the tangy sauce and the creamy cheese.

Variations and protein adders

One of many causes I like these protein bowls is how simply they adapt to what you might have available:

Grain addition: Add ½ cup cooked quinoa or brown rice to make these bowls much more substantial. (For fast weeknight meals, strive pre-packaged cooked rice.)
Completely different protein: To essentially amp the protein, add baked tofu, pan seared hen, shredded hen, air fryer henor canned tuna or salmon (seasoned with salt and olive oil).
Different veggies: You may add some other veggies you’d like—uncooked or cooked! Attempt broccoli, cucumbers, crunchy bell peppers, roasted brussels sproutsand extra. You may as well throw in different veggies whereas roasting—I similar to maintaining it easy with the candy potatoes and chickpeas.

Storing leftovers

These protein bowls are perfect for meal prep with a number of easy methods:

Element storage: Retailer the roasted candy potatoes and chickpeas, cabbage, cottage cheese, and sauce individually in hermetic containers within the fridge. They’ll maintain properly for 3-4 days.

Avocado trick: By no means slice the avocado upfront as a result of it should brown. For make-ahead meals, add the avocado contemporary simply earlier than consuming.

Reheating tip: Solely reheat the candy potatoes and chickpeas (both in microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a skillet). Preserve the cottage cheese and cabbage chilly for one of the best texture distinction.

Dietary notes

These protein bowls are vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, add a tray of baked tofu and enhance the bake time a couple of minutes; use maple syrup or agave within the mustard sauce.

I hope you’ll give these vibrant, nutritious protein bowls a strive! The mixture of flavors, textures, and diet creates one thing a lot larger than the sum of its components. They could simply grow to be your new favourite weeknight dinner too—tell us what you assume within the feedback under.

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