Roasted Broccoli Bowls

Roasted Broccoli Bowls / loveandlemons.com Roasted Broccoli Bowls / loveandlemons.com

…otherwise known as “roast what you have” bowls. This week (again) was all about quick cooking, olympic watching, and dinners that fit into one bowl. Which sounds super lazy, but I just know that I’ve burnt more than a few calories anxiously watching athletes go for gold. Anxiety is an ab workout right?

This TV “workout” was fueled by some roasty-toasty broccoli and sweet Farmhouse carrots that I happened on hand. I completed the meal with the help of some pantry ingredients: chickpeas, jarred roasted red peppers, tahini, etc. Feel free to switch up the vegetables and add some sort of grain if you like – quinoa or millet would bulk this up a bit more. We’ve been trying to eat a bit lighter lately so I piled the veggies onto a few handfuls of spinach. Make the red pepper sauce (up to a few days) ahead of time and this is a pretty quick 1-pan dinner.

roasted broccoli bowls

 
Author:
Serves: serves 2, with extra sauce
Ingredients
  • a few cups of broccoli floretes
  • small bunch of carrots
  • ½ cup cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)
  • olive oil
  • a few handfuls of spinach
  • squeeze of lemon
  • salt & pepper
red pepper sauce (this makes extra)
  • 1 cup chickpeas, canned is fine, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup almonds, blanched & skins peeled
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 jarred roasted red pepper (about ¼ cup worth)
  • juice of ½ a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1-2 teaspoons dry harisa seasoning (optional)
  • water (approx. ¼-1/3 cup) to thin consistency
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Place vegetables and chickpeas on a large baking sheet so that they're not touching too closely (use 2 sheets if you have to). Drizzle and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown (20-30 minutes total, but take a look after the first 20 - remove the broccoli first if necessary).
  3. Make your red pepper sauce by pureeing all sauce ingredients into a high speed blender. Add water until the consistency is thinner than hummus. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  4. Place raw spinach in serving bowls, dress with a little bit of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt & pepper. Top with the warm roasted vegetables (so the spinach will wilt just slightly) and a dollop of sauce.
  5. Store extra sauce in the fridge - it's also great as a sandwich spread or a veggie dip.
Notes
This whole recipe contains 1 can of chickpeas - I used less than 1 can for the sauce so I'd have extra to roast whole.

Blanching almonds sounds fussy but it's pretty easy. Dunk them in boiling water for 30 seconds, transfer to a bowl of ice water and peel the skins (doesn't have to be perfect). Alternatively - you can skip the blanching and soak the almonds so they'll be softer to puree.

For easy cleanup, the vegetables can be roasted on foil.

46 comments

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  1. Samantha from artysamanthapantha.blogspot.co.uk
    02.24.2014

    Looks so delicious! x

  2. There can never be too many simple recipes! As long as it’s loaded with veggies and lathered in a flavorful sauce then I’m sold (and this recipe more than covers both).

  3. “I am pretty sure I could not love any other food blogger as much as I love you” is the thought that entered my mind as I pulled up this page. Haven’t even tried this recipe yet. You are my best friend that I haven’t yet met. Don’t know how to properly send my appreciation except as some wholehearted comments now and then. xo

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      you are way too kind :). Thank you, this comment totally made my day!

  4. Melissa from Www.thewhimsicalwife.com
    02.23.2014

    Totally an ab work out watching the Olympics. Hahaha.

  5. amanda from easylittletiger.com
    02.23.2014

    yuuuummmmm that looks/sounds great! also, that shot would totally fit with things arranged neatly. so pretty.

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      ha, I love that site 🙂

  6. Kristin from blog.kristinfleming.com
    02.23.2014

    Looks like a yummy snack to watch the Olympics with. The hummus looks like it’s easy to make!

  7. cheri from mysavoryspoon.blogspot.com
    02.23.2014

    I adore salads with roasted vegetables. beautiful pics.

  8. Kim from sichtbarose.blogspot.de
    02.23.2014

    Looks so good, I just wanna make this now. 🙂

  9. Emma from coconutandberries.com
    02.23.2014

    Yum yum! The sauce reminds of romesco which I love but lightened up a bit with the chickpeas.
    Those carrrots are stupidly cute too 🙂

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      That’s what I was originally going for (romesco without the bread)… I decided to not call it that because it really wasn’t similar enough, but it was tasty in it’s own right 🙂

  10. I am in love with your photography and the colours of your food! These bowls sound delicious and I may be doing pretty much the same thing in the near future (except I’ve got carrots, kale, quinoa, and beets in my fridge)

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      Thank you! Sounds like such a delicious roasted veg combo…

  11. You had me at roasted broccoli! This looks absolutely fantastic, and I have everything called for already in the house… except for broccoli. Figures. Looks like a Sunday broccoli run is in order. This WILL be lunch!

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      thanks Christina, hope you liked it 🙂

  12. Totally gorgeous, Jeanine. I love roasted broccoli but don’t roast it nearly enough.

  13. Could your photos be any more amazing!?! And I love the romesco, hummus, North African fusion spin on the sauce, it’s right up my alley. And no, I don’t think this is lazy. For some reason bowl meals like this are very inspiring to me, and I’m sure to others as well. I make them all the time as well.

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      ha, you’re too kind. Those bowls were actually kind of ugly which is why I cropped them “just so” 🙂

      • Ha, well nothing photoshop, some cool text additions, and a beautiful counter can’t fix! 😉

        • jeanine
          02.24.2014

          text to distract the eye is my secret fix for many things 🙂

  14. Erin from clevergirlreviews.com
    02.23.2014

    So is the sauce essentially hummus?

    • jeanine
      02.23.2014

      Essentially – it’s kind of between hummus and romesco…

  15. Shivani from nutritiousaddiction.blogspot.com
    02.22.2014

    I just discovered your website and I am enthralled! You take pictures so artistically and beautifully, I love it! I can’t wait to try all these fun recipes! 🙂 xx

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      Thanks Shivani – I’m so glad! Welcome!

  16. Tieghan from halfbakedharvest.com
    02.22.2014

    I adore bowl foods and broccoli! These loaded veggies bowls are my dream dinner!

  17. Sam from clarkandschiller.com
    02.22.2014

    Your photos give me the chills! Gorgeous. Also, any recipe that uses harissa is a winner in my book. Extra spicy, preferably.

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      aw, thank you! I know, I’ve been using harissa a lot lately, love the spice!

  18. Sounds like my perfect winter dinner and I’m sure it lets you sleep well too! Maybe a side of soup to go with? Great idea!

    • jeanine
      02.24.2014

      definitely 🙂 I love having leftover soups in the freezer to pull out for these kinds of easy dinners!

  19. Oh, I think anxiety totally counts as an ab workout ;-). These roast-or-cook-what-you-have-bowls have been a standard round here in the past months – far too less time for cooking during the week :-(. Never tried roasting broccoli though and I don’t even know why, ’cause it’s one of my all-time favourite veggies – I think the next one will go straight into the oven, thanks for the inspiration! 🙂

    • jeanine
      02.22.2014

      it’s so good! one of my favorite ways to eat broccoli 🙂

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.