Protein Packed Creamy Tahini Quinoa Bowls
This gluten-free, vegan meal is perfect for busy weeknights and is loaded with plant-based protein! These Protein Packed Creamy Tahini Quinoa Bowls are made with quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, kale, lentils, shredded carrots, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds, seasoned with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and then drizzled with a dairy-free Creamy Tahini Dressing!
I love love love quinoa bowls. For me, they are a great excuse to use up produce that’s about to go bad in a fun, delicious way! These quinoa bowls have been on repeat at my house lately and the whole family loves them! Protein Packed Creamy Tahini Quinoa Bowls are boasting with plant-based protein you get from essentially every ingredient included in this nourishing meal. And the leftovers are delicious too. You all know I’m a BIG fan of cook-once-eat-twice meals 😉
Lately I’ve been cooking up a double batch of quinoa and keeping it on hand in the fridge for a quick and easy option for breakfast lunch or dinner. So if you have some, these bowls will practically make themselves!
How to Make These Quinoa Bowls
If you don’t have any quinoa already cooked, you’ll just cook some up in about 15-20 minutes. The only other thing you need to cook is the sweet potato. Peel, chop, and bake the sweet potato- also for about 20 minutes. I like to drizzle my sweet potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt. Buying canned lentils keeps this recipe easy, but if you can’t find them or prefer to cook your lentils at home, that’s fine too.
Once the quinoa and sweet potatoes are cooked you’ll combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with 1/3 cup of the creamy tahini dressing. There will be leftover dressing which is also great on salads! But if you’re a dressing lover, you go ahead and drizzle more on top of your bowl. I tend to like a lot of dressing 😉
The Creamy Tahini Dressing
This is my go-to dressing. It’s so good on any salad, and especially delicious in these quinoa bowls. It’s super easy to make, using just 6 simple ingredients (not counting salt and pepper): tahini, olive oil, plant milk, maple syrup, vinegar, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Simply blend ingredients together (or you can whisk them together if you don’t have a blender) until smooth. The recipe will make more than what you need for these Creamy Tahini Quinoa Bowls, but you’ll be happy to have extra for your next bowl or salad 🙃
These bowls are really flexible and based a lot on your preference. It’s really up to you on how much of each ingredient you want to add. For example if you want more carrots and less lentils, go for it! So while I provide specific measurements, know that it’s totally up to you.
Let me know your bowl preference or any additional ingredients you use down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this powerfully healthy, plant-based protein-packed recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Protein Packed Creamy Tahini Quinoa Bowls
This gluten-free, vegan meal is perfect for busy weeknights and is loaded with plant-based protein! These Protein Packed Creamy Tahini Quinoa Bowls are made with quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, kale, lentils, shredded carrots, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds, seasoned with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and then drizzled with a dairy-free Creamy Tahini Dressing!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (makes about 3 cups cooked quinoa)
- 1/2 cup canned lentils (may cook your own if desired)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for roasting the sweet potato)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (for roasting the sweet potato)
- 2 cups packed kale leaves, washed and ripped into small-medium pieces
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (for the kale- see instructions)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (for the kale- see instructions)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (for the kale- see instructions)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon whole flaxseeds
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup Creamy Tahini Dressing, plus more for drizzling over top if desired
Creamy Tahini Dressing
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup plant milk
- 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Peel and chop the sweet potato into medium pieces and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
* If cooking dry lentils instead of using canned lentils, cook them now according to package directions. I use canned lentils for ease of use in this recipe.
Make the quinoa according to package directions. For this recipe I use 1 cup of uncooked quinoa with 1 + 1/2 cups of water.
While the sweet potato and quinoa are cooking, make the creamy tahini dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, or alternatively use a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Next, add the kale leaves to a medium bowl and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and massage the kale with your hands until the leaves start to soften and turn a really dark green- about 3-5 minutes.
In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and let it cool for about 5 minutes, then add all of the other ingredients to the bowl along with 1/3 cups of the dressing and toss to combine. If you'd like to warm the lentils first you can add them to a small skillet or warm them in the microwave.
Serve in bowls and garnish with additional seeds and dressing if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge and enjoy within a few days. The dressing may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
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About the author
Gina Fontana
Gina Fontana is a certified health coach, recipe developer, food photographer, published author, and blogger. Her own personal health challenges led her to a gluten-free, vegan, plant-based lifestyle where she found significant improvement in her symptoms. Her passion and mission is to now share that with others who also need (or want) to pursue a healthier lifestyle.
The recipe is missing when to cook the lentils listed in the ingredients?
Hi Nat, sorry that’s confusing in the recipe. I used canned lentils in this recipe for ease so no cooking is required, but I did update the recipe card to reflect if you’re cooking them. Hope this helps! ☺️