Simple Roasted Beetroot Grain Bowls with Feta make a delicious lunch or dinner and the ingredients are easy to prepare in advance. Perfect for a healthy packed lunch! Use your favourite wholegrain as the base.
Hello 2020! Somehow a new year is already upon us and I am feeling the pressure to be productive, despite early January always feeling to me like a surreal dream world where nothing happens except that the cricket is always on the telly…
Part of coming out of holiday mode is the totally unsexy task of BUDGETING. The gifts, travel, entertaining and dining out of the festive season can be expensive. So, hubs and I are determined to reign in the spending a little, and I think these gorgeous Roasted Beetroot Grain Bowls with Feta are an excellent substitute for a cafe “nourish bowl” that you’d easily pay upwards of $20/each for in inner Sydney.
How to Roast Beetroot
Roasting beetroot is honestly one of the easiest things to do in the kitchen, and the method I use is nowhere near as messy as you might think. I use a method I found on Taste.com.au and it works really well, producing soft, juicy beetroot.
- Preheat oven to 180 Celsius.
- If the beetroot came with stems attached, trim stems to about 1-2cm. Wash and scrub beetroots, no need to peel.
- Wrap beetroot completely in foil and place on a tray, and then roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size) until the beetroot is tender.
- Remove from oven, peel back foil and allow beetroot to cool enough to be handled. Gently rub off the skin and trim off the base of the stem. Cut beetroot into small wedges. Done!
Filled with leafy greens, beans, wholegrains and seeds, this Roasted Beetroot Grain Bowl with Feta is packed with macro and micro nutrients. The veggies provide fibre, potassium, folate, vitamin C and vitamin K, to name a few. Grains, seeds and feta add more fibre, protein and healthy fats. The vibrance of this bowl is so appealing, you’re not thinking about how healthy it is though. It’s just delicious!
You can use any grain that you like in this bowl. I have used buckwheat in the bowls pictured because I absolutely love it. Buckwheat is actually a seed, not a grain, and is gluten free. If you’re not into buckwheat you could use brown rice, quinoa, millet, farro, freekeh or barley instead (or anything else you can think of). The gluten free options are rice, quinoa, millet or buckwheat.
As I mentioned above, this grain bowl is also much cheaper to make at home than it is to buy out at a cafe. You can bulk-buy ingredients like grains and seeds, used cheap canned beans and the vegetables are inexpensive. And a small block of feta from the supermarket is cheaper than ordering a side at breakfast, and will cover more than one meal. Win win.
If you roast the beetroot and cook up a batch of your chosen grain in advance, this is a great recipe to food prep too. Store the ingredients in individual containers and you can just plate it up when ready, or pack up a complete bowl for lunch! If you make this Roasted Beetroot Grain Bowl with Feta, take a snap and tag me on Instagram, you can find me at @moniquecormacknutrition!
p.s. for a dairy free and vegan bowl, omit the feta. Add a drizzle of tahini instead 🙂
Roasted Beetroot Grain Bowl with Feta
Ingredients
- 1-2 beetroot – depending on size
- 1 small yellow capsicum
- 60 grams rocket – approximately, just need 2 large handfuls!
- 1/2 can butter beans – half a 400g can. Or any other canned legumes of choice
- 50 grams feta cheese
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds `
- 2/3 cup buckwheat groats *
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Prepare the beetroot. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. If the beetroot came with stems attached, trim stems to about 1-2cm. Wash and scrub beetroots, no need to peel. Wrap beetroot completely in foil and place on a tray, and then roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size) until the beetroot is tender. Remove from oven, peel back foil and allow beetroot to cool enough to be handled. Gently rub off the skin and trim off the base of the stem. Cut beetroot into small wedges.
- While beetroot is roasting, cook buckwheat according to packet instructions – or substitute in any other grain of choice.
- When beetroot and grains are ready, place rocket in a bowl and toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Divide rocket between 2 serving bowls.
- Drain and rinse the butter beans, and slice the capsicum. Add buckwheat, beans, beetroot wedges and sliced capsicum to the 2 serving bowls.
- Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Crumble the feta with your fingers and top the bowls with the feta. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil, together with the balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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