Autumn Harvest Bowl With Balsamic Dressing
This Autumn Harvest Bowl is a healthy fall meal made with roasted cinnamon-spiced vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes. Served with a hearty quinoa base made with dried cranberries, crisp apple, peppery arugula, pistachios, and crumbled feta. Finished with a creamy tahini balsamic dressing, this harvest bowl is full of color and wholesome goodness.
I love making this nutrient-dense grain bowl during the fall and winter months. It’s loaded with fiber and nutritious ingredients that will keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Why you’ll love this Autumn Harvest Bowl
Packed with fall flavors. This harvest bowl features seasonal roasted vegetables, crisp apple, leafy greens, and hearty grains. It makes for a delicious sweet-and-savory combination that tastes like fall in every bite.
Perfect for meal prep. You can prep the roasted vegetables, quinoa salad base, and dressing ahead of time. Keep everything stored separately in airtight containers in the fridge. This allows you to assemble individual bowls throughout the week for lunch or dinner.
Lots of texture and variety. You’ll get to enjoy tender roasted veggies, hearty quinoa, crisp apple, crunchy pistachios, and a creamy dressing in every bite.
Easy to customize. You can use whatever veggies you have in your fridge, add your favorite nuts or seeds, use goat cheese instead of feta, and add protein to make this a complete meal.
A beautiful and colorful fall meal. This harvest bowl is both delicious and pretty! With those warm autumn colors, this bowl is perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner or fall gathering.
What is in an Autumn Harvest Bowl?
An Autumn Harvest Bowl is a healthy and nourishing meal served in a single bowl that features seasonal fall ingredients.
It typically combines whole grains, colorful roasted vegetables, fresh greens, seasonal fruit, crunchy toppings, a protein, and a tangy dressing for a hearty mix of textures and flavors.
Harvest bowls are easy to make and customize based on your taste preferences. You can swap ingredients based on what you have at home or what’s in season. This makes it quick to enjoy for fall lunches or weeknight dinners.
Autumn Harvest Bowl Ingredients
Broccoli: These get crispy, caramelized edges with a tender and sweet flavor.
Brussel sprouts: These get crispy and golden on the outside with a tender center.
Sweet potato: These add a natural sweetness and are perfect for fall.
Seasoning: I season the veggies with olive oil, pure maple syrup, ground cinnamon, garlic powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Protein: If you want to add protein, this harvest bowl tastes delicious with roasted chicken, baked salmon, crispy tofu, or roasted chickpeas.
Quinoa: I use white quinoa for the base of this harvest bowl. It’s a complete source of plant-based protein, dietary fiber, and essential minerals.
Lemon and olive oil dressing: I like to add a touch of fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to the quinoa salad to keep it fresh and light.
Dried cranberries: This is a chewy, sweet-tart fruit that is popular during the fall and winter months.
Apple: This adds a fresh, crisp sweetness that balances the savory ingredients. I like to use Gala, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apple.
Pistachios: This adds a crunchy, nutty bite. You can use roasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans if you prefer.
Arugula: This adds freshness and nice a pop of green color. You can use spring mix or green kale if you prefer.
Feta cheese: This adds a nice salty flavor that balances the sweet roasted vegetables. You can use crumbled goat cheese if you prefer.
Balsamic Tahini Dressing: This creamy tahini dressing helps tie together the hearty grains and warm roasted veggies in the bowl.
It’s easy to make with tahini, fresh lemon juice, pure maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, and warm water to thin the dressing.
Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette: If you prefer a vinaigrette dressing, this maple-balsamic one is made with extra virgin olive oil, pure maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, fresh garlic, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
How to make an Autumn Harvest Bowl
Roasted the veggies. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and sweet potato on a large baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and pure maple syrup over the veggies.
Sprinkle the garlic powder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and freshly ground black pepper over the veggies. Toss to evenly coat the veggies with the oil and spices.
Roast the vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until they become tender and start to turn brown.
Make the quinoa salad: While the vegetables are roasting, combine the quinoa and vegetable broth (or water if using) in a medium pot.
Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Then remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the slightly cooled quinoa, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, dried cranberries, chopped apple, pistachios, arugula, and crumbled feta. Toss to combine.
Make your desired dressing: For the tahini dressing, combine the tahini, pure maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and garlic in a small mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
If the dressing is too thick, add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you’ve reached a consistency that’s easy to drizzle.
If you’re making the maple-balsamic vinaigrette, add all the ingredients to bowl and whisk to combine (or add the ingredients to a jar and shake to combine).
Assemble the harvest bowl. Add a big spoonful of the quinoa salad to a bowl. Top with the roasted vegetables and protein (if using). Drizzle a spoonful of the dressing over the top. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Add protein to make it a complete meal
While quinoa is a complete source of plant-based protein, you can add extra protein to this harvest bowl if desired. Below are some options:
- Grilled chicken
- Roast chicken or baked chicken
- Roast turkey
- Baked salmon or air fryer salmon
- Roasted chickpeas
- Crispy tofu
- Lentils
- White beans
Can I make this harvest bowl ahead of time?
Yes, this is an excellent meal to make ahead of time. You can prep the roasted vegetables, quinoa salad, and dressing of choice up to 3 days in advance.
Store everything separately in airtight containers in the fridge and assemble your bowls when you’re ready to serve.
If you want to serve the roasted veggies warm, you can reheat them in the oven, air fryer, microwave, or cast-iron pan on the stovetop.
How to store leftover harvest bowl
For the best texture, store everything separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Use within 3 days to maintain freshness.
More healthy fall dinners to try:
- Turkey sweet potato chili
- Vegetarian lentil chili
- Sheet pan chicken with potatoes and carrots
- Italian sheet pan chicken
- Greek sheet pan chicken
- Marry Me Beans (in a creamy Tuscan sauce)
- Homemade spaghetti sauce (with ground turkey)
- Penne Arrabbiata Pasta
Please let me know how you like this Autumn Harvest Bowl recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this harvest bowl as much as I do.
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Autumn Harvest Bowl With Balsamic Dressing
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Autumn Harvest Bowl is a healthy fall meal made with roasted cinnamon-spiced vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes. Served with a hearty quinoa base made with dried cranberries, crisp apple, peppery arugula, pistachios, and crumbled feta. Finished with a creamy tahini balsamic dressing, this harvest bowl is full of color and wholesome goodness.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetables
- 2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups Brussel sprouts, halved
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Protein of choice (crispy tofu, grilled chicken, salmon, or roasted chickpeas)
For the Quinoa Salad
- 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 small apple, chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios, chopped (or chopped roasted almonds)
- 1 cup baby arugula, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or goat cheese)
For the Balsamic Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1–3 tablespoons hot water, to thin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Roasted the veggies. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and sweet potato on a large baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and pure maple syrup over the veggies.
- Sprinkle the garlic powder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and freshly ground black pepper over the veggies. Toss to evenly coat the veggies with the oil and spices.
- Roast the vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until they become tender and start to turn brown.
- Make the quinoa salad: While the vegetables are roasting, combine the quinoa and vegetable broth (or water if using) in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the slightly cooled quinoa, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, dried cranberries, chopped apple, pistachios, arugula, and crumbled feta. Toss to combine.
- Make your desired dressing: For the tahini dressing, combine the tahini, pure maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and garlic in a small mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. If the dressing is too thick, add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you’ve reached a consistency that’s easy to drizzle.
- If you’re making the maple-balsamic vinaigrette, add all the ingredients to bowl and whisk to combine (or add the ingredients to a jar and shake to combine).
- Assemble the harvest bowl. Add a big spoonful of the quinoa salad to a bowl. Top with the roasted vegetables and protein (if using). Drizzle a spoonful of the dressing over the top. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Dressing: I’ve included two different dressings in this recipe. One is a creamy tahini dressing and the other is a vinaigrette. Choose which one you want to make based on your taste preferences.
- Photos shown with Balsamic Tahini Dressing and roasted chickpeas.
- Leftovers? For the best texture, store the roasted veggies, quinoa salad, and dressing separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Use within 3 days to maintain freshness.
- If you want to serve the leftover roasted veggies warm, you can reheat them in the oven, air fryer, microwave, or cast-iron pan on the stovetop.
- Arugula: I always have arugula in my fridge, but you can use chopped kale or spring mix instead.
- Apple: I like using Gala, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apple.
- Nuts: You can use roasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, or toasted sliced almonds.
- Nut-free options: Use roasted green pumpkin seeds (pepitas), roasted sunflower seeds, or toasted sesame seeds.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
