Easy Mediterranean-Inspired Nourish Bowls

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Overhead shot of two bowls of our Mediterranean-inspired chickpea nourish bowls

Weeknight ease with weekend flavor? These Mediterranean-inspired nourish bowl do it all! Waves of flavor come from roasted eggplant and chickpeas, Greek-inspired lemon rice, an herby tomato cucumber salad, and creamy tahini sauce. It’s the best of summer, all in one bowl!

It’s a fresh, flavorful, satisfying plant-based meal that’s easy to make and been on repeat in our kitchens lately. Let’s make it!

Rice, salt, parsley, lemon, eggplant, chickpeas, bell pepper, tomatoes, kalamata olives, olive oil, and tahini

These nourish bowls begin with roasting eggplant and chickpeas until golden brown and caramelized. While they’re roasting, we get the other three components ready: grains, salad, and sauce!

Cubed eggplant and chickpeas on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Our NEW Greek-Inspired Lemon Rice is our grain of choice in this recipe, but white rice or quinoa are other quick-cooking options that pair nicely.

Using a fork to fluff a saucepan of lemon rice

Next comes a fresh, crunchy, Mediterranean-inspired salad with tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, kalamata olives, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and optional fresh parsley for an herby boost!

Bowl of chopped tomato, green bell pepper, kalamata olives, cucumber, and parsley

The final touch that brings it all together is a creamy, 3-ingredient tahini sauce with tahini, lemon juice, and salt. Water thins it out into a pourable sauce. All that’s left is to assemble and enjoy!

Tahini sauce, lemon, parsley, and olives next to two Mediterranean-inspired chickpea nourish bowls

We hope you LOVE these Mediterranean-inspired nourish bowls! They’re:

Fresh
Bright
Flavorful
Satisfying
Nourishing
& SO delicious!

We’ve been making this recipe on repeat for weekly meal prep and when craving an easy + delicious dinner. With 10+ grams of fiber per serving, it’s filled with major plant-based satisfaction!

More Nourishing Bowl Meals

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Drizzling a creamy tahini sauce over a vegan nourish bowl

Easy Mediterranean-Inspired Nourish Bowls

Mediterranean-inspired nourish bowls with roasted eggplant, chickpeas, lemon rice, tomato-cucumber salad, and creamy tahini sauce. A fresh, flavorful, plant-based bowl that's easy to make!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Drizzling tahini sauce over a Mediterranean nourish bowl
5 from 15 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Mediterranean-Inspired, Nut-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

EGGPLANT

  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (1 eggplant yields ~5 cups or 400 g)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

CHICKPEAS

  • 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or sub ~1 ½ cups homemade)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

GRAINS

SALAD

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (1 pint yields ~2 cups or 360 g)
  • 1 medium cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (we like English cucumbers but regular work as well // 1 cucumber yields ~250 g or 1 cup)
  • 1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch squares (1 bell pepper yields ~1 ½ cups or 90 g)
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional but recommended)
  • 1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives (optional but recommended)
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

SAUCE

  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  • EGGPLANT & CHICKPEAS: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your cubed eggplant on one side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to coat. To the other half of the large baking sheet, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the eggplant and chickpeas are golden brown and caramelized. The eggplant should be soft to the touch.
  • GRAINS: Meanwhile, prepare your grain of choice: lemon rice, white rice, or quinoa.
  • SALAD: While your grain is cooking, make the salad. To a large mixing bowl, add quartered cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped green bell pepper, optional chopped parsley, and chopped kalamata olives. Add lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt. Stir well to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
  • SAUCE: To a small mixing bowl, add tahini, lemon juice, sea salt, and water. Whisk well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt for saltiness, lemon for zing, water to loosen, or tahini to make thicker. Any leftover sauce is great on veggies, grains, or proteins.
  • Assemble your bowls: Divide the rice (or quinoa), eggplant, chickpeas, and salad between serving bowls and drizzle each with ~1-2 Tbsp of tahini sauce.
  • Each component can be stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The rice or quinoa is freezer-friendly, but the other components are not.

Notes

*Recipe as written makes ~2/3 cup tahini sauce, which is enough for generously topping the bowls or having leftover sauce for other meals.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with half of the tahini sauce and without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 527 Carbohydrates: 66.4 g Protein: 12.3 g Fat: 26.3 g Saturated Fat: 3.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.7 g Monounsaturated Fat: 14.9 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 885 mg Potassium: 729 mg Fiber: 10.6 g Sugar: 10.7 g Vitamin A: 158 IU Vitamin C: 49 mg Calcium: 75 mg Iron: 2.6 mg

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  1. Natalie says

    This is so delicious! I made it for my family for the first time a few weeks ago and have already made it again, they loved it.

    Natalie

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! We’re so glad you and your family are enjoying the recipe. Thank you for sharing, Natalie! xo

  2. Bek says

    Fantastic! My husband was skeptical but the dish won him over as a weekly favorite. For the sauce I ran out of lemons and subbed ACV and added a touch of maple syrup. I also used quinoa for a quicker cook time. everything came together quickly with minimal effort

  3. Carmen says

    This was so good. I made it with the lemon rice and got a little lazy and left off the parsley. It was very easy, very labor intensive, kinda messy, but definitely worth it! I will be making this again!

  4. Stephanie says

    This was a fantastic combo. I really love the lemon rice and think it makes the dish! Will definitely be including this in rotation frequently.

  5. Brenna Tunnicliff says

    In the last month, I have made this recipe for multiple meal trains & for several guests who have stayed with us. It is simply phenomenal. It’s my first Minimalist Baker recipe, but it will not be my last. Incredible. Easy. Truly nourishing. DEFINITELY make it with the lemon rice.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you and your guests enjoyed them, Brenna! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo

  6. Julia says

    This was soooooo tasty! I didn’t make the lemon rice, but had some leftover Farro so that’s what I used. Absolutely delicious and I’m not even a vegetarian or vegan. I’m having a Mediterranean Mezze party and will make a big bowl of this as well!!! Thanks for all your delicious recipes 🙏

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Julia. Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo

  7. Dana C. says

    YUM! Another winner. We ate it with the Easy Greek-Inspired Lemon Rice, which I caught my spouse eating by itself. Great the first day and as leftovers!

  8. Ali says

    Just what I needed! Subbed the lemon rice for brown rice and grilled zucchini instead of the eggplant. But stuck to the script otherwise. Divine!

  9. Claudia says

    I love prepping bowl meals. While the veggies roast, there’s enough time to make the salad, put the grains on the stovetop and whisk up the tahini dressing. I made the greek lemon rice which is a definite must. I added some greens to the bowl – dino kale massaged with a little bit of olive oil & lemon juice and 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds. Thank you, Dana, for another great vegan meal I delivered this afternoon to my daughter & son-in-law.

  10. Gina says

    Beautiful recipe, thanks. I used brown basmati rice to make your Lemon Rice to accompany. Happy to have another recipe that features a fav veg, eggplant. And tahini sauce elevates everything. Merci, encore.

  11. Cedella says

    Everything about this dish is so yummy!!! I skipped the eggplant but it’s still so good! I love the tahini!

  12. Cheryl Tripsas says

    This was very good!! A bit more prep than what I usually do, but well worth It. We are not vegetarians and I considered cooking up some salmon to go with, but not needed at all! The sauce is really good and I’ll make it again to put over other dishes. I left out the green bell pepper because they don’t like me! 😉 A definite keeper!

  13. Sara says

    I have a tahini aversion that won’t go away after being pregnant with my bow 2-year old son. Do you have any other sauce suggestions for this? Maybe something garlicky or lemony? Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sara, We’d recommend a hummus-based sauce (using cashew butter in it if you’re averse to tahini in hummus too). Something similar to this recipe. Hope that helps!

  14. Nikki Fortier says

    I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS. Completely satisfying and I love how many veggies I got in. Everything went together perfectly, and the tahini sauce did a great job of tying it all together.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad to hear it, Nikki! Thank you so much for the lovely review! xo

  15. Lee Kaplan says

    Just had major dental surgery. Four more weeks on soft foods (can’t believe I’ll get sick of milkshakes, mashed potatoes, and Mac and cheese). Then I’m going to make this nourish bowl.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      That’s so tough! We’re excited for you to try it when you’re all healed! xo

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Nikki, We do sometimes, but most of the time we find it isn’t essential. For this recipe, we chose to skip it to keep things simple. You could salt it to ensure no bitterness, but we’d then recommend skipping any additional salting of the eggplant in step 1. Hope that helps!