Mediterranean Grain Bowl
Quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, feta, and lemon-tahini drizzle. Make-ahead friendly, holds beautifully for 4 days.
Ingredients
- Quinoa: 200 g (1 cup), uncooked
- Water or low-sodium broth: 480 ml (2 cups)
- Canned chickpeas: 1 can (425 g / 15 oz), drained and rinsed
- Cucumber: 1 medium, diced
- Cherry tomatoes: 250 g (1 1/2 cups), halved
- Red onion: 1/2 small, finely diced
- Kalamata olives: 60 g (1/3 cup), pitted and halved
- Feta cheese: 100 g (3/4 cup crumbled)
- Fresh parsley: 1/4 cup, chopped
- Tahini: 60 g (1/4 cup)
- Lemon juice: 3 tbsp
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Garlic: 1 clove, grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Water to thin dressing: 2-4 tbsp
Instructions
- 1
Rinse quinoa. Combine with water or broth in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes off heat. Fluff with a fork. Spread on a sheet pan to cool.
- 2
While quinoa cooks, dice cucumber, halve tomatoes, dice red onion, halve olives. Chop parsley.
- 3
Whisk dressing: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, grated garlic, salt, pepper, and 2-4 tbsp water until pourable.
- 4
In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and parsley.
- 5
If serving now: drizzle with dressing and top with feta. If meal-prepping: portion into containers, dressing on the side, feta on top.
Notes
Stores beautifully for 4 days refrigerated. Keep dressing separate until serving — it absorbs into the quinoa otherwise. To make heartier or higher protein, add 100 g grilled chicken or 1/2 cup edamame per portion.
Why This Works
The platonic ideal of a meal-prep lunch. Cook once on Sunday, eat four lunches. The quinoa and chickpeas hold their texture for days. The tahini dressing actually gets better by day two.
The Method
Cool the quinoa before mixing. Hot quinoa wilts the cucumber and turns everything mushy. Spread it on a sheet pan to cool fast — five minutes and it’s ready.
Salt the cucumber and tomato. A pinch of salt about 5 minutes before mixing pulls water out and concentrates the flavor.
Tahini dressing thickness. Tahini seizes when you add lemon juice — that’s normal, don’t panic. Whisk in water 1 tbsp at a time until it’s pourable. Don’t add the water all at once or it goes too thin.
Variations
- With grilled chicken: top each portion with 100g sliced grilled chicken thigh
- With shrimp: 5-6 grilled shrimp per portion
- Bulgur instead of quinoa: swap 1:1, cook per package
- Greek-leaning: skip the tahini dressing; use a lemon-oregano vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt)
Storage
4 days refrigerated, dressing on the side. Don’t freeze — quinoa goes mealy.