This Healthy Harvest Bowl with Grains is the perfect lunch or side dish to a meal. It’s easy to make and filled with tons of delicious and nutritious ingredients!

Harvest Ancient Grain Bowl

This Grain Bowl is filled with tons of delicious ingredients. It’s nourishing, energizing and incredibly tasty.

It uses seasonal ingredients to the fullest! My favorite part is the chunks of roasted butternut squash. The caramelization is absolutely delicious and borderline addicting.

Another great part about this recipe is that it can be customized with your preferred ingredients.

This recipe features both barley and wheat berries, adding not only a delicious flavor but plant-based protein as well to keep this recipe vegan-friendly.

Main Ingredients

Grain bowl ingredients measured out in bowls.

Substitutions

  • Instead of seeds, add nuts to still have a great crunch factor
  • The dried cherries can be swapped out for cranberries or any dried fruit
  • Sweet potato would be a great alternative to the butternut squash (or any root vegetable!)
  • Next, the kale can be swapped for your favorite greens such as spinach or swiss chard.
  • Don’t like green beans? Raw or grilled asparagus would be a great swap to keep it light, refreshing and have a crunch
  • Protein: You can add any protein you’d like! Chicken would be delicious on this bowl, however, you could add turkey, steak or a vegan protein like tofu.

How to Make this Grain Bowl Recipe

  1. First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
  2. Next, cook the barley and wheat berries according to the package instructions (I cooked them in the same pot)
  3. Peel and cube the butternut squash
  4. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil
  5. Next, toss the butternut squash until all of the pieces are covered in olive oil
  6. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, tossing halfway through
  7. While the squash is cooking, cut the fresh green beans and gather other ingredients if you haven’t done so already
  8. In a large bowl, add the kale and olive oil. Massage the kale until it’s fully coated in olive oil and has a soft texture
  9. When ready, remove the butternut squash from the oven and let cool. The squash should be caramelized but not burnt.
  10. Once the ancient grains are cooked, it’s time to make the Harvest Bowl
  11. Start by combining the massaged kale with the grains and remaining ingredients
  12. Toss the Harvest Bowl ingredients together until fully combined and distributed evenly
  13. Add dressing on when ready to eat/serve
  14. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to make a harvest bowl?

The most time consuming part of this recipe is waiting for the two ancient grains cook and butternut squash to bake.

However, the rest of the ingredients are easy to pull together.

How many calories are in a harvest bowl?

This bowl has about 500 calories.

Is this Harvest Grain Bowl Healthy?

Filled with tons of nutritious ingredients that will fuel your body with the energy it needs, this bowl is very healthy. You can also add protein to the bowl if you’re looking to increase your protein.

Will this Harvest Bowl be good leftover?

Yes! This recipe is perfect to meal prep and have throughout the week.

Make sure to not mix in the dressing until you plan to eat the bowl. However, all the other ingredients can be prepped and mixed together ahead of time.

How should I store my ingredients if I want to make this for meal prep or ahead of time?

All of the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and stored in a single airtight container.

However, add the dressing at the time you plan to eat the bowl so avoid soggy ingredients.

fall harvest ancient grain bowl
Harvest bowl with toppings ready to be eaten.

Healthy Harvest Bowl with Grains

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 servings
This Healthy Harvest Bowl with Grains is the perfect lunch or side dish to a meal. It's easy to make and filled with tons of delicious and nutritious ingredients!
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Ingredients
 

  • 5 cups shredded kale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1/4 cup wheat berries
  • 1/4 cup barley
  • 1 cup raw green beans, chopped
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 4 tbsp honey dijon dressing

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
  • Cook the barley and wheat berries according to the instructions. I cook both of the ancient grains in the same pot
  • Peel and cube the butternut squash
  • Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil
  • Toss the butternut squash until all of the pieces are covered in olive oil
  • Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, tossing halfway through
  • Roast in the oven until slightly crisp and golden on both sides
  • While the squash is cooking, cut the fresh green beans
  • In a large bowl add your kale and olive oil. Massage the kale until it's fully covered in olive oil and has softened slightly in texture
  • Remove the butternut squash from the oven and let cool
  • Once the ancient grains are cooked, it's time to make the Harvest Bowl
  • Combine the massaged kale with the grains and remaining ingredients in one bowl
  • Toss until fully combined
  • Add dressing on when ready to eat/serve
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 13mg, Potassium: 917mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 19943IU, Vitamin C: 40mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 4mg
Author: Jessica Selensky
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keywords: easy lunch recipe, easy meal prep, grain bowl, harvest bowl, healthy lunch bowl, lunch recipe

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