With just a bit of meal prep in advance, this crispy brown rice bowl comes together seamlessly on any weeknight.
If you’ve downloaded my meal prep guide, you know brown rice is a staple in my weekly diet. I like to cook a big batch of it on Sunday and eat it throughout the week in various iterations – like grain bowls or fried brown rice.
(If you haven’t downloaded the e-book yet, I really hope you will! “The Ultimate Plant-Based Meal Prep Guide” will teach you how to prep four basic elements – grains, beans, vegetables and sauces – and then combine them into various meals, like bowls, salads, and sandwiches.)
This vegetarian crispy brown rice bowl with beets is a great example of how to take your meal-prepped basics and turn them into something special – Basics 2.0, if you will. You can also think of this bowl as Mediterranean-ish bibimbap.
Here, plain, pre-cooked rice is quickly fried in a skillet and transformed into crispy, chewy bits. Instead of being just a bland side dish, crispy brown rice forms a uniquely-textured base for this bowl.
Next, plain boiled beets are lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley. Not only does this enhance their flavor, but it also makes the beets glisten, and the little flecks of green parsley contrast nicely with the deep magenta.
Then you’ve got the world’s easiest tahini dressing (the same one you may have used in this roasted eggplant dish). This creamy sauce doesn’t require a blender or any special ingredients. It’s just tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and water – whisked together until smooth. Much like brown rice, I like to keep this sauce on-hand throughout the week for different salads and grain bowls.
Finally, the all-important but oft-overlooked crunchy element. (Having a variety of textures on your plate is super important for satisfying your palate!) These toasted pepitas (a.k.a. pumpkin seeds) were also featured in the meal prep guide. Here, raw pepitas are quickly toasted in a skillet and then spiced with one of my go-to flavor combos: smoked paprika and garlic powder. Again, I like to keep these on-hand for adding texture to salads, soups, and avocado toast.
More ways with grains…
- Summer Rice Salad with Pesto and Tomatoes
- Warm Farro Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Parsley Pesto
- Vegan Sushi Rolls with Crispy Tofu
Crispy Brown Rice Bowl with Beets, Spiced Pepitas and Tahini Sauce
(11 votes, average: 3.91 out of 5)
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- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Description
With just a bit of meal prep in advance, this crispy brown rice bowl comes together seamlessly on any weeknight.
Ingredients
For the Bowl
- 1 ¼ pounds beets (about 6 small beets), scrubbed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 cups cooked long grain brown rice, cold from the fridge
For the Spiced Pepitas
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas (a.k.a. pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of fine sea salt
For the Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup well-stirred tahini
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- About ¼ cup filtered water
Instructions
- Place the beets in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid ajar until the beets are tender, about 25 minutes (large beets may take up to 45). Drain the beets and run the pot under cold water. Let the beets stand in cold water until they’re cool enough to handle. (You may cook the beets up to several days in advance.)
- Meanwhile, prep the seeds. Place the seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast, tossing occasionally, until the seeds are fragrant, lightly browned, and making a slight crackling sound, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, add the oil, and toss to coat. Then season with the paprika, garlic, and salt, and toss to coat. (These seeds will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks).
- Make the dressing. In a bowl, combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and has a pourable consistency (at first it may seem lumpy, but keep whisking and it’ll come together); add more water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Set aside. (This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days).
- Peel the beets – at this point the beet skins should be easy to slip off with your hands (wear gloves if you don’t want your fingers to turn pink). Slice the beets into bite-size chunks and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, lemon juice, and salt.
- Lastly, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the rice and spread into an even layer. Cook until it’s crispy all over, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once or twice while cooking.
- To serve, divide the rice among 4 bowls, top with the beets, sauce, parsley, and seeds.
Nutrition
- Calories: 505
- Fiber: 8.6 g
- Protein: 12.9 g
Keywords: brown rice, beets, tahini, pumpkin seeds, vegan
