Quinoa Bowl Recipe with Roasted Tomatoes, Ricotta and Balsamic

This quinoa bowl recipe is perfect for meal prep days – you’ll love lunching on this all week! The roasted tomatoes are more flavorful than you’d believe!

My kids think that this quinoa bowl recipe is topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. I hate to disappoint, but it’s not. Although, I think I’d choose ricotta and balsamic glaze over ice cream and chocolate most days. Most, not all. Especially with mushrooms and tomatoes. They go far better with ricotta and balsamic than they do with ice cream and chocolate.

Seriously though, I had to tell them about three times that it wasn’t what they thought it was. I still don’t think they believed me.

You know what else you might not believe? That the tomatoes in this quinoa bowl recipe are from a can. Crazy, right? They look like they’re straight off the vine, do they not?

I’ve been partnering with Red Gold Tomatoes for awhile now, and this isn’t the first time we chatted about the quality of their product. They’re great tomatoes to throw into the blender to make restaurant style salsa, but they also shine straight out of the can like I used them in this recipe.

They maintain such a beautiful shape when you slice them in half and when you put them in a hot oven and roast them slowly, the flavors really shine. I could eat them on their own, but they’re even better in this quinoa bowl recipe.

Why you’ll love this Quinoa Bowl Recipe:

This recipe is perfect for meal prepping. Since the tomatoes are slow-roasted, they do take a bit of time (over an hour), but that hour is hands off and luckily the roasted tomatoes are great left over. While I roast the tomatoes, I cook the quinoa and sauté the mushrooms. Store these three ingredients in the fridge.

Then when it’s time to eat, you just pile all the ingredients up in a bowl. You could even package these in containers and they’ll be ready to go for work in the morning. It’s terrific warmed up in the microwave for a few minutes, but it’s also pretty tasty cold.

I’ve had it both ways and I think my preference is a few minutes in the microwave to take the chill out.

Another way you can go with this is to sauté the spinach with the mushrooms to wilt it, rather than having it crisp in the bowl. If you’re making this ahead and microwaving, the spinach will wilt in the microwave too, so really you can’t go wrong!

Enjoy!

PS: Try this with homemade balsamic reduction! It’s very easy to make! Or add cooked chicken to the salad, if you like.

Hearty Salads

If you’re loving the idea of a hearty salad like this one, try:

• Southwestern Chopped Salad in a Mason Jar (try with freekeh or quinoa!)
• Quinoa Salad with Avocado Dressing and Pinto Beans
• Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Blackberries & Candied Pepitas
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Arugula & Sweet Potato
• Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad (best chopped salad!)
• Zucchini Noodle Mason Jar Salad with Farro and Mozzarella
• Healthy Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Grapes
• Thai Chicken Thigh Basil-Quinoa Bowls from Boulder Locavore
• Cajun Shrimp Quinoa Bowl from Lemons For Lulu

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Quinoa Bowl Recipe with Roasted Tomatoes, Ricotta and Balsamic

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins

6 servings

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This quinoa bowl recipe is perfect for meal prep days – you’ll love lunching on this all week! It's healthy, delicious, and versatile.

Ingredients

For tomatoes:

• ▢ 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil (or olive oil spray)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For mushrooms:

• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ▢ 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

For bowl:

• ▢ 3 cups cooked quinoa (½ cup per bowl)
• ▢ 1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese (¼ cup per bowl)
• ▢ 1 pkg. (5 ounces) fresh baby spinach (½ to 1 cup per bowl)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons balsamic glaze (½ tablespoon per bowl)

Instructions

For roasted tomatoes:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a sharp knife, cut each tomato in half lengthwise. Arrange cut tomatoes on prepared baking sheet. Spray tomatoes lightly with olive oil or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle or brush on white balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
• Place in preheated oven for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until soft and golden brown around the edges.

For mushrooms:

• In a large frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until golden brown.

To assemble bowls:

• Add ½ cup quinoa to bowl, followed by ½ cup to 1 cup baby spinach, ¼ cup ricotta, 4 tomato halves, and a spoonful of mushrooms. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.

Notes

• If you prefer, the spinach can be sautéed. Add it to the mushrooms near the end of the cooking time to wilt the leaves.
• Arugula or baby kale can be substituted for the baby spinach leaves.
• Instead of ricotta cheese, try fresh mozzarella or feta cheese.
• Don't have time to roast tomatoes? This bowl is great with fresh tomatoes, too.
• Make your own balsamic reduction (glaze).

Nutrition Information

Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0.1mg, Sodium: 301mg, Potassium: 414mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 102IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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