Ground Turkey Veggie Grain Bowl
You’ll find that, while I love veggies, I’m not much of a salad person. I find them difficult to prepare ahead of time (hello, soggy pre-dressed greens), and often unsatisfying - so I end up going for snacks afterwards. Grain bowls, however, are my hearty, healthy, comforting answer for sad desk salads.
Why? They are still packed with veggies, but often more variety and textures. Some are steamed, some are roasted, some may be raw. Plus, using high quality grains can up the fiber content, meaning you feel fuller, longer. My fiance, B. as we’ll refer to him, doesn’t like beans or most vegetarian proteins, so I often go for lean and affordable meat options in our lunches.
Ingredients
1 lb carrots
1 large zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 lb ground turkey
1 shallot
1.5 T olive oil
1 cup quinoa
1/2 t cayenne
1 t cajun seasoning
1 t paprika, garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Prep all veggies: chop carrots into bite size pieces, zucchini into half moons (zucchini should be thicker than carrots), and bell peppers into large pieces. Dice the shallot, set aside.
Toss carrots, zucchini, and bell peppers with 1 T olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until carrots are tender and veggies are slightly charred.
In the meantime, bring 2 cups of salted water to boil in a small sauce pot. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium/low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
Heat remaining 1/2 T olive oil in a skillet. Add turkey, season with salt, pepper, cayenne and Cajun seasoning.
Break up turkey and brown until cooked through. Add shallot and saute until softened.
When all pieces (veggies, quinoa, meat) are done, combine in large bowl and portion into 6 servings.
Since each component was seasoned individually, you shouldn’t need to add any dressing or seasonings - but taste and see if it meets your personal preference.
I like to add a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt to each bowl for a creamy, high protein, kick.
