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This was delicious – a great healthy weeknight meal. The red pepper sauce is totally worth the effort. Will add it into the rotation.
Melissa
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Watch How To Make This Bowl
Watch Lindsay make this recipe on Stories!
This Healthy Bowl Is My Favorite Lunch.
Kalamata olives and feta and roasted red pepper sauce: OH MY. That’s these mediterranean quinoa bowls.
This is the recipe that I’ve been eating for the last week and a half to keep myself eating something of nutritional value that actually tastes good to my mouth during this crazy End-of-December season. AND it’s the recipe that I am going to leave you with as we transition right into a lil’ break for Christmas!
For those of us who love Mediterranean flavors, the recipe/concept is salty and slightly acidic and bright and fresh, just like any good Greek-type salad bowl situation should be. FEEL THE LOVE, guys. You just sit right on back and feel the love.
This filling rainbow bowl is a mish-mash of quinoa, cucumbers or kale or spinach (fresh or sautéed – we’ve done all combinations and types of greens at our house), feta cheese, kalamata olives, pepperoncini eaten straight out of the jar because they are so salty and delicious I mean say what? 👅 Also red onion, hummus if you like, and basil or any other herbs, really.
Plus we’re adding a dollop of homemade roasted red pepper sauce which is basically EVERYTHING in my life right now. You also couldn’t go wrong with some of this whipped feta too.
Bowl on, friends! YUM.
The Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
The star of this show is the red pepper sauce.
The ingredients are simple, the flavor is everything, and it brings everything in this healthy bowl together.
Here’s what goes in the blender:
- A jar of roasted red peppers
- Fresh garlic
- Salt
- Lemon
- Olive oil
- Almonds
This sauce is so good, to the point where you could and maybe should just skip the bowl of quinoa-packed nutrition the first time around and just visit that roasted red pepper sauce with some thin and crispy flatbread crackers. Ohmygosh. Do it right now. These foods just know how to speak to us on a deep, personal level.
How To Build Your Bowls
I love that you can use anything to make this bowl. If you’re looking for some direction, here are the main components!
- Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (duh!)
- Grains (like quinoa or couscous)
- Veggies (like kale, cucumber, or spinach)
- Cheese (feta!)
- Something briny (olives and/or pepperoncini)
- Another sauce like hummus or whipped feta
- Fresh herbs (parsley, dill, basil, anything!)
Personally, I add all of the things above. You can make it as simple or complex as you’d like it!
Print
Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce! A mix of quinoa, cucumbers or kale or spinach, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and pepperoncini!
Ingredients
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
- 1 16 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained (or roast your own red peppers and win the food game!)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup almonds
For the Mediterranean Bowls (build your own bowls based on what you like)
- cooked quinoa or couscous
- spinach, kale, or cucumber
- feta cheese
- kalamata olives
- pepperoncini
- thinly sliced red onion
- hummus
- fresh basil or parsley
- olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper
Instructions
- Make The Sauce: Pulse all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor or blender until mostly smooth. The texture should be thick and textured (see picture).
- Cook Quinoa: Cook the quinoa according to package directions (I always do mine in a rice cooker while I get everything else ready).
- Build Your Bowl: Choose from any of the toppings in the ingredient list and make yourself a bowl!
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in separate containers and assemble each bowl just before serving, especially the greens and the sauces, as those will get soggy when stored with all the other ingredients.
Notes
For a vegan version, replace the feta cheese with white beans.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: mediterranean quinoa bowls, roasted red pepper sauce, quinoa bowls
Three More Healthy Bowls
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our delicious quinoa recipes page. Check it out!
I scrolled through so many screens of comments to see if anyone tried tzatziki in place of the hummus? I know it might be an odd sub but I bought some at Trader Joe’s I’d like to use up. Has anyone tried it? I have made this recipe so many times and love it but it has been a little while so I just am not sure if tzatziki will work with the red pepper sauce. Thank you
Se ven deliciosos
I just made your Mediterranean bowl with quinoa and the red pepper sauce. Really good and healthy too! Can’t wait to try your other bowls!😋
I’ve been making this meal every summer for years and still love it.
The roasted red pepper sauce is so easy to make and incredibly delicious! It’s a wonderful addition to a salad full of veggies or Mediterranean bowl.
I have made this multiple times since i found it , we love it. Last night, i replaced the quinoa with pasta. Oh it was delicious. I love the red pepper sauce.
Everyone really enjoyed this. The red pepper sauce was the star of the dish! Thanks so much for the recipe.
What kind of almonds to use? Raw blanched with skin removed and then toasted or can we use roasted sliced almonds? Or just raw almonds?
Hello! We use raw unsalted almonds. But if you have roasted, you could also use.
My son has an almond allergy.
Any ideas about what to replace the almonds with??
Walnuts or pistachios would work as well!
The sauce is everything here and it definitely stands alone as a dipping sauce as well! LOVE, love the veg heavy recipes. Makes healthy eating a delight 🙂
Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce-the picture shows avocado but it is not on the recipe. ??
Sauce was delicious! Thanks!
Love all your recipes! What kind of blender do you use to make your dressings?? Do you have a recommendation?
Vitamix blender or the Cuisinart Food Processor! Here’s everything Lindsay uses in the kitchen.
This recipe is delish! I made it exactly as written. I highly recommend you use the feta that comes in the brine. It is so much better than the pre-crumbled version. I especially love the crunch that comes from the almonds and cucumbers. Another POY winner!!!
I have made this multiple times and love it. The first time I did the red pepper sauce came out perfect. The last two time it’s been runny. Made it the same way so not sure what went wrong.
Didn’t have almonds, do made the finest with pistachios and it’s so yummy! Also subbed quinoa for bulgur wheat and omg this is the perfect lunch!
Glad to hear it!
This review is overdue, I’ve been making this recipe for almost a year. It’s my favorite dinner bowl. Healthy, nutritious, and delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Omg so good! The sauce is a must – it makes a ton so maybe half it. Add a mini pita and avocado slices and I’m set!
I’m sorry if this question has already been asked and answered. My husband is allergic to almonds. What would be a good alternative nut for the red pepper sauce? Would cashews, pistachios, or peanuts be ok (those are the three main ones that he is ok with)?
Thank you!
We’d guess pistachios or cashews would work well!
This bowl is so good. The red pepper sauce is delicious! This recipe is a keeper, for sure.
This is so yummy
This looks so yummy
I need to eliminate salt from my diet…I have high noodles pressure. Any suggestions?
Hi, Judy! A few ideas to lower the salt in this recipe: roast your own red peppers, buy unsalted almonds, and/or eliminate (or use a smaller amount) of the feta cheese and olives. Hope this helps!
If I roast the peppers myself how many are we looking at?
Great question! I think 2 would be good!
Delicious! The red pepper sauce makes it!!