No microwave at your workplace? Not much time to meal prep on a Sunday? This no-reheat, super easy Mediterranean quinoa salad bowl is your kinda meal prep recipe. The time saving secret to this recipe is that it barely involves any cooking. Yet, it is the kind of salad bowl that will keep you satisfied for hours.
Salad Bowl Recipe Blueprint
Whenever someone tells me they don’t have time to meal prep, let alone meal prep a well-balanced meal, I suggest they try the following salad bowl blueprint:
- Prep a grain from your pantry, such as quinoa or rice (starch)
- Rinse a can of beans (protein)
- Dice some veggies, such as cucumber and baby tomatoes (veggies)
- After plating everything nicely, dress it with a few olives, hummus, fresh parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper and salt (healthy fats + flavour)
This might not sound like the most exciting meal option, but it is a quick and easy way to get you started with meal prep.
Is this meal nutritionally well-balanced?
Raw veggies for that healthy veggie kick, protein-rich beans, starchy quinoa and healthy fats in the form of olives and olive oil. It is basically the poster child for a balanced bowl. Does it get better balanced than this?
Storage recommendation
Vegan meals tend to last much better throughout the week than meals with dairy or meat, but regardless, I recommend consuming your vegan meal prep meals within four days from preparing them. This ensures that the meal is still at its most desirable quality – both nutritionally and taste-wise!
This meal is not freezer-friendly. It will need to be stored in the fridge and consumed within four days.
Serving suggestion
To make this meal more desirable, I suggest serving with a big dollop of hummus, some plant-based tzatziki or a creamy tahini dressing.
This recipe has been developed to make three moderate meals. If you prefer to eat larger meals, you can simply double the recipe. Personally, I eat a moderate meal, while my partner eats a large meal.
This is a no-reheat meal, so you can just grab it out of your fridge and enjoy!
More 20 mins meal prep recipes
Don’t forget to share your meals with me and other fellow VMPS preppers by tagging your posts with #veganmealprepsunday. I’d love to see how your meals turned out!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Bowl
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup quinoa rinsed
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock or broth hot
- 1 can beans drained and rinsed
- approximately 15 olives
- 2 mini cucumbers diced into small pieces
- 250 g baby tomatoes halved
- 1 lemon wedge
- olive oil to taste
- pepper and salt to taste
- flat leaf parsley to taste
Instructions
- Start by preparing the quinoa by rinsing it until the water runs clear, in a strainer.
- Add the hot vegetable broth to the quinoa and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to the lowest setting. Cover and allow the quinoa to cook until all the broth is fully absorbed, which should take approximately 6 – 9 minutes.
- Remove the quinoa from the heat and allow it to cool for 20 – 30 mins with the lid on.
- Once the quinoa is ready, you can assemble your Mediterraenean bowls – placing each ingredient neatly in your meal prep bowls.