Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with this healthy Mediterranean Bowl filled with falafels, olives, red peppers, quinoa and topped with an easy hummus dressing!
I love bowls for lunch and dinner. They’re so easy to put together plus they’re healthy (so long as you put healthy stuff in them). Since so many people liked my Green Power Bowl, I thought I’d do a take on another bowl I make – a Mediterranean Bowl.
A Mediterranean diet has come up in many of my nutrition classes because it has been proven to be one of the healthiest of all diets (diets as in way of eating, not “going on a diet”). Following the Mediterranean way, people eat lots of veggies, whole grains, beans/legumes and healthy fats like olive oil. While fish is normally a component of this diet as well as a little meat, it’s easy to eat a modified Med diet as a vegan by focusing on lots of healthy proteins like the beans/legumes and nuts.
Mediterranean Bowl
My Mediterranean Bowl has plenty of tasty ingredients you’d get from Mediterranean countries. I added baked falafels, quinoa, kale, olives and red peppers along with roasted butternut squash. Okay so I’m not totally sure that butternut squash is really Mediterranean but it’s tasty so I added it anyway.
The falafels are made with chickpeas, fresh parsley, and spices. I’ve been playing around with a few recipes for them. I used aquafaba (chickpea liquid from the can) instead of my normal flax egg in this version to make things simpler. It worked out well I think – I hope you do too!
To make the Mediterranean Bowl as easy as possible I also made a hummus dressing that using only 3 ingredients. The dressing comes together very quickly and adds even more protein to the bowl.
Mediterranean Bowl with Falafels
Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with this healthy Mediterranean Bowl filled with falafels, olives, red peppers, quinoa and topped with an easy hummus dressing!
Ingredients
FOR THE FALAFELS
- 1 can of chickpeas , drained and rinsed but be sure to keep the liquid from the can
- 1/4 C fresh parsley
- 1/4 C chopped onion
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of pepper
- 1.5 TB aquafaba (chickpea water)
FOR THE BOWL
- 1/2 C roasted butternut squash*
- 1 C cooked quinoa
- 1 C kale , cooked
- 1/2 red pepper , sliced or 1/2 C roasted red peppers
- handful of olives
FOR THE HUMMUS DRESSING
- 1/2 C hummus of choice
- 2 TB veggie broth or water
- 1 TB lemon juice
Instructions
-
Make falafels by preheating oven to 400 degrees.
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Pulse all falafel ingredients in food processor.*
-
Form 8 patties from mixture and bake 20-25 minutes flipping halfway.
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Make the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients and whisking/stirring until smooth.
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Arrange food into 2 bowls and top with hummus dressing.
Recipe Notes
I cut my butternut squash into bite size pieces, coat with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. You could bake them at the same time as the falafels as it's the same temperature and about the same amount of time. When pre-cooking the falafels (and when I have extra time), I'll put the balls/patties in the fridge for about an hour before baking them. This seems to have them stick together a bit more but it's not necessary.
One of my readers from Tuscany suggested adding some pine nuts and fresh basil leaves to the dish. I think that sounds delicious so you could top the dish off with those as well.
You may also enjoy...
Green Power Bowl
Thai Basil Noodles
Southwest Quinoa
Like my Mediterranean Bowl recipe? It would be so wonderful if you could give it some love by sharing!
Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist who helps clients regain their energy, confidence and health by adapting and enjoying a plant-based diet. By uniting her functional nutrition education with her passion for plants and mindfulness, Mary Ellen offers a completely holistic and science-based approach to designing a healthy, plant-based life. When she’s not reading up on the latest nutrition research, you can find Mary Ellen doting on her two rescue shih tzus, creating the perfect vegan mac & cheese, or exploring the world with her husband.
Becky says
Oh my gosh, this looks so amazing! I love bowl suppers.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Becky! Bowls are the best!
Dianne says
So many of my favorite things in one tasty bowl!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Dianne!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Your bowl looks amazing! I love Mediterranean flavors, especially olives!
Mary Ellen says
I knew I needed to add those olives (they’re my favorite part!)
Jenn says
So much goodness in there! Bowl meals are the best – so customizable! Love it!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Jenn! I love me some bowls!
Strength and Sunshine says
I always love how fresh Mediterranean meals and are taste!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
Oh myyyy!!! All my favorite things in a bowl. This looks wonderful and the hummus dressing is genius!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Julie! Bowls are the best! 🙂
Howie Fox @ HurryTheFoodUp says
Making falafels doesn’t sound complicated at all! Love the recipe, Mary! Can’t get much flavourful and healthier than this 😀
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Howie! Yes, the falafels were easier than I thought!
Kimmythevegan says
“Okay so I’m not totally sure that butternut squash is really Mediterranean but it’s tasty so I added it anyway.” Haha it can be Mediterranean!!! 😉
This bowl sounds AMAZEBALLS! I love falafel, but feel guilty when I have them eating out as they are deep fried. This healthier version sounds so good. And the kale and quinoa is not something I normally come across in a falafel plate – I like it. I’m definitely trying this for lunch next week!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Kimmy! Although I love my deep-fried falafel, it does feel better baking them. 🙂 Let me know what you think!
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
looks really delicious – I love bowl food like this and would love this have this – ironically it looks like perfect summer food but I am not turning on the oven while it is 37 C today! but maybe another day
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Johanna! It actually does look like summer food. I hate baking anything in hot weather either but when I need to, I use my little toaster oven so it doesn’t heat up the whole house. 🙂
Lee says
Mary Ellen, this bowl looks so good! I’m going to see if I can recruit Jeff to make it for me as an early Valentine’s Day gift, with Kimmy’s caramel date treats for dessert. Yum yum!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Lee! That would be the perfect combo for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner! Excited to try Kimmy’s caramel treats too!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
This looks amazing, love all the bowl recipes. Love the blend of ingredients, thanks!
Sarah says
I love bowl meals, and I could eat Mediterranean food every single day. This looks delicious—we’ll definitely give it a try!!!
Randi Tisdall says
Gorgeous photos as always Mary Ellen! I LOVE anything Mediterranean, but I always have to tweak it because we have some picky olive/chickpea eaters in the house LOL. And I totally back your decision to put butternut squash in here- it goes great in everything!!
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Randi, that’s so sweet of you. Yes, butternut squash seems to go with everything! Have a wonderful weekend!
Vicki says
This looks really great!!! I LOVE falafels.
nicoleanndawson says
Mediterranean food is just so full of flavor and I feel healthier when I eat it! I think this bowl would be a wonderful addition to mealtime, especially because it already has everything I love all in 1 place. I may just have to add some roasted beets though 🙂
manju says
That totally looks like my kind of meal. Looks very delicious!
Uma Srinivas says
Lovely bowl with fresh and healthy food:) love to have these for my lunch!
The Vegan 8 says
I love falafel so much! This bowl has everything I love. What a great recipe!
Ida says
Hi, I’m an Italian reader of your recipes and I especially love this one since I’m a fan of falafels. I would like to suggest you this: some toasted pine nuts and a couple of basil leaves would give the bowl much more flavor and… “Mediterraneanity”.
Yes we do have butternut squash in Tuscany where I live and we have many recipes based on it.
Thank you for your delicious suggestions, good food is another great Nature’s great gift (sorry for my very poor English 🙁
Ida
Mary Ellen says
So glad you found my blog Ida! The pine nuts and basil leaves would be a wonderful addition!
Your English is very good. Food definitely is a gift from nature. 🙂