The Spicy, Easy Buddha Bowl Perfect for Weeknight Dinners

It’s loaded with vegetables and filled with flavor

I love pretty much any dish I can eat with a spoon: soup, ice cream, oatmeal, chili…I enjoy the convenience of being able to eat something delicious without making a mess. I don’t have to saw through meat, stab tines through crunchy vegetables, or get sauce all over my hands. I’m able to pause and eat slowly, knowing that my food doesn’t require a ton of effort to get from one place (my plate) to another (my mouth).

When I discovered buddha bowls, I was thrilled — here was another meal I could prepare that would be full of vegetables and vitamins while also being easy to eat. So what makes a buddha bowl? A simple Google search will reveal thousands of variations. Still, a basic buddha bowl includes a grain (rice, quinoa, barley), one or more vegetables (roasted sweet potato, broccoli, fresh tomatoes), a legume (edamame, black beans, lentils), and a sauce (hummus, aioli, chimichurri). In short, a buddha bowl has everything you need, from flavor to nutrients in one bowl.

Some of the best kinds of meals are also the easiest ones to prepare. Buddha bowls run the gamut — some can be very simple (rice + beans + frozen corn + salsa, for example), and some can be annoyingly time-consuming (homemade falafel + homemade hummus + home-roasted tomatoes).

I wanted something I could pull together in less than half an hour with minimal effort that would pack a flavor and vitamin punch, so I created this Spicy Weeknight Buddha Bowl.

Recipe: Spicy Weeknight Buddha Bowl

INGREDIENTS

Serves 1

• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled
• 1/3 cup defrosted frozen edamame
• 1/3 cup pre-shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 avocado, cubed
• 2 Tbsp roasted salted peanuts
• Pinch of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp hot sauce of your choice
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the hot sauce aioli: Combine the hot sauce and mayonnaise in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Adjust ingredients if you’d like a creamier or hotter sauce.
2. I used an Instant Pot to cook my rice, which was done in less than 30 minutes. If you don’t have an instant pot, try to cook a large batch of rice earlier in the day, and you’ll be able to use it throughout the week.
3. Assembly: In a bowl, start by adding the rice. Next, add the edamame, carrots, tomatoes, and avocado. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the whole bowl, along with a pinch of paprika on the avocado. Top with the peanuts and a drizzle of the hot sauce aioli to taste.
4. Enjoy!

Buddha bowls are inherently variable, so if you don’t have (or don’t like) one of these ingredients, don’t be afraid to swap it out. No rice? Try quinoa or even couscous. Not a fan of carrots? Try roasted sweet potato or fresh cucumber. Don’t you like spice? Use hummus instead of the aioli. You can also add proteins like roasted chicken, cubed turkey, or tempeh.

My favorite thing about this dish besides the flavor (which is awesome) is just how convenient it is to pull together. I had leftovers, so the day after I made this dish originally, it took me less than 10 minutes to add the rice and all the toppings to the bowl. Buddha bowls are also great clean-out-the-fridge dishes — just combine any extra grains, vegetables, and proteins you have and top with a sauce of your choice (hummus, aioli, salsa, hot sauce, chimichurri, etc.), and you’ve got yourself a delicious, nutritious meal!

Do you have more ideas for variations? I’d love to hear them!