These harvest grain bowls feature hearty grains, sweet apples, roasted sweet potatoes, and a tangy maple mustard vinaigrette.
Your lunch game in November should be looking like these grain bowls, y’all. I don’t make the rules.
I don’t know about you, but November is always a CRAZY busy month for me, so I need all the hearty lunches like these grain bowls to keep me going.
This one just takes the grand prize. We’re loading up all the fall goodness and then some in these harvest bowls!
Loaded bowls are the only way we roll around here, so naturally this one is getting piled to complete capacity.
Just one of those lunches you’ll be counting down the minutes til your lunch hour for.
These Harvest Grain Bowls feature…
- Hearty hot grains
- Crunchy fall apples
- Spiced roasted sweet potatoes
- Tender kale leaves
- Tangy feta, sweet dried cranberries, and toasted nuts
- A sweet + tangy maple mustard vinaigrette
Making the Harvest Grain Bowls
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cooked grains
- Sweet potatoes
- Spices
- Olive oil
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped nuts
- Fresh kale
- Apples
- Feta
- Maple syrup
- Whole grain mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
Choosing Your Grains
The fun thing about grain bowls is that the sky’s the limit for what kind of grain you want to use! Check out our favorites…
- Farro
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Barley
Tips for Perfect Grain Bowls
- Pick your favorite grain – see our list above for our suggestions! Follow package instructions for cooking grains
- Roast sweet potatoes – toss cubed sweet potatoes with a homemade Moroccan spice mix + olive oil and let them roast until tender and slightly crispy.
- Choose a green – kale, spinach, or a spring greens mix would all work great.
- Pick a cheese – we love a soft, tangy cheese such as goat cheese or feta, but feel free to choose your favorite.
- Toast nuts – bring out the rich flavors from the nuts by giving them a quick saute on the stove.
- Make vinaigrette – a quick maple mustard vinaigrette is the flavor game changer here. Sweet, tangy perfection!
- Serve bowls warm or cold – these bowls are incredible served warm or cold, whatever is most convenient for you.
Make Ahead Instructions
Most of the components of these bowls can be prepped days in advance! –>
- Cook the grains and store in fridge up to 6 days.
- Roast the sweet potatoes and store in fridge up to 6 days.
- Make the vinaigrette and store in fridge up to 6 days.
- Assemble the bowls (store nuts and vinaigrette separately) and store in fridge up to 4 days. Once ready to serve, top bowls with toasted nuts and drizzle with vinaigrette.
Recipe Variations
- Skip the grains – up the amount of greens and turn these grain bowls into more of a salad.
- Switch up the dressing – any premade vinaigrette would work great here! Try using a vinaigrette such as balsamic, red wine, etc.
- Use your favorite cheese – shredded sharp cheddar, swiss, or smoked gouda would be great cheeses to use.
- Swap out the nuts – toasted almonds, walnuts, etc. You can also skip the nuts entirely if you’re not a fan!
Y’all it’s just so good. The grains are warm and hearty, the roasted sweet potatoes are so soft and tender, the crunchy apples provide just the right sweetness + crunch, and the tangy maple vinaigrette just ties everything together.
You wouldn’t think this is good-for-ya food, but it sneakily is! All the more reason to dive face-first in.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven
Looking for more hearty lunches? Check these recipes out!
- Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Chili
- Thai Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Grilled Chicken
- Cranberry Apple Delicata Squash Quinoa Salad
Harvest Grain Bowls with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples
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Ingredients
Harvest Grain Bowls
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb) peeled and diced into 1/2-in cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups hot cooked grains (quinoa, farro, rice, barley, or other grain)
- 1 cup firmly-packed chopped kale
- 2 medium apples, cored and diced into 1/2-in cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, and olive oil until sweet potatoes are evenly coated. Season sweet potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
- Lay sweet potatoes in a single layer on a large greased baking sheet. Bake sweet potatoes at 400F 20-25 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Keep warm until ready to serve (or cool if serving bowls cold)
- To assemble harvest grain bowls, divide hot grains between 5 large serving bowls. Arrange sweet potatoes, kale, apples, pecans, cranberries, feta, and rosemary around grains.
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk maple syrup, mustard, and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, while whisking continuously until vinaigrette is smooth. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle harvest bowls with vinaigrette and serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
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