Quinoa bowls are simple to assemble and can be made in endless variations. Pick a protein, vegetable, and sauce or other toppings and add it to a bowl of quinoa and you have a delicious and filling meal. If you’re looking for a vegan burrito bowl, try this quinoa and tempeh burrito bowl with fajita vegetables and corn salsa!
How to Make Quinoa and Tempeh Burrito Bowls
Make the Quinoa
Cook 1 cup of dried quinoa in a rice cooker, instant pot, or on the stovetop. If you don’t have quinoa, you can also use rice. These bowls are also an excellent way to use up leftover quinoa if you made a batch of it.
Cook the Vegetables
Thinly slice half of a red onion and couple bell peppers. Use some of the remaining onion to finely dice ¼ cup of onion to use in the corn salsa. If you still have extra onion, chop it up and store it in the fridge in an airtight container so you can quickly add it to other meals during the week. Once the veggies are chopped cook them until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers are softened.
Make the Tempeh
The protein for this bowl is the tempeh mixture. Tempeh works really well as a replacement for ground beef because you can crumble it up and sautee it with seasoning. For this burrito bowl, the tempeh is seasoned with minced garlic (can also use 1 tsp garlic powder), chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano. Tomato paste and water are also added to create a tomato sauce that the tempeh can simmer in.
Make the Corn Salsa
This salsa is so easy to make and adds a lot of flavor and some additional texture to the bowl. Simply toss together thawed frozen corn, finely chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, and freshly squeezed lime juice. If it’s summer and fresh corn is available, that would be even better, however, thawed frozen corn works great too. Use the extra lime wedges to squeeze over the finished burrito bowls.
Assemble the Quinoa and Tempeh Burrito Bowls
After the components are made, it’s time to assemble the bowls. Start by adding about ½ cup of quinoa to a bowl and then top that with one-quarter of the tempeh mixture, vegetables, and corn salsa.
Optional toppings can include pico de gallo, avocado chunks or guacamole, salsa, chopped cilantro, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
How to Store Leftovers
If you make these bowls as part of your meal prep, assemble the quinoa, tempeh, vegetables, and corn salsa in individual storage containers with tight-fitting lids and store them in the fridge for up to four days.
More Vegan Recipes to Try
Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing
Quinoa Tempeh Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
Vegetables
- 2 tsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 bell peppers (I used one red and one green)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Tempeh Filling
- 8 oz. tempeh block, crumbled
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt, more to taste
Corn Salsa
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
Instructions
Cook the Vegetables
- In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and red onion slices and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Season with salt.
Cook the Tempeh Mixture
- In the same skillet, heat 1 tsp oil. Add the crumbled tempeh and garlic and saute 1 minute to cook the garlic. Add the water, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes until the liquid reduces.
Make the Corn Salsa
- While the tempeh is cooking, make the corn salsa. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the thawed corn, finely chopped red onion, cilantro, and juice from ½ a lime. (You can use the other half of the lime to squeeze over the finished bowls.)
Assemble the Bowls
- Add ½ cup of quinoa to each bowl. Add ¼ of the vegetables, tempeh mixture, and corn salsa to each bowl on top of the quinoa.
- Optional toppings: pico de gallo, avocado chunks or guacamole, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice
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