Grilled Vegetable and Chickpea Grain Bowl
Part grain bowl, part salad, totally delicious! Grilled Vegetable and Chickpea Grain Bowl is one of my go-to dishes during BBQ season.
It’s super healthy, with lots of delectable grilled vegetables, combined with chickpeas and nutty, chewy farro, all on top of a bed of crisp baby spinach. Smooth, creamy tahini dressing provides the perfect finishing touch to the dish.
Perfect for lunch or a light dinner on its own, it also makes a great side dish with grilled fish or meat.
Eat right away or refrigerate for later. This is a great make ahead salad as it keeps really well in the refrigerator, just add the dressing when you are ready to serve! The salad will keep refrigerated, undressed, 3-4 days. refrigerated.
To make the salad, simply…
- Cook the farro. It takes about 20 minutes on the stovetop.
- Grill the vegetables. If you don’t have a grill you can roast the vegetables instead. Simply toss the vegetables in olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 425 degrees F, stirring occasionally, for 30 -45 minutes.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas.
- Make the dressing. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.
- Combine everything together. Toss the farro, veggies and chickpeas to combine.
- Serve warm or refrigerate for later. Serve on top of some baby spinach, or your favorite leafy green, with a little dressing spooned overtop.
Customize Your Salad
The great thing about grain bowl type salads is how adaptable they are. Gluten allergy? No problem, swap out the farro for a gluten free grain option. You can change up any of the ingredients to accommodate dietary restrictions or allergies.
Here are just a few ideas for customizing your salad. I like to use a ratio of roughly 4-5 cups veggies to 2 cups each of grain and bean/legumes.
And for a little extra…
Ingredients
For the Grain Bowl
- 1 red bell pepper seed and quartered
- 1 small zucchini sliced lengthwise
- 1 small eggplant sliced lengthwise
- 10-15 asparagus spears woody stems removed
- 1 cup farro
- 18 ounces chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 3-4 cups baby spinach rinsed and dried
For the Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup mayonnaise or plain yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove finely minced or grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- water as needed
Instructions
- Place the farro and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the farro is al dente, about 20 minutes. Drain off any extra water. Set aside.
- While the farro is cooking prepare the dressing.Place the tahini, mayonnaise or yoghurt in a bowl along with the lemon juice, and honey, and minced garlic and whisk to combine. Add water to thin the mixture to your desired salad dressing consistency. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly under cold water, drain well and set aside
- Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high, direct heat.Trim and cut the vegetables while the grill heats. Drizzle the vegetables on both sides with the olive oil and season with salt.Grill the vegetables in a single layer, starting with the peppers as they will take the longest (about 8-10 minutes), followed by the eggplant and zucchini (about 7-8 minutes) and finally the asparagus (about 4-6 minutes).Note: You can also use roasted vegetables for this dish. Simply toss in olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 425 degrees F, stirring occasionally, for 30 -45 minutes.
- Cut the vegetables into roughly one inch pieces and place in a large bowl or container. Add the farro and chickpeas and stir to combine.
- Serve warm, spooned over the baby spinach with some tahini dressing spooned over top, with extra dressing on the side for people to help themselves. Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.