Warm Protein Bowl Recipe
Looking for a warm and healthy meal idea? This Warm Protein Bowl Recipe is healthy and easy, made with quinoa, ground turkey and roasted chickpeas for powerful and delicious protein punch.
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Why You’ll Love this Warm Turkey Protein Bowl Recipe
Once the temperature drops, so do my cravings for salads. It’s too chilly for cold leafy greens, right? My body wants warm, flavorful feasts, and that’s why the warm power bowl recipe is my go to during these colder months. It helps me keep it healthy and low-carb in the most delicious way.
Everything You Need to Make this Low Carb Healthy Protein Bowl
- ground turkey
- chickpeas
- quinoa
- riced cauliflower
- mixed greens
- spinach
- mushrooms
- onion
- olive oil
- cumin
- garlic powder
- coriander
- paprika
- salt and pepper
- feta cheese
- drizzle of jalapeño sauce, scoop of hummus or any other dressing you like
How to Make a Warm Power Bowl
To make a warm protein bowl you need a mix of protein, grains and greens. These three ingredients really create a perfectly healthy and balanced meal rich with nutrients and fiber. As long as you have this delicious trilogy of protein, grains and greens you can make a tasty protein bowl recipe.
It’s the perfect easy hot lunch idea to eat instead of your usual salad, or it would also make for a yummy dinner recipe. This warm protein bowl recipe can be enjoyed anytime, and can be layered with any ingredients you want.
Start with the Protein
To make this warm protein bowl I used ground turkey, but chicken would be a great substitute. I have an easy grilled chicken marinade recipe that I often make in batch to use for lunch or dinner. I like to make enough protein for the week, so I can recreate these warm protein bowls a few times with slight variations. You can make this recipe for dinner and then enjoy a protein bowl for lunch the next day.
You could even keep it vegetarian by adding tofu or doubling up on chickpeas, which are super high in protein and fiber.
What Grain Can I use to Make a Protein Bowl?
When it comes to a warm protein bowl recipe, anything goes. I recommend you add a grain that you like. For this recipe, I used a mix of quinoa and riced cauliflower. Because I made these quinoa protein bowls for lunch, I didn’t want to feel too heavy afterwards, so just a small addition of quinoa and cauliflower was a perfect mix. Brown rice would also be a great addition.
Add Greens to Your Warm Protein Bowl
For this recipe, I actually started with a salad mix. I use the Mediterranean mix from Costco, but typically avoid adding the additional items that come in the salad bag and make my own dressing.
To keep the warm of this protein bowl, I also sautéed some spinach and mushrooms. Kale would also be a great substitute.
How to Roast Chickpeas
The true star of this dish are the roasted chickpeas or garbanzo beans.They’re high in fiber and protein and are super delicious, roasted with a few of my favorite spices. 10 minutes in a broiler and they are my favorite snack.
Sometimes I make a bowl of just the roasted chick peas, not just for the warm power bowl recipe but to eat by themselves, just as a snack.
Another great addition to the warm power bowl recipe was this Jalapeño sauce from Trader Joes. It’s super spicy, so a little goes a long way. I also really like adding a big scoop of hummus or garlic paste to this dish, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Warm Protein Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground turkey
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup riced cauliflower
- 1 cup mixed greens
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
- drizzle of jalapeño sauce, scoop of hummus or any other dressing you like
Instructions
- Sauté 1/2 of your diced onion on a skillet until translucent, then add your ground turkey and half of the spices and salt and pepper. You'll use the other half of the spices to roast chickpeas.
- Make quinoa or any other grain you are using according to instructions.
- Open and drain your canned chickpeas. Rinse and dry them. Place in a bowl, add remaining spices, salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Then place in the oven at 425 for 10 minutes, shake mid way through, so the chickpeas roast evenly.
- In another pan, sauté the remaining half of the onion, once translucent add mushrooms. Once mushrooms have cooked for about 5 minutes add spinach. Remove from stovetop once spinach has wilted.
- Divide your mixed greens between two bowls. Add the cooked quinoa and riced cauliflower, add turkey, spinach, mushrooms and chickpeas. Add a heaping spoon of hummus and a drizzle of the jalapeño sauce and sprinkle with feta. Enjoy while warm!