Butternut Squash Vegan Buddha Bowl

Butternut Squash Vegan Buddha Bowl combines arugula, quinoa, black beans, apple, pumpkin seeds, and tahini lime dressing. It’s naturally gluten-free with an oil-free option. And the components can be prepared in advance so you’ll have a delicious complete meal in minutes!

One of my favorite fall vegetables is butternut squash.

It’s delicious simply roasted with a little olive oil or vegetable broth, salt, and pepper, like in Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash.

I also enjoy it with Cilantro Lime Rice & Black Beans.

But what exactly is a Vegan Buddha Bowl?

I did a little research on Bon Appetit and Epicurious, and it appears this ubiquitous dish has very little, if anything, to do with Buddha.

He did eat his meals from bowls, but there is no record of him eating a combination of grains, plant-based proteins, and vegetables.

And that’s what the Vegan Buddha Bowl is all about!

In this recipe, the grain is quinoa, the protein is black beans, and the vegetable is roasted butternut squash.

And for added nutrition and deliciousness, we also have apples, pumpkin seeds, arugula, and a tangy dressing made from tahini and lime juice.

The inspiration for this Vegan Buddha Bowl came from a recipe for Butternut Soup with Apple.

 

I started reading The Art of Flavor and came across the soup recipe.

But instead of a smooth and velvety soup, I started craving something with different textures but similar flavors.

You can use whatever type of apple you prefer, but my choice for this recipe is a sweet and crisp variety such as Honeycrisp.

And if you don’t care for the peppery taste of arugula, baby spinach is a fantastic alternative.

If you prep all the components in advance, you can make a Vegan Buddha Bowl in minutes!

 

In addition, you can enjoy the quinoa, black beans, and squash hot or cold.

I like to make a batch of quinoa over the weekend in my Instant Pot so I can use it in bowls or salads like Fall Kale & Quinoa Salad or Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad.

And I also like to roast a batch of vegetables in the oven to use during the week.

You can get some more time-saving cooking tips in this article.

Plus the dressing is easy to make in advance.

I prefer to use an immersion blender for ease of clean up, but you can use a regular blender or food processor if you don’t have one.

Then when you’re ready to eat, all you need to do is assemble your Vegan Buddha Bowl as shown in the quick video!

I hope you enjoy this Butternut Squash Buddha Bowl as much as I do!