Harvest Kale Quinoa Bowl (Printable)

Autumn bowl combining roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, kale, pecans, cranberries, blue cheese, and lemon tahini dressing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables & Grains

01 - 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
02 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
03 - 4 cups kale, stems removed, chopped

→ Nuts & Fruit

04 - 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
05 - 1/3 cup dried cranberries

→ Cheese

06 - 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

→ Lemon Tahini Dressing

07 - 1/4 cup tahini
08 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
11 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
12 - 2 to 3 tablespoons water, for thinning
13 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ Pantry

14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, for roasting
15 - Salt and pepper, to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Toss diced sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and tender.
03 - In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
04 - Place chopped kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage gently for 1 to 2 minutes until leaves are soft and darkened.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Add more water as needed for desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
06 - Divide cooked quinoa among 4 bowls. Top each with massaged kale, roasted sweet potatoes, pecans, cranberries, and blue cheese. Drizzle generously with lemon tahini dressing.
07 - Serve immediately, or refrigerate components separately and assemble just before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It actually tastes good cold the next day, so meal prep becomes something you actually want to eat instead of tolerate.
  • Every component has a job: the warm quinoa soaks up the dressing, the kale gets tender without losing its personality, and those pecans stay somehow crunchy even after sitting in the fridge.
  • You can make it entirely while the oven does the heavy lifting, which means less chaos and more time to actually enjoy cooking.
02 -
  • The kale massage actually matters: I learned this the hard way by skipping it once, and the raw kale was so aggressively bitter it overshadowed everything else; those two minutes of gentle massage makes it tender and sweeter, completely transforming the bowl.
  • Dressing consistency is everything: tahini thickens as it sits, so if you make the dressing ahead, add a little extra water right before serving to get it back to pouring texture.
03 -
  • Roast the sweet potatoes with the cut side down on the baking sheet: they caramelize better that way and get this crispy, almost nutty quality that makes the difference between good and actually memorable.
  • Make the dressing while the oven is still on: it's warm enough to slightly loosen the tahini, which helps everything emulsify more smoothly than if you make it when everything is cold.
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