Occasions

Lunch

A grain bowl, when put together properly, is certainly a thing of beauty. It can easily swing between the hours of the day—put an egg on it and call it breakfast, serve it with a glass of wine and a few slices of steak and you’ve got dinner—but, however versatile, in my opinion, it shines most at lunchtime. Why? It’s quick enough to pull off during a short lunch break (even quicker if you <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/meal-prep-for-beginners-how-to-easily-cook-for-the-whole-week">plan and prep ahead</a>), it’s satisfying enough to keep away any mid-afternoon snack-attacks, and it is the perfect place to be creative with leftovers or random fridge veg.

Without further ado, here’s a one-size-fits-all guide (plus 5 delicious ideas to get you started) to make your perfect lunchy (or brunchy) grain bowl, in just 5 steps.

1. Grains — Every grain bowl needs a base

A grain bowl would be nothing without the grain, so it’s important to lay a strong foundation to build your bowl on. You can use just about any cooked grain, but it’s best to use simply prepared grains here, avoiding flavoring wildly with spices or sauces (unless this is all part of your plan). Use quinoa, farro, brown or white rice, millet, amaranth, teff, bulgur, wild rice, freekeh, wild rice, or even a mix of your favorite grains.

Even though it’s the grain that takes center stage in the “grain bowl”, your vegetables (<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sweet-potato-grain-bowl-with-caramelized-plums">or even fruits!</a>) are in fact the key players and should make up the majority of the bowl. You can use just about any vegetable or mix thereof, but some foolproof options are: carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli or broccoli rabe, cauliflower, kale, fennel, squash, pumpkin, leeks, onion or shallot, and Brussels sprouts. You can use a mix of raw, roasted, steamed, or sautéed veg; it’s the perfect place for any leftover vegetables you might have lying around from dinner the night before. Mixing in additional <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-ultimate-guide-to-using-salad-leaves">lettuces</a>, fruits (think apple, cucumber, tomatoes, or avocado), or canned or frozen veg (think peas or corn) can also add more texture, flavor, and vibrance to your bowl.

3. Proteins — Make your bowl satisfying!

Proteins are what fill you up and make a meal last, so a good grain bowl shouldn’t lack in this department. You can use grilled, roasted, steamed, or sautéed chicken or shrimp, some pan-fried slices of sausage, a few strips of bacon, smoked or roasted salmon, or bite-size cubes of steak if you’re a meat eater. If not, lean on legumes, like <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/roasted-chickpeas-3-ways">roasted chickpeas</a> (or a big spoonful of <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-best-ever-only-recipe-you-ll-ever-need-hummus">hummus</a>), canned beans, or cooked lentils. You can also add <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/every-which-way-to-cook-eggs">an egg</a> (fried, jammy, or even poached), use a plant-based meat substitute, or your favorite preparation of <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/tofu-for-beginners">firm tofu</a> (how about <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/your-first-tofu-recipe-is-here">crispy</a> or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/miso-roasted-tofu-with-sweet-potato">miso roasted</a>?) Cheese can also be a source of added protein, but we’ll cover them in the garnish section below.

4. Dressings and Sauces — Brings everything together

The dressing or sauce is really the key flavor component of any grain bowl, so it’s important to consider how it will pair with your fillings. You can go light (think <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/1-vinaigrette-8-ways">a vinaigrette</a>) or creamy (like these <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/buttermilk-ranch-dressing">buttermilk ranch</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/green-goddess-dressing">green goddess</a>, or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-tahini-dressing">tahini</a> dressings) or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/as-green-as-it-gets-11-green-sauces-to-add-freshness-to-your-plate">herby</a> or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/orange-mojo-marinated-shrimp-rice-bowl">citrus-y</a>. For more about dressings and how to choose the right one for your salad or grain bowl, see <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/how-to-make-better-salad-dressings">our detailed guide here</a>!

Last but not least, you have the opportunity to top your bowl with some garnishes. These are not make or break, so you can skip them, but I encourage you not to! A garnish can be as simple as a sprinkling of chopped herbs (think <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/17-of-our-favorite-herbs-and-how-to-use-them">soft green herbs</a> like chives, cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, or dill) or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/how-to-toast-nuts">toasted nuts</a>, or as complicated as <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/loaded-smashed-potatoes">pickled onions</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-shortcut-kimchi">homemade kimchi</a>, a <a href="https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/seedy-power-sprinkle" rel="nofollow">seedy sprinkle</a>, or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/simple-homemade-granola">homemade granola</a>; something crunchy is always good to round out the texture of the bowl. Cheese is another great garnish option to add saltiness or added creaminess, I especially love feta, gratings of Parmesan, or even pan-fried halloumi (which maybe acts more as a protein than a garnish).

To make a super satisfying grain bowl for one, here’s a printable guide for portioning everything out properly! This is just a general rule of thumb, of course you can adapt depending on what you’ve got in your bowl and how hungry you are.

Now that you know the key building blocks of a grain bowl, here are 5 “no recipe” recipe ideas to get you started:

Here are some additional bowl recipes to save, try, and tweak to your taste!

— <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sweet-potato-grain-bowl-with-caramelized-plums">Sweet potato grain bowl with caramelized plums</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/orange-mojo-marinated-shrimp-rice-bowl">Orange mojo-marinated shrimp rice bowl</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/italian-power-bowl">Italian power bowl</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/5-ingredient-pearl-barley-and-roasted-carrot-salad">5-ingredient pearl barley and roasted carrot salad</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/charred-broccoli-couscous-with-lemony-yogurt">5-ingredient charred broccoli couscous with lemony yogurt</a>

5 steps to the perfect grain bowl, plus lots of recipe ideas

Make Veg-Packed Grain Bowls Your Go-To Lunch

Food has a special ability to bring people together and it can, like few other things, comfort and calm us in times of uncertainty—so it’s only natural that we turn to it now. As we adjust and move forward day by day, we wanted to put the call out to you, our global community, to share the recipes that have kept you going (even with a dwindling pantry). <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/new-on-kitchen-stories-upload-your-own-recipes">Upload them</a> or share what you&#x27;re cooking with us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kitchenstories_official/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a> using the hashtag #stayhomekeepcooking in your chef&#x27;s note or post. Community is more important than ever, and we hope that we&#x27;ll keep you inspired to cook and share with us.

Gone—for now—are the days when I could peek my head into the test kitchen at Kitchen Stories to see what <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/users/johanna">Hanna</a> and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/users/christian">Christian</a> might be cooking up. As we practice social distancing, many of us are now faced with making three square meals at home—and that one weekday meal that’s usually covered by leftovers, thrown-together salads, or a bite outside—is back on the kitchen table. I’m talking about lunch.

Rather than seeing it as an extra task—I’m seeing it as a silver lining. Let’s face it, being stuck indoors all day can become monotonous, but mealtimes provide at least three ways to slice up your day. Whether times are particularly hard for you right now, or whether you’re trying to acclimatize to working from home, stopping to make yourself something good to eat, immersing yourself in the task at hand and then sitting down to enjoy it (hopefully with some conversation, whether live or virtual) is a worthy and uplifting marker for each day.

Here are our top ideas for all kinds of lunches to fill your days with. Keep looking after yourselves (and others!), keep cooking, and please—keep talking! What recipes have you been relying on for lunch? We’ll see you in the comments!

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