Good Kitchen Blog: Winter Grain Bowl with Balsamic Dressing

What’s colorful and nutritious and playful and makes your tastebuds feel very alive? This bowl.

Roasted root vegetables, earthy grains, and dried fruit. Dark leafy greens, buttery goat cheese, and lusciously creamy balsamic dressing.

A) Yes, it’s a slice of healthy eating heaven, and B) this is the salad / bowl situation you want gracing the shelves of your fridge this winter.

Like, for days. Because you can meal-prep it! THANK YOU GRAIN BOWLS for knowing what we need.

One of the best things about these wintery grain bowls is that they can stand up to some fridge time. Yes, keep the kale, goat cheese, and pistachios separate to maintain their freshness. But that roasted vegetable, wild rice, and dried cherry medley can sit tight in a little bit of balsamic dressing while it’s in the fridge and kinda just keeps getting better and better.

Here’s How to Make Winter Grain Bowls:

Step 1: Get your sweet potatoes and beets roasting in the oven.

Step 2: Blitz up your balsamic dressing.

Step 3: Make your grain bowl base with sweet potatoes, beets, wild rice, dried cherries, and a little bit of dressing. Keep this in the fridge to build your bowls all week.

Step 4: Add it to bowls with kale, goat cheese, pistachios, and more dressing and EAT.

This winter grain bowl is:

really delicious
colorful
packed with nutrition
calorie-dense (in a good way)
super satisfying
adaptable (pick and choose your favorite roasted winter vegetables)
really good with or without protein
playful
possibly the best “salad” format for winter.

Make It Your Own

This grain bowl is as versatile as it gets.

Eat it warm or cold. Eat it on its own for lunch, or add a fried egg for a breakfast hash situation (gah!), or top it with some grilled chicken or pan-fried halloumi (omg yum) for dinner. Use a different dressing, or make the balsamic dressing and put it all over every wintery thing.

Don’t have wild rice? Swap in quinoa, farro, or your favorite grain. Don’t have the patience to roast beets? Get pre-cooked ones at the store. Hate pistachios and/or goat cheese? Any nut/seed or crumbly cheese will work.

However you do it, this rainbowy winter grain salad has totally got your back.

Winter Grain Bowl with Balsamic Dressing

Author: Lindsay
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Print Recipe

Description

The BEST Winter Grain Bowl! Roasted root vegetables, earthy grains, dried fruit, dark leafy greens, buttery goat cheese, and lusciously creamy balsamic dressing.

Ingredients

3 large golden or red beets, cubed
3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
olive oil and salt for roasting
1 cup wild rice, uncooked
1/2 cup dried cherries
8–10 cups of shredded kale
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
3/4 cup pistachios

Balsamic Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional but deliciously creamy)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

Roasted Vegetables: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss beets and sweet potatoes in with a little bit of olive oil and salt. Spread on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roast for 30 minutes.
Wild Rice: Cook wild rice according the package directions.
Dressing: In a blender or food processor, blend dressing ingredients together until smooth.
Mix: In a large bowl, combine beets, sweet potatoes, wild rice, and dried cherries. Toss with a little bit of dressing. (This can be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge for several days.)
Assemble: To serve, scoop the pre-made wild rice salad onto a pile of kale. Top with goat cheese, pistachios, and extra dressing. It’s like a delicious spa for your winter body.

Notes

For meal prepping: store sweet potatoes, beets, and wild rice together. Combine with kale, goat cheese, and pistachios, and dressing before eating.

Category: Lunch
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American