Spring Bliss Bowls with Pesto Rice celebrate fresh spring produce in a tasty, filling bowl. Enjoy as a light and satisfying lunch or dinner!
Happy first day of spring – we made it!
March has lived up to its reputation of coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, and I’m celebrating the end of this whirlwind month with Spring Bliss Bowls with Pesto Rice.
Roasted Vegetable Bowls
This recipe celebrates all things spring and is so simple to make.
A bed of chewy brown rice mixed with pesto is topped with a plethora of early spring vegetables including golden beets, cauliflower florets, and asparagus that are roasted until golden brown and caramelized.
Each portion is drizzled with more pesto then devoured. These Spring Bliss Bowl are the definition of feel good food. As the name implies, each bite is bliss!
Not to mention, this is a great recipe to prepare then portion into containers for make-and-take lunches all week long.
Satisfying Meatless Meal
I enjoy these Spring Bliss Bowls as written, but feel free to add the protein of your choice to pump them up even more – chicken, roasted shrimp, garbanzo beans, or roasted pork tenderloin would all be fab.
So what say you, winter-weary friends – ready to celebrate all things spring?!
Start by cooking 1 cup short grain brown rice in water with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle of homemade seasoned salt. If you’re not familiar with my 4 ingredient homemade seasoned salt – prepare to! It gives everything, including the rice and our fresh spring vegetables, a boost of tasty flavor.
Once the rice has cooked then cooled slightly, stir in 1/3 cup prepared pesto.
You can use store-bought pesto — I love Gotham Greens — though my Simple Vegan Pesto is also a dream and plenty flavorful without cheese.
While the rice is cooking, roast the spring vegetables. Cover two half sheet pans with parchment paper or foil sprayed with nonstick spray then chop the vegetables – beets, cauliflower, radishes, and asparagus.
First toss 3 peeled then chopped golden beets with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of homemade seasoned salt in a bowl then arrange on one half of the first sheet pan.
Oil/season 10oz cauliflower florets then spread on the other half and roast for 15 minutes. I like golden beets because they don’t stain your hands/cutting boards, but red beets are just fine too.
After the 15 minutes are up, add 1 bunch radishes that have been trimmed and chopped into the bowl, oil/season them, and then spread onto one half of the second sheet pan. Roast alongside the beets and cauliflower for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add 1/2 bunch asparagus that have been trimmed into 2″ chunks and oiled/seasoned then roast for an additional 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
Total breakdown for cooking times:
- Cauliflower/beets: 35 minutes
- Radishes: 20 minutes
- Asparagus: 10 minutes
NOTE: If you are making this recipe for meal-prep, I suggest roasting the vegetables until they’re al dente vs super soft, as they’ll soften as they sit in the fridge.
Scoop the pesto rice into four bowls or containers then top with a quarter of the roasted vegetables. Stir together 1/4 cup pesto with 2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth then drizzle on top, followed by 1 Tablespoon pepitas/pumpkin seeds for a little texture and crunch.
These bowls keep wonderfully in the fridge for up to 4 days and, as the name implies, are total bliss — enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup short grain brown rice, Lundberg Farms recommended
- extra virgin olive oil
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper
- 10 oz bag cauliflower florets, trimmed into small florets
- 3 small golden beets, trimmed, peeled, then chopped
- 1 bunch radishes, trimmed then halved or quartered if large
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed then chopped into 2” lengths
- 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto, divided, see notes
- 2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup pepitas/pumpkin seeds
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees then line two half sheet pans with parchment paper or nonstick sprayed foil and set aside.
- Add brown rice plus 1-3/4 cup water, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkling of seasoned salt to a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid. (If you are using a brand other then Lundberg, refer to the cooking instructions on your particular bag.) Bring to a boil then place a lid on top, turn heat down to low, and gently simmer for 40 minutes. If rice is still crunchy at the end add 2 Tablespoons water then continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove pot from heat then let sit and steam with the lid on for 7 minutes before fluffing with a fork and cooling slightly. Once slightly cooled, stir in 1/3 cup pesto.
- Meanwhile, add cauliflower to a medium-sized bowl then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with seasoned salt and pepper. Spread onto one half of the first sheet pan then oil/season beets in the same bowl and spread onto the other half. Roast for 15 minutes then stir.
- While the cauliflower and beets are roasting, oil/season the radishes then spread out onto one half of the second sheet pan. Roast for 10 minutes with the beets/cauliflower then stir. Add oiled/seasoned asparagus to the remaining empty half of the second sheet pan then roast with all the other vegetables for 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
- Add remaining 1/4 cup pesto to a small dish with chicken or vegetable broth then stir to combine.
- Scoop pesto rice into four bowls then top each bowl with a quarter of the roasted vegetables. Drizzle with pesto sauce then top with 1 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds, if using, and serve.
Notes
- Breakdown of total roasting times: Cauliflower/beets: 35 minutes. Radishes: 20 minutes. Asparagus: 10 minutes.
- I like to keep each vegetable separated in case they cook quicker or slower then the other vegetables.
- Try my Simple Vegan Pesto recipe for this dish.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Made this tonight and really loved it. No beets at my store sadly, but I substituted carrots and they worked well. Came together easily, clear instructions. Will definitely make again.
I’m so glad the recipe was a hit, Jenny! Carrots sound like a great swap – yum! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
OMG, this is fantastic! I’m not a fan of raw radishes but roasted they are so good! I chopped all the veggies after shopping on the weekend and it came together so easily tonight. Will definitely be making this one again!
I made this for my dinner last night and it was DELISH! The flavors of the roasted vegetables, the pesto rice… YUM. Can’t wait for lunch today! Kristin – I must admit though that your skill in taking pictures of your food is great… because, that is what draws us into the recipe in the first place!
Oh gosh, you are too kind! I am so glad you liked the recipe!! :D
What do you do for dairy free pesto?
Hi Emily! I’m able to eat dairy (gave it up for awhile for my breastfed daughter but we realized it was just egg she’s allergic/reacting to.) That said, I have’t tried this recipe but anything by Minimalist Baker is usually a winner! https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-pesto-5-minutes/
I am not a huge fan of radishes/beets, but I love everything else about this! I can always switch those out with a different veggie ;) I am all about homemade pesto!
I love this! I’m definitely loving how this recipe incorporates all the best flavors of the season’s fresh produce and it looks hearty, but still healthy!
This is a very flavorful and yummy dish! I prepped it all yesterday afternoon and ate it for lunch today. I really wasn’t sure what to expect since I don’t like raw radishes and I’ve never eaten a golden beet. But this dish confirms that if you roast a vegetable, I’m going to like it! This is a dish I can feel good about eating and a great way to eat more vegetables, which is my goal! Thank you!
That is so, so true! My middle child refuses to eat vegetables unless they’re roasted…or hidden! ;) So glad you liked the dish!
pesto rice, wow, hadn’t pesto-ed rice before, and radishes and beets too, two very rarely seen vegetables, at least in my world, but like their tangy and earthy flavors, so than you
I have the recipe and I am on the way to shop!
Woo hoo another win for healthy and happy!
Wohoo, I hope you love it, Jade!
Have you tried the Silpat silicone pan liners for roasting vegetables? They are awesome and save a bundle on foil. Plus, when you want to move veggies to another dish, just lift and pour them out.
I have two that I use mostly for baking, though sometimes for vegetables too. I feel foil caramelizes the vegetables a little bit better. You could use either!
This looks delicious and a great weight to get control of portions! Would you share which containers you use?
Funny story – the square pyrex dish is one I took from my parents house like a year ago and have never returned. Oops! I have this Pyrex set which has several single serving options though: https://amzn.to/2TneYzG