Fall Harvest Bowl Recipe

This Harvest Bowl brings the best seasonal ingredients to one delicious bowl. You’re going to love the contrasting textures and flavors!

I recently tried Sweetgreen’s Harvest Bowl for the first time and immediately fell in love because of the rich ingredients and so much goodness in one bowl. I don’t have a Sweetgreen near me, so I made my own version of the bowl with seasonal ingredients I love.

This isn’t a Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl copycat recipe; I’ve added my twists that make this recipe different while sticking with the basic concept and main ingredients of their bowl.

It’s packed with wholesome ingredients that will fill your stomach and warm your heart. The best part is this recipe is perfect for meal prep! It can be a make ahead dinner that fits into your busy schedule or a meal-prep lunch you can easily take on the go.

Why You’ll Love My Harvest Bowl Recipe

One of the highlights of this recipe is the roasted sweet potatoes. They add a natural sweetness and are caramelized to perfection to offer a delicious contrast to the other flavors. Alongside them, seasoned grilled chicken provides a tender and juicy protein that makes the bowl incredibly filling.

But everything aside, what truly brings this Harvest Bowl together is the homemade apple cider vinaigrette dressing. It’s simple to prepare and adds a tangy and slightly sweet note that ties all the ingredients together. This was a departure from Sweetgreen’s homemade balsamic vinaigrette. I just felt the apple cider vinegar was a better match for fall harvest bowls.

I also love how this Harvest Bowl brings together the best of the season’s produce, not just for their amazing flavors but also for their incredible health benefits.

For example, if you find it hard to feed veggies to the kids, this bowl has a solution for that, too. It has kale, whose flavor is combined with sweet and savory seasoning, so you can sneak some of it to the picky easter’s place. It’s loaded with vitamins K, A, and C, providing good calcium and fiber.

Getting in the said grams of protein for a healthy body is not always doable, but if you put lean chicken in this bowl, you can hit that target, too. Cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts with some avocado oil adds healthy monounsaturated fats, which are good for heart health.

Using seasonal produce means we get the freshest ingredients at their peak nutritional value.

Ingredients Needed For this Fall Flavor Big Salad

Seasonal recipes have the edge that you can pick and choose their ingredients to suit what’s in your pantry. Here’s what I used for the recipe and what you can sub out if you want or need to.

• Wild rice blend: Wild rice makes the perfect base for a harvest bowl because of its nutty flavor and delightful chewiness.

• Broth or water: Use broth to enhance the rice with a rich depth or water for a simpler taste.

• Sweet potato: It adds an earthy richness and a pop of color. Sweet potatoes are also consider a prebiotic food, helpful to keep a healthy gut. A delicious substitute would be butternut squash.

• Delicata squash: Its creamy texture and sweet flavor complement the earthy ingredients beautifully. If you don’t like squash, use Brussels sprouts in place of this.

• Kosher salt & black pepper: For seasoning, of course.

• Dried thyme: Dried thyme infuses an aromatic earthiness throughout the dish.

• Avocado oil: A heart-healthy oil that’s perfect for roasting and sautéing.

• Chicken breasts: You’ll need lean protein that makes this bowl satisfying and filling.

• Kale: Adds a burst of color and is loaded with nutrients, wilting perfectly when dressed.

• Extra virgin olive oil: Brings richness and depth to dressings and ties the flavors while providing a host of health benefits.

• Apple cider vinegar: Introduces a tangy brightness that enhances the overall freshness of the bowl. ACV is also known to help with controlling your blood sugar. You can use balsamic vinegar here if you prefer.

• Dijon mustard: Adds a tangy flavor that’s the backbone of many great dressings, like this Lemon Dijon Dressing. Dijon mustard is one of my favorite salad dressing ingredients.

• Honey: To balance the tang of the vinegar.

• Optional Add-ons: pumpkin seeds (included in photos), almonds, crisp apples, creamy goat cheese, or feta cheese.

How to Make this Harvest Bowl Recipe

The best thing about this recipe is that you can make a large bowl for the family and fill it with everyone’s favorite ingredients. This means that picky eaters also enjoy warm grain bowls. Here’s how you make it:

1. Bring the rice and stock to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. On one baking sheet, place the sweet potatoes and delicate squash. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and toss to evenly coat.
4. Pound your chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are an even thinness. Brush them with the remaining avocado oil, salt, and pepper on both sides. Place them on a separate sheet pan.
5. Place both the vegetable pan and chicken pan in the preheated oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is 165 degrees and the vegetables are tender and are starting to brown.
6. While vegetables and chicken is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar with a lid, combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and mustard.
7. Once finished cooking, allow the chicken to cool before chopping into bite-sized pieces.
8. To assemble the bowls, evenly distribute the chopped kale, rice, chicken, and vegetable between 4 bowls.
9. Season each bowl with salt and pepper, then drizzle 1/4 of the dressing on top of each bowl. Toss to evenly coat the bowl ingredients. Enjoy!

Meal Prep Made Easy for the Bowl

Life can get really busy, so I’ve gathered some of my favorite tips to make preparing this Harvest Bowl a breeze. Here are my top tips to help you get ahead:

1. Prepare the Harvest Bowl ingredients as indicated for the recipe.
2. Instead of distributing the ingredients between bowls, use airtight containers.
3. Store the dressing in a separate container, and dress once you’re ready to eat.

FAQs

Can I make the Harvest Bowl vegetarian or vegan?

Sure, you can substitute the chicken with crispy chickpeas or tofu and use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing to make it vegan.

How long can I store the prepped ingredients in the fridge?

These bowls will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Can I use a different grain instead of a warm wild rice blend?

Yes, you can use brown rice, quinoa, or even farro as a base.

Can I use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken for this recipe?

Yes, of course. If you have either of those on hand, they will work for this recipe.

Can I use chicken thighs for this recipe?

Yes, if you prefer thighs, go ahead and use them for this recipe. Use whichever type of chicken is your favorite. 

If you make this harvest bowl recipe or any of my other healthy recipes,  I’d love to see! Share a pic on Instagram and tag me and I’ll feature you in my stories. It also helps so much when you leave a review and star rating right here on the blog post in the comment section. I appreciate you!

Fall Harvest Bowls Recipe

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• Author: Maryea Flaherty of Happy Healthy Mama
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 bowls 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This Fall Harvest Bowl brings contrasting flavors and textures to one bowl and is filled with nutrients.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup wild rice blend
• 1 cup broth or water
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 medium delicata squash, seeds removed and cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 cups finely chopped kale
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

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Instructions

1. Bring the rice and stock to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook
   for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. On one baking sheet, place the sweet potatoes and delicate squash. Drizzle with 2
   tablespoons avocado oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme,
   and toss to evenly coat.
4. Pound your chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are an even thinness. Brush them
   with the remaining avocado oil, salt, and pepper on both sides. Place them on a see parate
   baking sheet.
5. Place both the vegetable pan and chicken pan in the preheated oven and cook for 30
   minutes.
6. While vegetables and chicken is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar with a
   lid, combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and mustard.
7. Once finished cooking, allow the chicken to cool before chopping into bite-sized pieces.
8. To assemble the bowls, evenly distribute the chopped kale, rice, chicken, and vegetable
   between 4 bowls.
9. Season each bowl with salt and pepper, then drizzle 1/4 of the dressing on top of each bowl. Toss to evenly coat the bowl ingredients. Enjoy!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Meal prep recipes
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
• Calories: 670 calories
• Sugar: 19.6 grams
• Fat: 34 grams
• Trans Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 49.4 grams
• Fiber: 4.6 grams
• Protein: 45.8 grams