Winter Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Dressing
A healthy weeknight dinner, coming up!
This Winter Buddha Bowl is packed with seasonal favorites: roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, tofu, carrots, farro, and a maple mustard tahini dressing.
You know I love a good buddha bowl. My peanut tofu buddha bowl is one of my absolute favorite recipes and they are an easy way to eat with the seasons.
This Winter buddha bowl version is packed with seasonal favorites, like roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, tofu, carrots, hearty farro, and a maple mustard tahini dressing that’s so delicious, it’s drinkable!
Why I love this recipe
If you haven’t roasted vegetables before, they are one of my favorite ways to enjoy vegetables.
Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the squash– it’s almost candy like. It’s hard for me not to eat the entire pan as I prep this recipe! Yes, it’s that good!
Combined with tofu and a sweet maple dressing, this winter buddha bowl is as delicious as it is nourishing.
Ingredient Notes
Like most bowl recipes, this one is incredibly customizable to what you have on hand. At the bare minimum, you’ll need vegetables, a protein, a whole grain and a dressing.
For this winter buddha bowl version, I’m using roasted butternut squash, carrots and brussels sprouts along with protein rich tofu.
Farro is my favorite whole grain, and it’s especially lovely in this buddha bowl recipe. It’s nutty, chewy and the basis for some of my favorite farro salad recipes and of course, my farro bean soup.
If you want a gluten-free version, then wild rice, quinoa millet or brown rice would work.
Variations and Substitutions
In place of the roasted butternut squash, other roasted veggies like broccoli or cauliflower florets, sweet potatoes and beets will also work. Any hearty vegetable is a good choice in this recipe.
This recipe is really a bowl recipe, but you can also make it more of a salad by adding in leafy greens like arugula or chopped kale.
Roasted tofu is my favorite protein option for this recipe, but other protein options will also work like tempeh, white beans or chickpeas.
Lastly, if you want some more crunch, then I recommend adding in some nuts on top or even some pumpkin seeds. That’s really the beauty of a bowl recipe like this one, it’s incredibly customizable!
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Make the Farro
The farro will take the longest time to cook, so you’ll want to start on this first. Trader Joe’s sells a 10-minute farro that you can use, and it’s great as a quick cooking whole grains.
Step 2: Roast the Vegetables
Toss together the vegetables with plenty of olive oil, salt, and pepper. I usually rub the vegetables with my hands to make sure that all of the oil and seasonings are coated. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until tender. Add the tofu and cook another 10-15 minutes.
Step 3: Make the Maple Tahini Dressing
Once you make this maple tahini dressing, you’ll want to make it over and over again. Not just for this Winter buddha bowl recipe, but really– for any salad. It’s creamy and sweet.
If you are new to working with tahini, then know that it will likely stiffen as you start to stir it. This is totally normal, just continue to whisk the dressing until it thins. The dressing should be pourable, but if it’s too thick then you’ll want to thin it with a little more water.
I love the lemon juice in this tahini dressing recipe, but you can also use apple cider vinegar if you’d like.
Step 4: Assemble and Serve
Season to taste, then drizzle over the roasted vegetables, tofu and farro. Yum! So incredibly good, I hope you try this one soon.
Expert Tips
Spread the vegetables in an even layer on a baking sheet so the vegetables can crisp up instead of steaming.
For ease, I add the tofu halfway through roasting the vegetables so as not to dirty another pan and to get the same seasonings on the tofu as on the vegetables.
More Vegan Buddha Bowl Recipes
- Sheet-Pan Ranch Bowls
- Shawarma Bowls
- Tofu Rice Bowls with Black Beans
- Sweet Potato Vegan Bowls
- Butternut Squash Tahini Bowls
- Roasted Vegetable Thanksgiving Bowls
If you try this recipe, make sure to come back to rate it and leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Winter Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Winter Buddha Bowl
- 1/2 cup farro
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 cups quartered brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 14 ounce container, extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed and cubed
For the Maple Mustard Tahini Dressing
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the farro. Bring 1 1/2 cups to a boil (or vegetable broth– so much more flavorful!) then add the farro; reduce heat to low and cover and cook until tender. Remove from heat until ready to enjoy.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the carrots, squash, sprouts with the olive oil, salt/pepper and seasonings until well coated. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet (may need 2 depending on size) and roast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Add in the tofu and gently stir again, then return back to the oven and cook another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender and tofu is warmed through.
- While the vegetables are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together the tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, water and salt. Taste, adding more salt/lemon juice as desired.
- Spoon the cooked farro into 4 bowls, then top with cooked vegetables and dressing.