This Chickpea, Cauliflower & Tabbouleh Nourish Bowl is a Middle-Eastern inspired lunch that’s both fresh, filling and wholesome. Roasted cauliflower and crunchy chickpeas bring the texture, while the tabbouleh—packed with parsley, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and quinoa—keeps things fresh. And with a dollop of creamy hummus and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, this bowl is as pretty as it is nutritious.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Nutritious and Filling: The blend of crispy chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, and fresh tabbouleh provides a delicious mix of flavors and textures, packed with nutrients and plant-based protein.
- Easy to Prepare: With simple steps and a straightforward cooking process, this nourish bowl is quick to make.
- Fresh and Tasty: The addition of hummus and pomegranate seeds adds creaminess and a burst of sweetness, making each bite a delightful experience.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the specific quantities for each ingredient listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but for your convenience, here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need:
- Chickpeas
- Olive oil
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Cauliflower
- Parsley
- Kale
- Red onion
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Lemon
- Cooked quinoa
- Hummus
- Pomegranate seeds
Instructions
This nourish bowl is easy to prepare and comes down to three main steps: roast the cauliflower and chickpeas, combine the salad ingredients, then add all the components to a bowl and serve.
Step One: Break cauliflower into florets and place them on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to coat evenly. Roast until tender with some golden highlights, flipping halfway through.
Step Two: On another roasting tray, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Drizzle with olive oil and season with onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast until golden and crispy, flipping halfway through.
Step Three: Prepare the tabbouleh. Dice cucumber, dice red onion, halve tomatoes, roughly chop kale and parsley, and cook quinoa. Add all ingredients to a salad bowl.
Step Four: Make dressing, add to salad and toss to combine.
Step Five: Assemble by adding a generous dollop of hummus to each bowl.
Step Six: Top with the tabbouleh mixture, roasted cauliflower, and chickpeas. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Substitutions & Variations
The great thing about a nourish bowl or salad is that they are so easy to tweak to your own preferences. Here are a few swaps and substitutes to try:
- Chickpeas: Swap chickpeas for white beans like butter beans or cannellini beans.
- Cauliflower: Cauliflower can be swapped with broccoli. For something different, you could try sweet potato or pumpkin.
- Quinoa: Use cooked couscous, bulgur, or farro instead of quinoa for a different grain option.
- Tabbouleh Ingredients: If you don’t have kale, try using spinach, or adding extra parsley.
- Hummus: This would also be delicious with another dip like tzatziki, baba ganoush, or a simple yogurt-tahini sauce as an alternative to hummus.
- Pomegranate Seeds: Replace pomegranate seeds with dried cranberries, raisins, or sliced almonds for a different touch of sweetness or crunch.
- Seasonings: Adjust the spices to your taste. For a bit more heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
Storage
If you have leftovers, I recommend keeping all the components separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you’re preparing this in advance, keep the dressing separate from the tabbouleh until just before serving.
Expert Tips
For the crispiest chickpeas, make sure they’re completely dry before roasting. After rinsing, spread them out on a clean kitchen towel and let them air dry for about 10-15 minutes. This step helps them roast up extra crunchy rather than steaming in the oven. Additionally, you can remove the chickpea skins by gently rubbing them with the towel—this can enhance the crispiness even more. Or try using an air fryer if you have one – cook at 200°C (390°F) for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
FAQ
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, but ensure that the quinoa and any store-bought ingredients like hummus are labeled gluten-free.
Absolutely! You can use broccoli, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash as alternatives. Adjust roasting times accordingly based on the vegetable you choose.
This recipe tastes best fresh, but leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend storing all components separately.
Freezing is not recommended as it may affect the texture of the vegetables and grains. Enjoy the bowl fresh or refrigerated for optimal taste and texture.
More Healthy Lunch Recipes
If you love a fresh and filling lunch, try one of my other favorite salads and bowls:
- Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad with Pearl Couscous
- Marinated Chickpeas and Tomatoes
- Sweet Potato with Harissa Chickpeas
- La Scala Italian Inspired Salad
Video – Watch Me Make This Recipe
This Chickpea, Cauliflower & Tabbouleh Nourish Bowl is ideal for a vibrant and wholesome meal that’s both filling and nourishing. If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d be thrilled if you could leave a star rating and review—it really helps others discover my recipes! Don’t forget to tag me in your photos on Instagram @glowdiaries___, and I’ll be excited to reshare them. I love seeing how you make my recipes your own!
Chickpea, Cauliflower & Tabbouleh Nourish Bowl
Ingredients
Crunchy Chickpeas
- 2 cans (400g/15 oz) chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cauliflower
- 1 medium head of cauliflower broken into florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tabbouleh
- 1 cup parsley leaves roughly chopped
- 1.5 cup kale leaves stems removed, roughly chopped
- 1/2 red onion finely diced
- 250 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cucumber finely diced
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
To serve
- 1 cup hummus
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Add the cauliflower on a lined baking tray and add the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Use your hands to coat the cauliflower evenly.
- Pat drained and rinsed chickpeas dry with a clean kitchen towel. Place the chickpeas on the second roasting tray. Add olive oil, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Toss the chickpeas until they are well coated, then spread them out in a single layer.
- Place both trays in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes tossing halfway through. The cauliflower should be lightly golden and tender, and the chickpeas should be crispy.
- Combine all tabbouleh salad ingredients in bowl then toss to combine.
- Divide the hummus between the bowls, then top with cauliflower, tabbouleh, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds.
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