This roasted sweet potato bulgur bowl is easy, healthy, and full of flavor! It's my go-to meal when I don't feel like cooking and is ready, mostly hands-off, in one hour.
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If it's true that you are what you eat, then I am definitely this Roasted Sweet Potato Bulgur Bowl (aaaaand maybe this vegan cookie for one).
I make this for myself roughly once a week whenever I make mac and cheese (<-- affiliate link to the one I always choose) for the kids. Side note - boxed mac and cheese is one of my least favorite foods on the planet.
I can't quite explain it, but there's something about the powdered cheese that just totally grosses me out. So while boxed mac and cheese is my I-don't-want-to-make-dinner-dinner for the kids, I still feel like I get to not make dinner for myself with this fancy/easy combo.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Onions
- Spinach
- Bulgur
- Feta
- Sriracha
How to make bulgur bowls
- Cut the sweet potato into one inch chunks and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes at 425ºF.
- While the sweet potato is cooking, cut both ends off the onion, then cut into vertical slices. Add the onion to the baking sheet with the sweet potatoes, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for 40 minutes, stirring everything once or twice, until the onions are soft and the sweet potato is beginning to brown.
- While the sweet potatoes and onions are cooking, prepare the bulgur according to package directions.
- Add the spinach to the baking sheet and stir into the onions. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted and the sweet potatoes are starting to crisp.
- To assemble the bowls, layer ½ cup cooked bulgur, half the sweet potato, onion, and spinach mixture, and ¼ cup feta cheese. Drizzle with sriracha to taste.
Top tips
Where to find bulgur
Bulgur is sold near the ancient and other specialty grains in the grocery store. Check near the rice or in the natural and organic aisle. I use Bob's Red Mill whole grain red bulgur.
The best feta cheese
Feta cheese comes in many different forms, but my favorite is sold as a block packed in brine. This gives you the freshest feta that doesn't dry out.
If you can't find feta packed in brine, choose a block of feta that you can crumble yourself. The most convenient, but driest, form of feta is pre-crumbled. Full fat feta will also have the best flavor and texture.
Air fryer sweet potato cubes
If you prefer, you can use your air fryer to make the sweet potato cubes. This is a good option if you're mixing and matching a lot of different vegetables with different cooking times
Meal prep
This is a great vegetarian meal prep option if you're into that sort of thing. You can cook up your grains, roast a bunch of veggies, and portion them out for the week.
This recipe is easily scaled up to feed your whole family or yourself for a week. You can change the portions in the recipe card below, or just drop a comment at the bottom of this post and I'll help you figure it out!
How to store
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You could also freeze any of the components or assemble individual bowls and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Tips for customizing your sweet potato grain bowl
- Use whatever vegetables you have on hand in place of/in addition to the sweet potatoes such as carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, or parsnips, adjusting cooking time as necessary to give you a tender product
- Add a sprinkling of pepitas or roasted chickpeas for extra crunch and protein
- Leave off the cheese to make it a vegan grain bowl
- Use quinoa in place of the bulgur to make it gluten-free
- Use whatever leafy greens you have on hand in place of the spinach such as kale, bok choy, or swiss chard, adjusting cooking time as necessary to wilt
- Put a runny egg on top, fried or poached, for some dreamy goodness
- Drizzle with tahini ginger dressing
FAQ
Buddha bowl is an outdated term for for a cold salad containing a grain and a range of colorful vegetables. While this recipe is similar, it is more of a grain bowl or nourish bowl because it contains warm ingredients.
Bulgur is a whole grain made from cracked wheat. It cooks similarly to quinoa or rice, and can be used in much the same way. It has the flavor of nutty, whole wheat, and contains a healthy amount of protein and fiber.
You do not need to peel your sweet potato before cooking (in fact it adds extra nutrients and fiber), but you can if you prefer. I don't find a huge taste or texture difference between peeled or unpeeled sweet potato cubes.
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Roasted Sweet Potato Bulgur Bowls
Ingredients
- 1-2 sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup cooked bulgur
- Sriracha for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cut the sweet potato into one inch chunks and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes.
- While the sweet potato is cooking, cut both ends off the onion, then cut into vertical slices. Add the onion to the baking sheet with the sweet potatoes, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for 40 minutes, stirring everything once or twice, until the onions are soft and the sweet potato is beginning to brown.
- While the sweet potatoes and onions are cooking, prepare the bulgur according to package directions.
- Add the spinach to the baking sheet and stir into the onions. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted and the sweet potatoes are starting to crisp.
- To assemble the bowls, layer ½ cup cooked bulgur, half the sweet potato, onion, and spinach mixture, and ¼ cup feta cheese. Drizzle with sriracha to taste.
Notes
- Use whatever root vegetables you have on hand in place of/in addition to the sweet potatoes such as carrots, beets, or parsnips, adjusting cooking time as necessary to give you a tender product
- Add roasted broccoli or cauliflower
- Leave off the cheese to make it vegan
- Use quinoa in place of the bulgur to make it gluten-free
- Use whatever leafy greens you have on hand in place of the spinach such as kale, bok choy, or swiss chard, adjusting cooking time as necessary to wilt
- Put a runny egg on top, fried or poached, for some dreamy goodness
- Top with roasted chickpeas for extra protein
Sarah says
My partner and I made this recipe this week and it was amazing. I did all the chopping before heading out to study and he cooked it all up and I came home to an AMAZING meal. It turned out even better than I thought it would. The only things we changed were making the sriracha topping a honey sriracha sauce by just squeezing sriracha, honey and lime into a bowl and mixing up, and we also used chard instead of spinach and cooked the feta with the chard.
We will definitely be making this on the regular!
Lindsay Moe says
OMG honey sriracha!! I am definitely going to try that. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for sharing!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
This looks so comforting! Love me some sweet potato!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Megan!
Carolyn says
This looks incredible! I love how colorful it is!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Carolyn!
Benjamin Schultz says
Thanks for introducing us to bulgur and for giving us the flexibility to make many different meals/combinations with a single recipe.
We did bulgur with store bought marinated beets and green onions cut small. Great taste complimented by exquisite colours.