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This Pesto Quinoa Bowl is packed with nutritious and tasty ingredients like roasted sweet potato chunks, roasted broccoli, spinach, pecans, and a hard-boiled egg. Everything is topped with my favourite vegan hemp seed pesto to add a punch of flavour. It’s perfect for meal prep or as a packed lunch!

pesto quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, broccoli, hard boiled egg, pecans

One of my favourite easy meals is a nutrient-dense grain bowl. I love how creative you can get with the ingredients, and how balanced of a meal you can make!

This Pesto Quinoa Bowl With Broccoli & Sweet Potato was something I threw together about a year ago on Instagram. I ended up loving it so much, I thought I would share the recipe on here.

Another thing I love about this dish is how well it lends itself to meal prepping.

On Sundays, I love preparing a few longer-to-cook “meal components” (like whole grains, roasted veggies, some proteins, and a sauce) and then throwing them together during the week for quick meals. Each ingredient in the dish can be made in advance during your weekly meal prep!

This Pesto Quinoa Bowl can be enjoyed warm or cold, making it a great packed lunch option, too.

pesto quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, broccoli, hard boiled egg, pecans

How To Make Pesto Quinoa Bowl

As I mentioned, each component of this bowl can be made in advance. But, if you’re making it to be eaten immediately, I’d recommend following the order below to optimize your time!

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet for the veggies.
  2. Cook the quinoa. For in-depth instructions, check out my post on How To Cook Quinoa.
  3. While the quinoa cooks, prepare the broccoli and sweet potatoes. Chop the broccoli into florets and chop the sweet potatoes into small 1-inch cubes. Toss the veggies in olive oil, salt, and pepper before spreading them on the lined baking sheet. Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, until tender and slightly browned.
  4. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs on the stove. My favourite way to do this is by placing them in a saucepan and covering with water. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. Set your timer for 12 minutes, then drain and place in cold water to stop the cooking process.
  5. Finally, prepare the vegan hemp seed pesto in a small food processor.
  6. Once everything is ready, add ingredients to a bowl along with baby spinach, a sprinkle of pecans, salt, and pepper!
chopped sweet potatoes and broccoli on baking dish

Recipe Nutrition Notes

Each of the ingredients in this bowl is packed with health benefits! Check out these impressive nutrition stats below:

Quinoa Nutrition:

  • a complete protein, this pseudo-cereal (it’s technically a seed!) provides 8 grams of protein in 1 cup of cooked quinoa
  • rich in micronutrients, including:
    • magnesium
    • phosphorus
    • manganese
    • folate
    • copper
    • iron
    • zinc
    • B-vitamins
  • high in dietary fibre (5 grams in 1 cup cooked)

Sweet Potato Nutrition:

  • an incredible source of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body (one medium sweet potato provides 386% of your daily needs)
  • a source of essential micronutrients like:
    • potassium
    • magnesium
    • calcium
    • iron
    • phosphorus
    • vitamin B6
    • vitamin E
    • vitamin C
  • rich in dietary fibre – one sweet potato provides 15% of your daily needs (4 grams)

Broccoli Nutrition:

  • a great source of micronutrients like:
    • vitamin C
    • vitamin K
    • vitamin A
    • folate
    • potassium
    • calcium
    • iron
    • phosphorus
    • magnesium
  • high in fibre, with 1 cup providing 2.3 grams (9% of your daily needs)

Spinach Nutrition:

  • packed with vitamins A, C, K, folate, and calcium
  • rich in phytonutrients, which act as antioxidants and have many benefits to our health

Pecan Nutrition:

  • a great source of different vitamins and minerals, including:
    • vitamin A
    • vitamin E
    • folic acid
    • calcium
    • magnesium
    • phosphorus
    • potassium
  • a great source of dietary fibre, heart-healthy fats, and protein.

Hemp Seed Pesto Nutrition:

  • rich in heart-healthy fats, including omega-3s (from the hemp seeds) and monounsaturated fatty acids (from olive oil)
  • hemp seeds provide protein
  • nutritional yeast is rich in B-vitamins
  • fresh basil is a packed with antioxidants and micronutrients like vitamin C, A, K, B6, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron
vegan hemp seed pesto

A Note On Grain Bowls

Whether you follow this recipe to a tee, or you feel like switching up some of the ingredients, try to follow a similar formula when making grain bowls to ensure you’re getting a balanced meal:

Include a protein. In this case, my main protein is the hard-boiled egg, but I’m also getting protein from the quinoa, hemp seeds, and nuts.

You can switch this up by using other protein sources like tofu, tempeh, fish, or meat. Protein provides the building blocks for just about everything in our body, plus it also helps to slow digestion ( = fuller for longer).

Include a healthy source of fat. In this case, the hemp seed pesto and olive oil used for cooking are my primary fat sources!

Fat helps to absorb many of the nutrients found in vegetables, and it also helps to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

Include lots of veggies! Roasted, raw, leafy greens…whatever you choose, most of us are trying to get more veggies in and this is an excellent way to do so.

Veggies are packed with vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and other beneficial plant compounds.

Recipe Variations & Modifications

There are SO many ways you can modify this recipe to suit your needs. For instance:

It can be made vegan by swapping the egg with a vegan protein (perhaps some cubes of baked tofu?).

For a nut-free version, simply omit the nuts (pecans).

You can use any grain you’d like in place of quinoa, such as farro or brown rice.

Feel free to swap different veggies! For instance, try roasted butternut squash and cauliflower instead of sweet potatoes and broccoli.

You can use different greens in place of spinach, like arugula!

pesto quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, broccoli, hard boiled egg, pecans

More Healthy Bowl Recipes

Did you give this Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Soup Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!

If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!

Get the Recipe: Pesto Quinoa Bowl With Broccoli & Sweet Potato

This Pesto Quinoa Bowl is packed with nutritious and tasty ingredients! It's great for meal prep or as a packed lunch. Recipe is gluten-free, with vegan option available.
pesto quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, broccoli, hard boiled egg, pecans
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Ingredients

Hemp Seed Pesto:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet for the veggies.
  • Cook Quinoa. Rinse dry quinoa in a sieve, then add rinsed quinoa and water to a saucepan with lid. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside. Keep lid on to allow quinoa to steam and fluff up.
  • While the quinoa cooks, prepare the broccoli and sweet potatoes. Chop the broccoli into florets and chop the sweet potatoes into small 1-inch cubes. Toss the veggies in olive oil, salt, and pepper before spreading them on the lined baking sheet. Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, until tender and slightly browned.
  • Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. Set your timer for 12 minutes, then drain and place in cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • Prepare the vegan hemp seed pesto. Add all pesto ingredients to a food processor, and process until well-combined.
  • Once everything is ready, assemble grain bowls by dividing ingredients evenly. Start with a base of baby spinach, add quinoa, roasted veggies, the hard-boiled egg, pecans, and top with pesto and additional salt + pepper if desired. Mix everything together in order to distribute pesto!

Notes

*Ingredients can all be meal prepped in advance, and assembled at time of serving if desired. Ingredients/leftovers will last about 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
*Dish packs well and can be even eaten cold, making it a great packed lunch option.
*For a vegan version, swap eggs with a plant based protein (e.g. baked tofu cubes)!

Nutrition

As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.

Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!

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