Vegan Green Nourish Bowl with Butternut Squash

This nutrient dense vegan green nourish bowl is super easy to make and such a great lunch to meal-prep ahead. It features noodles, roasted butternut squash and broccolini, plus an amazing avocado green goddess sauce. It is highly adaptable, fool-proof and SO delicious!

So many of you loved my Mexican chipotle buddha bowl, so I thought I would make another version of a nourish bowl! Is there anything more satisfying than gathering delicious wholesome food into a bowl? And then drizzling a tasty sauce like there-is-no-tomorrow? Because obviously, this recipe is all about the thick and tangy vegan green goddess sauce. It's always about the sauce.

But also, I'm currently in such a fun cold weather comfort food sprint! I was thinking you might need a break of all the heavy warm food (thinking of you, vegan Swedish meatballs) and enjoy a fresh breeze from a green and light nourish bowl.

This nourish bowl is filled with a few ingredients, but still makes for a super simple recipe. I love how it is a fool-proof and versatile meal too, so feel free to use this recipe as an inspiration and swap the ingredients for the veggies you already have on hand.

You can also meal-prep every components ahead of time, and simply combine when ready to eat. Perfect if you are just starting out cooking at home and feel insecure with this kind of diet: there is just no going wrong with a nourish bowl!

Nourish bowl vs Buddha bowl

They are both so similar! Usually made up of a few wholesome ingredients, distributed in a bowl and arranged in a beautiful and appetizing way (not mixed together). Then, garnished with a sauce that brings all the components together.

Both nourish and buddha bowls can be interchanged in most situations, although nourish bowls aren't always vegetarian whereas buddha bowls never include meat.

In this case, I love how 'nourish bowl' is an adequate descriptive way to name this recipe: it consists of simple nourishing food to nourish your body!

Ingredients you'll need

• Noodles: I used these Jade Pearl Rice Ramen from Lotus. They have a subtle green color, which fits well with the current 'green' theme, but also are super healthy and have a pleasant texture.
• Lettuce: use any lettuce you have, but I recommend you choose a crunchy kind like romaine or these baby crispy lettuce from little leaf farms. Spinach would work too.
• Broccolini: they are sweeter and milder than broccoli and they get nicely charred after roasting in the oven.
• Butternut squash: the only not-green imposter of this recipe, but adds an amazing caramelized and sweet flavor.
• Zucchini: raw zoodles (zucchini noodles) add such a good crunch to the bowl. You can make your own veggies noodles using a spiralizer (not essential, but an amazing and fun kitchen gadget!) or you can now buy them already noodle-ized in most grocery stores.
• Sprouts: use your favorite. They add nutrition and texture.
• One batch of this avocado green goddess sauce, or buy a store-bought like this vegan goddess from Gotham Greens.

How to make it

Make the dressing

If not already done, make the dressing! It comes together very easily and quickly using a food processor. Can be done ahead of time too.

Cook

Start by pre-heating the oven to 375º. While it is warming up, peel and dice the butternut squash. Then, distribute on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil (or not) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, trim the edges from the broccolini. You can also slice in half the broccolini that are larger, just so they all are about the same thickness. After baking for 20 minutes, flip the cubes of squash and push them all on one side of the baking sheet. Then, place the broccolini on the other side, drizzle with some olive oil (or not) and add some salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes or as needed for the veggies to be tender and slightly charred.

While the veggies are baking, cook the noodles to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Build the nourish bowl

Now, simply display the ingredients in the bowl! Start with the noodles on one side and the lettuce on the other side. Then, top with the zoodles and roasted vegetables. Then, garnish with the sprouts and finish up with a generous drizzle of the sauce.

Watch how to make it

Eat cold or warm?

Both work well!

Depending on how quickly you eat your bowl, it might be a combo of both: the noodles and roasted veggies still warm contrasting with the crunchy cold lettuce and chilled sauce. I actually prefer this way and I'll make sure everything is ready by the time I serve the veggies so I can enjoy them warm.

Tips when making your bowl

• Don't hesitate to swap/add ingredients as you wish. This can be an inspiration to create your own green nourish bowl with your favorite vegan ingredients.
• Try to make the green goddess sauce ahead of time. The flavor intensifies after resting for a few hours in the fridge.
• When roasting the veggies, try to spray the oil instead of drizzling it, this can help limit the amount you add. Or, you can make this recipe completely oil-free by not using any at all.
• If you don't have a spiralizer and you cannot find zoodles already done at the grocery stores, then use sliced cucumber.

Storage and meal-prep

This is such a great recipe to make ahead!

• Roast the veggies, let them cool down slightly and store in an air-tight container.
• Make the green goddess dressing and keep in the fridge.
• Cook the noodles and store in the fridge too.

When ready to eat, gather the noodles, zoodles, lettuce and sprouts. Warm up the veggies using the microwave, then transfer over the bowl. Drizzle with the sauce and voilà!

The key is to store the ingredients apart from each other, especially the veggies and sauce. To bring out for lunch, you can place the cold ingredients together except for the sauce and warm up the veggies/add the sauce over when ready to eat.

Serving suggestion and substitutions

This recipe makes for an amazing light lunch, but also a fun base to add on some more and make it heartier! Try adding one of these high-in-protein ingredients:

• Chickpeas, black beans, cannelini beans, cooked lentils. You can pair with these sautéed chickpeas for a nice boost in flavor!
• Roasted smoky tofu or miso tempeh.
• Edamame.
• Falafel.
• Chopped walnuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds or slivered almonds.

Also, swap the squash for sweet potatoes or the broccolini for broccoli, they should cook about the same way in the oven. You can also try adding some spices over the veggies before baking them, such as dried herbs, paprika or garlic/onion powder.

If you are not much of a noodles person, then use brown rice or quinoa as your grain.

Again, there are no laws here: have fun personalizing your bowl and play around with the textures and flavors. Add some avocado, fresh herbs, pickled onions, vegan feta cheese, etc.

Other vegan nourish bowls you might like

• Mexican buddha bowl
• BBQ chickpea bowl
• Quinoa poke bowl
• Baked portobello bowl
• Teriyaki cauliflower bowl
• Miso tempeh noodle bowl
• Vegan fajita bowls
• Falafel buddha bowl
• Greek tofu buddha bowl
• Tofu buddha bowl
• Baked tofu teriyaki buddha bowl
• Mediterranean chickpea quinoa bowl
• Chimichurri bowls

I hope you enjoy this vegan green nourish bowl as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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