Sharing one of our favorite meals today: a vibrant, nutritious Quinoa Bowl. This Black Bean Quinoa Bowl is loaded with fresh vegetables and bold flavors—perfect for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Quinoa Bowl
I’m excited to share this simple, delicious quinoa bowl. I first enjoyed a similar bowl at a small Laguna Beach café called Active Culture and recreated my own version at home. While not identical, this bowl captures the same balanced textures and bright flavors: nutty quinoa and brown rice, tender black beans, crunchy cabbage and cucumber, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and a tangy mustard-yogurt sauce. It’s easy to adapt—swap in white rice if you prefer, or adjust the salsa and seasonings to your taste.
Make the grains ahead of time to save prep time. Finely shred the cabbage, quarter and thinly slice the cucumber, and chop the tomatoes so everything is ready for quick assembly.
How To Make a Quinoa Bowl
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions and transfer to a large bowl. Cook the brown rice according to package directions and transfer to a separate large bowl. Cooking grains ahead and keeping them warm makes assembly faster.
- Make the sauce: combine Dijon or brown mustard, plain Greek yogurt, a few tablespoons of water and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until warmed through, then remove from heat.
- Mix the dry seasoning: in a small bowl combine celery seed, smoked paprika, curry powder, garlic salt, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust amounts to taste.
- Assemble each serving: layer brown rice, quinoa, a few spoonfuls of the mustard-yogurt sauce, drained black beans, sliced cucumber, chopped tomato, a little mild salsa (not pico de gallo), shredded cabbage, a pinch of the spice blend, and diced avocado. I like to gently stir the bowl so the sauce and seasonings coat the grains and vegetables. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
You’ll also need black beans, a mild thin salsa, and one avocado peeled and diced.
Here are the spices I used for the seasoning blend; you can substitute with a single commercial seasoning if you prefer. Use roughly one teaspoon of each spice and finish with fresh ground pepper to taste.
The spices are colorful and fragrant and give the bowl a warm, savory finish.
The sauce is simple: mustard, plain Greek yogurt, a little water and Worcestershire sauce. Warm it briefly to meld the flavors.
Once combined, the sauce brings bright, tangy flavor to the grains and vegetables.
Layer the bowl starting with brown rice, then quinoa, a few spoonfuls of sauce and the beans, followed by the fresh vegetables and seasonings.
Top with salsa, cabbage, your spice blend and diced avocado for creaminess and balance.
After plating (and yes, after taking a quick photo if you like), stir the bowl to evenly distribute the sauce and seasonings. Mixing helps each bite combine textures and flavors from the grains, beans and vegetables.
Black Bean Quinoa Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 1 cup Dijon or brown mustard
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 15 ounce can black beans drained
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 2 cups quartered and sliced cucumber
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup mild thin salsa not pico de gallo
- 1 avocado peeled and diced
Instructions
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Cook quinoa according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl. Cook brown rice according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl.
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Place mustard, yogurt, water and Worcestershire sauce into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until warm, then remove from heat.
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Combine celery seed, smoked paprika, curry powder, garlic salt, kosher salt and black pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine.
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Assemble bowls by layering brown rice, quinoa, a few spoonfuls of mustard sauce, black beans, cucumber, tomatoes, a spoonful of salsa, cabbage, a pinch of seasoning and diced avocado. Stir to combine and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.