Bowls For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Building a meal bowl is as easy as layering six elements: a base of greens and grains, a protein, colorful veggies, something crunchy, a flavorful sauce, and a final pop of color. The result is a meal that's heartier than a salad and simpler than a casserole. Read on for step-by-step styling tips, crowd-pleasing party combos, the best make-ahead veggies, and handy grain cook times.

Bowls are the perfect meal for those looking to make easy, versatile, and nutritious meals. They combine grains with protein and burst with vegetables. Bowls are heartier than a salad and less complicated than a casserole.

How to stylize a meal bowl

Grab a bowl about 10 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Then follow these steps:

1. Create the base. Leafy greens (arugula, kale, romaine, or spinach) paired with whole grains (brown rice, bulgur, couscous, farro, pasta, quinoa, rice noodles, sticky rice) are the perfect foundation of making a meal bowl. Divide your bowl in half, one side with greens and the other with your grains.
2. ‍Choose a protein. Shredded chicken, cubed steak meat, ground beef, canned tuna, pan-fried tofu, or beans all make for a great meal bowl. Layer the meat down the center of the bowl, between the greens and the grains.
3. ‍Create mounds of vegetables. Think of visual appeal, textures, nutrition, and flavors when choosing vegetables. You eat with your eyes first, so go for a rainbow of vegetable colors! Avocado, bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, pickled beets, purple cabbage, radishes, red onions, sprouts, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes craft a beautiful and nutritious bowl. You can either make mounds of the sliced or shredded vegetables or create lines for a more linear aesthetic. Use a spiralizer to add more visual appeal with vegetables.
4. ‍Add crunch. Texture is part of what makes eating bowls so enjoyable. You can add a little crunch with nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts), seeds (chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds), or fun toppings (bacon bits, chips, crispy shoestring potatoes, croutons, or fried onions). These elements are perfect sprinkled over the top of a bowl.
5. ‍Drizzle with a sauce. Sauces provide visual appeal and flavor. This is where you can take a very bland bowl and make it sing! Favorite sauces include spicy mayonnaise for an Asian bowl, creamy cilantro dressing for a Mexican bowl, or a simple vinaigrette. You can buy ready-to-use dressings or make your own.
6. ‍Add finishing pops of color. Many bowls have a final pop of color on top. You can achieve this with chopped fresh herbs (basil, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, rosemary, or thyme), black or white sesame seeds, sliced green onions, or crumbled cheeses. The flavors should balance the bowl, so if it’s a Mexican-inspired bowl, go for cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese; if it’s an Asian-inspired bowl, consider black sesame seeds and green onions; for a Mediterranean-inspired bowl, opt for chopped parsley and crumbled feta.

How to serve a bowl at a party

Whether it’s brunch, lunch, or dinner, meal bowls are perfect for every occasion. You don’t need a 100-ounce bowl to serve a meal bowl for a crowd. The bliss behind creating a meal bowl for a party is that you can create a stylized bowl to showcase how to make a bowl, but then let your guests create their own. This way, if someone has an allergy or a specific dietary need, they have options. It’s also great for little ones who may not want the wide variety you enjoy. It’s a winning combo for any gathering. Here are some suggestions to try:

• Asian bowls: Poached salmon, teriyaki steak, sticky rice, rice noodles, shredded cabbage, grated carrots, sliced cucumbers, sesame seeds, green onions, chili crisp, and cilantro
• Breakfast burrito bowls: Scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, bacon, ground sausage, tomatoes, sautéed peppers, sautéed spinach, salsa, ketchup, avocado, and green onions
• Burrito bowls: Ground meat or shredded chicken, lettuce, beans, rice, pico de gallo, avocado, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, chips, and tortillas
• Hearty sausage bowls: Grilled sausage, polenta, roasted potatoes, sautéed bell peppers, sautéed onions, baby spinach, cabbage slaw, grilled vegetables, chopped herbs, and crumbled goat cheese or feta
• Mediterranean bowls: Hummus, grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, red onion, olive oil, vinegar, arugula, roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, walnuts, avocado, and feta
• Yogurt brunch bowls: Vanilla yogurt, plain yogurt, berries, walnuts, pistachios, sliced almonds, honey, granola, oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, coconut flakes, and puffed rice

Five favorite veggies for a meal bowl

Not all vegetables hold up equally well when it comes to on-the-whim bowl making. The following vegetables hold up well in the refrigerator. Plus, they can swing to any flavor profile you want, and they’re available year-round! When you’re struggling with meal inspiration at night, it’s easy to pull out these ingredients and create a bowl:

• Cabbage: Cabbage provides crunch, color, and nutrition. This cruciferous veggie can hang out for weeks in your fridge. Grate or shred it as needed; then tightly wrap the leftover cabbage head and place it back in the fridge for your next bowl. Napa, purple, or white cabbage are excellent varieties to keep on hand.
• Carrots: Carrots are hearty and can hold up in the fridge for weeks if stored properly. When you get your carrots home, trim the greens and wash and dry the carrots. Then layer them in a storage bag with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. This can help the carrots stay fresh for a month in the fridge. Carrots are great sliced, shredded, grated, or spiralized. You get pops of color, crunch, and nutrition with each bite!
• Cucumbers: Not all cucumbers are created equal — English or Persian cucumbers are best. Cucumbers won’t last as long in the fridge, so plan to use them within a week. Wrap them in paper towel or tea towels and place them in a resealable plastic storage bag. Cucumbers are great sliced or spiralized.
• Greens: Arugula, kale, lettuce, spinach, and sprouts are greens you can keep in your refrigerator drawer. Greens look beautiful in bowls, fill up the space, and are nutrient dense. When you buy your greens, wash them and clean them; then dry and pack with a paper towel to keep them fresher longer.
• Herbs: Fresh herbs, like cilantro, chives, and parsley are great to keep growing on your counter or stored in your refrigerator. Place cut herbs in a shallow glass of water and cover with a plastic bag in your fridge when storing. Fresh herbs add that final pop of color, flavor, and nutrition to your bowls. Don’t skip them!

Cook times for popular bowl-making grains