Meal prep never tasted so good.
The obsession with Sweetgreen began with their Spicy Cashew Dressing and has remained because of their heartwarming and oh-so-filling Harvest Bowl.
Warm roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts accompany tangy chunks of goat cheese, crunchy toasted pecans, lean chicken, sweet apple pieces, and the most lick-your-plate-worthy balsamic vinaigrette.
All of this sitting atop a big scoop of wild rice… maybe one of the BEST superfoods!
After ordering this salad one too many times in the last month, I deconstructed the components, recipe tested them all, and then combined them to find the gorgeous and delicious harvest bowl you see here!
While it may look like a lot of work, it’s actually super easy to make and one of the best dishes to meal prep for busy weeks.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Chicken. Grab some chicken breasts, and this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe makes it a breeze. Or, simply pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it yourself.
- Rice. Wild rice is a delicious and nutritious superfood. You can sub in regular brown or white rice, but you’ll lose the chewy texture and nutty flavor that make wild rice work here.
- Sweet potatoes. Another super good-for-you food, packed full of nutrients. Roasted sweet potatoes become slightly caramelized and add so much flavor. (Here’s more on the question, Are sweet potatoes good for you?)
- Brussels sprouts. When baked in the oven, this veggie becomes irresistible. Be sure to trim the ends first.
- Kale. Fresh kale adds a beautiful color and fresh crunch to this harvest bowl.
- Apple. You can choose which variety you use, but look for a firm, sweet-tart variety like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Cosmic Crisp. If you want to prep ahead, use these tips to keep apples from browning. (Learn about all the different types of apples and how to cut an apple.)
- Maple syrup. You just need a little to cook the Brussels sprouts with. You can sub another sweetener, or leave it out if you prefer.
- Seeds and nuts. Roasted pumpkin seeds and toasted pecans give this bowl a nice crunch in every bite.
- Goat cheese. Slightly sweet and tangy, this cheese is the best way to round out the flavor of the bowl. You can sub in another type of cheese, like feta or blue cheese, but it will affect the flavor.
- Balsamic vinaigrette. This is the perfect dressing for this big salad. It has loads of flavor and it’s good for you. (Fresh out? Here’s a list of balsamic vinegar substitutes.)
- Oil. You can choose avocado oil, olive oil, or butter, depending on your taste and dietary preference.
- Broth. Cooking the rice in vegetable broth makes it even more flavorful. You can use water, if needed.
- Seasonings. For the different components, you will need garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. These create the fall flavor in the bowl.
The Maple Syrup That Makes the Difference
I always use Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup for this recipe. The darker the grade, the bolder the maple flavor, and that’s what you want when you’re trying to recreate that Quaker taste from scratch.
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Cook the wild rice
Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer. Hold it under cool, running water for a couple of minutes until the water runs clear.
Pour the rice and broth into a medium-sized pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and let it simmer for 50 to 60 minutes.
If any liquid remains after the rice is cooked, use a fine mesh strainer to drain it.
Pro Tip:The wild rice takes longer than anything else here, so if you have an Instant Pot, use it. My Instant Pot wild rice method cuts that hands-off simmer way down, which is what turns this from a weekend project into something you can pull off on a Sunday afternoon.
Roast the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the halved Brussels sprouts with 1 tablespoon oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. After the potatoes have roasted for 10 minutes, push them to one side of the pan and add the Brussels sprouts. Roast for 15–20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the Brussels sprouts are browned and crisp.
Pro Tip: For the crispiest Brussels sprouts, preheat the baking sheet in the oven and place the sprouts cut-side down in a single layer before roasting.
The Sheet Pan I L❤️VE!
Your veggies will end up steaming instead of roasting if you overcrowd the pan. So my tip… use the largest sheet pan you have and spread everything out!
Make the vinaigrette
You can buy a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette at the store, or you can shake together your own in about a minute.
Add the balsamic vinegar, oil, maple syrup, and salt to a mason jar. Shake for 20 to 30 seconds.
Simply give the jar a good shake again just before using.
Build the bowls
Before you build anything, sprinkle the chopped kale with a pinch of salt and work it between your hands for about a minute, until it darkens and softens. Raw kale stays tough sitting in the fridge, and this one step is what keeps a day-four bowl from feeling like a chore.
Dice the apple last, right before the bowls come together. If you’re prepping ahead, toss the pieces with a squeeze of lemon juice and they’ll hold their color for about six hours.
When you’re ready to dig into the grain bowl, add the wild rice to the bottom of the bowl.
Then, top with the chopped kale, roasted veggies, shredded chicken, toasted pecans, diced apple, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese.
Pour however much creamy balsamic dressing you like over the top and enjoy.
Meal prep and storage
- How to prep ahead of time: You can make all the parts of the bowl 1 to 2 days ahead of time and build it when you’re ready to eat. Simply keep everything separate in the fridge.
- How to store: It’s best to only dress the amount of salad you want to keep so the greens don’t get soggy. Keep the Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and chicken separately in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: It is not recommended to freeze the harvest bowl once it’s been built.
FAQs
A harvest bowl is a grain bowl built on fall produce, with a cooked grain on the bottom, a protein, roasted vegetables, something sweet, something crunchy, and a vinaigrette over the top. This one layers wild rice, chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, apple, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese under a balsamic vinaigrette.
Sweetgreen builds theirs on shredded kale and wild rice with roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, apples, goat cheese, roasted almonds, and a balsamic vinaigrette. Mine adds roasted Brussels sprouts, and I went with pecans and pumpkin seeds instead of almonds because I liked the crunch better.
Keep each component in its own container, store the vinaigrette separately, and build every bowl right before you eat it. Massaging the kale ahead of time helps too, since softened kale holds up a lot better over a few days than raw leaves do.
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Harvest Bowl Recipe
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Ingredients
Wild Rice
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- Salt to taste
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- 1 pound brussel sprouts ends trimmed, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Balsamic Vinaigrette**
- ½ cup oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Salt to taste
Harvest Bowl
- 4-6 cups chopped kale ribs removed
- 1 pound chicken cooked, shredded
- 1 medium-sized apple cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup pecans coarsely chopped, roasted
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds roasted and salted
- 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
For the Wild Rice:
- Add the rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cool running water for 1-2 minutes.1 cup wild rice
- Combine the rice and the broth or water in a medium-sized pot over high heat. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 50-60 minutes, or until cooked through.3 cups vegetable broth
- If excess liquid remains, add it back to the fine mesh strainer to drain.
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.1 pound sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons oil
- Add the sweet potato cubes and 2 tablespoons of oil to a large bowl. Toss until the potatoes are well coated. Mix up the garlic powder, chill powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle over the sweet potatoes. Toss until completely coated.½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the potatoes in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes while preparing the brussels sprouts.
- Add the trimmed and cut Brussels sprouts to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon of oil, the maple syrup, ¾ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Toss until well combined. After the potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes, move them to one half of the sheet pan and then spread out the Brussels sprouts on the other half. Return to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the sprouts are crispy and cooked through.1 pound brussel sprouts, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- Add all ingredients to an 8-16 ounce mason jar and shake for 20-30 seconds, or until combined. Give the dressing another shake before serving to re-combine the ingredients.½ cup oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, Salt
For the Harvest Bowl:
- Add the chopped kale, wild rice, roasted vegetables, shredded chicken, toasted pecans, diced apple, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese to a large bowl. Drizzle with your desired amount of balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy!4-6 cups chopped kale, 1 pound chicken, 1 medium-sized apple, ½ cup pecans, ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, 4 ounces goat cheese
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Video
Notes
- Wild Rice: Cook the rice in broth instead of water for extra flavor, and let it cool slightly before assembling the bowls.
- Sweet Potatoes: Cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized cubes so they roast evenly and caramelize at the same rate.
- Brussels Sprouts: Arrange the sprouts cut-side down on the baking sheet for the crispiest edges.
- Kale: Massage the kale with a drizzle of the dressing for 1 to 2 minutes to soften the leaves and mellow their flavor.
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut and makes meal prep even easier.
- Apple: Add the chopped apple just before serving to keep it crisp and prevent browning.
- Meal Prep: Store the dressing separately and assemble just before serving for the freshest texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with a harvest bowl
While this harvest bowl is already a complete meal, there are a few delicious things you can add.
Mini Cornbread Muffins or Gluten-free Cornbread are always crowd pleasers.
Drizzle some Spicy Sriracha Mayo on top for an added creamy kick.
You can even pair it with a soup, like Roasted Butternut Squash Soup or Zucchini Soup, and really feel like fall.
More fall salads and bowls
There’s nothing like being nourished by a hearty salad. Try any of these recipes next.
