Photo by VK Rees
This is what would happen if autumn spilled its purse into a bowl. Sweet roasted butternut squash, hearty lentils and quinoa, smoky tempeh bacon, tender kale, toasted hazelnuts and this absolutely gorgeous beet yogurt sauce poured over everything.
This is one of my favorite recipes from I Can Cook Vegan, and maybe one of my favorite recipes ever. The photo in the book is really special to me, too. I have such good memories of shooting it with VK Rees, so I’m very happy to finally give this recipe a home on the blog.
There are a few components here, but none of them are difficult, and the flavors all have a job to do: you get sweetness from the squash, smokiness from the tempeh, earthiness from the lentils and beets, and crunch from the hazelnuts. It’s a very satisfying bowl to build and an even better one to eat!
About That Beet Yogurt Sauce
Even though I designed the recipe for all the components to go together, please steal the beet yogurt sauce for the rest of your life. It’s lush, vibrant and earthy, with roasted beets, creamy coconut yogurt, fresh ginger and balsamic vinegar. The beets bring sweetness and earthiness, the ginger adds a little warmth and the balsamic gives it just enough acidity. Once the beets are roasted, everything goes into the blender and suddenly you have this velvety magenta sauce that looks like it belongs in a painting.
Pour it over roasted cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, grains, tofu, whatever you’ve got. The recipe makes enough to be generous with it, which is important. This is not a tasteful little drizzle. Get it all over the quinoa and lentils and let it mingle with the roasted squash. Whatever’s left can go on pretty much anything else you eat that week.
How To Cook This Like An Organized Type-A Pro
There’s a little of this and that going on, but you don’t have to stand over all of it at once.
Get the beets into the oven first, since they take the longest. During the last 20 or 30 minutes of their roasting time, get the butternut squash in there too.
While the oven is handling that, you can get your quinoa and lentils ready and make the tempeh bacon. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and blend up the sauce. Steam the kale near the end since that only takes a few minutes.
Then everything goes into bowls and you get to make it pretty.
Make-Aheads & Shortcuts
This gets significantly easier if you’ve got a few things waiting for you. Cook the quinoa and lentils ahead of time and just warm them up when you’re ready to assemble. You can also easily use frozen quinoa and canned lentils. The beets can also be roasted ahead, which means the sauce takes about two minutes once you’re ready for it.
And tempeh bacon is always a good thing to have sitting in the fridge anyway.
You can also make the beet yogurt sauce ahead and refrigerate it, then give it a stir before serving. The color may somehow get even more intense overnight.
Autumn Everything Bowl FAQ
Do I really need everything? The recipe is called an Everything Bowl, so emotionally, yes. But the beet yogurt sauce, grain-and-lentil base and roasted vegetables are the heart of it. From there, you can decide how ambitious you’re feeling.
Can I make the beet yogurt sauce by itself? Please do! That’s half the reason I’m putting this recipe on the blog. Make the sauce and pour it over whatever roasted vegetables and grains you’ve got going on.
What kind of yogurt should I use? The original recipe calls for unsweetened plain coconut yogurt. Definitely make sure it’s plain and unsweetened because vanilla beet sauce is not where we’re headed. You can use any plain unsweetened yogurt you like, though. Just not dairy yogurt, it will cause a chemical reaction and explode.
Can I use a different grain? Sure yeah. Farro, brown rice, barley or just quinoa on its own all work. The lentils and quinoa are a great use for leftovers, which is usually how this bowl happens at my house.
How long does the sauce keep? About 5 days in the fridge in a covered container. Stir it before serving.
Is this gluten-free? No one asked this but it’s worth noting that it’s gluten-free!
If You Liked This Autumn Everything Bowl, You Might Also Like
Autumn Everything Bowl With Beet Yogurt Sauce
Notes
Ingredients
For the roasted beet yogurt sauce:
- 1/2 pound beets
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 2 cups unsweetened plain coconut yogurt
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the butternut squash:
- 1 pound butternut squash chopped into medium dice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the steamed kale:
- 8 ounces kale leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
To assemble:
- 3 cups cooked quinoa warmed
- 2 cups cooked lentils warmed
- 1 recipe
Tempeh Bacon - 1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted
Instructions
Make the roasted beets:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wrap the unpeeled whole beets in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, 45 to 70 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
Make the butternut squash:
- In the last 20 minutes of roasting the beets, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the squash with the olive oil and salt. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing once, until tender. Remove from the oven.
Make the roasted beet yogurt sauce:
- Peel the beets when cool enough to touch. Place them in ice water if necessary. In a blender, pulse the ginger to mince. Add the beets, yogurt, balsamic vinegar and salt and continue to pulse, stopping to scrape the sides of the blender to get everything in, until completely smooth.
Make the kale:
- Set up a steamer. Steam the kale with the salt for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.
To assemble the bowls:
- Toss together the warmed lentils and quinoa and scoop them into bowls. Add the steamed kale and scatter on the butternut. Top with the tempeh bacon. Drizzle on the roasted beet yogurt sauce and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.
This looks perfect!