This tandoori harvest bowl is very fall, very flavorful. Butternut squash, cauliflower, and chickpeas are coated in a tandoori-inspired spice blend. Place them over a bed of shaved brussels sprouts and top with a crispy, semi-caramelized topping of leftover squash seeds, nuts, and dates!
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Comfort food can literally be anything. It varies based on the mood or day. And maybe a vegetable bowl isn’t what you think of, but hear me out. This tandoori harvest bowl is a half salad. It’s for people who like vegetables and people who aren’t too crazy about them, for people who want to rely on kitchen basics like the sheet pan meal but also introduce fun flavors like tandoori masala, and people who want to feel like they’re eating salad and people who don’t. That’s why I call her a half salad. Basically, she’s a people pleaser. Don’t blame her for being a little confusing.
Bowls like this have become so attached to wellness culture, especially in recent years with the DIY salad places popping up and selling you ~health~. And their popularity is part of the reason why I used post nourish bowls a lot. Their connection to wellness culture isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but that’s not the only reason to make a loaded bowl. Like this can totally be comfort food because it’s just warm food with good flavors. My favorite part is the warm shaved brussels and crispy topping where we don’t throw away the butternut squash seeds; we use them with dates, nuts, and balsamic vinegar. No matter where your relationship with vegetables and salads lies, maybe this will feel like comfort to you.
How to Make This Tandoori Harvest Bowl
Phase 1: The Sheet Pan
spice mix to make: a tandoori masala-inspired spice blend made with ground spices. I would recommend whole spices for freshness, but as long as your ground spices aren’t years old, this should be pretty good with ground spices!
vegetables to roast: butternut squash and cauliflower. But you can really use any squash or sweet potatoes. SAVE YOUR SQUASH SEEDS. THEY ARE CRUNCHY AND DELICIOUS.
crispy chickpeas: use canned or cooked chickpeas and coat these in the tandoori masala as well.
Phase 2: The Pan Pan
vegetable to cook for 5 minutes or so: brussels sprouts. Thinly slice them and add to the pan. Cook until they are soft, but still have a bite to them.
CRISPY SALAD TOPPER: This is in capital letters because it’s my favorite part of the salad. This uses a combination of nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, whatever you have is fine), dates, and butternut squash seeds. Fry in olive oil with a hit of balsamic vinegar at the end.
Tandoori Harvest Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ a large butternut squash (I know using half is annoying but this is just what fit on the baking sheet with cauliflower)
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 14 oz. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 6-8 brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
crispy salad topper
- ⅓ cup butternut squash seeds *amount doesn't matter. just use everything that came out of your squash.
- 4 medjool dates, chopped
- ⅓ cup mixed nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Mix all the ground spices for the tandoori masala in a small bowl.
- To a sheet pan, add the butternut squash and cauliflower. You'll probably need a separate sheet pan for the chickpeas and the pan can go on the bottom rack of the oven if necessary.
- Drizzle some olive oil on the veggies and the chickpeas. Use about half the spice mix for the veggies and half for the chickpeas. Finish the veggies with a drizzle of maple syrup. Roast both for 25-35 minutes, depending on your oven.
- In the mean time, heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shaved brussels sprouts and cook for about 5 minutes. They should be warm, but still have some bite to them. Add a pinch of salt and take them out of the pan.
- To the same pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the squash seeds first. Stir until golden and toasted, so about 4-5 minutes. Then add nuts and dates. Stir for a few more minutes until the nuts are toasted and the dates are crispy. Finish with balsamic vinegar.
- To assemble, start with brussels sprouts and optionally, some chopped kale. Add veggies, crispy chickpes, and seed-nut-date topping. I also added some homemade cashew cheese, recipe here.
If you enjoy this fall salad, you might also enjoy…
Kale Salad (with Lemon Miso Tahini Dressing)
Lentil Grain Bowls with Roasted Vegetables
