Who loves a bowl meal? I certainly do! But… I don’t make them all that often at home because I find they can really run away with themselves and turn into huge projects with so many different components. And I’m more of a one pot dinner kind of a gal, after all. So my challenge with this recipe was to make the perfect falafel bowl without overwhelm. Join me!
Making the case for my Falafel Bowl recipe
Is the right recipe for you? Let’s figure it out.
- You need about 45 minutes to make these, but I promise it’s stress free. The three components that have to be prepared (the sheet pan of veggies + lemon couscous + tomato salad) are really pared back and straightforward with minimal ingredients. The rest of the components (premade falafel + olives + hummus + crumbled feta) are grab and go.
- These are warm bowls for dinner (rather than salad style bowls), with roasted veggies and warm falafel. That said, everything works just as well cold so the leftovers are fantastic!
- My recipe makes four portions, but if you don’t need that many for dinner, the remainder can be meal prep for future lunches. (Does this justify the additional effort? Perhaps.)
- You need to fill a sheet pan with veggies for roasting, and they can be whatever you want / whatever you have to hand. I love to use mushrooms, broccolini and peppers, but this is not set in stone. Sweet potato, zucchini, or eggplant would all be great too.
- There’s no separate sauce to prepare. Now, I love sauces, but in all my tests for this recipe, I never found it to be a worthwhile payoff. We’re just generous with the hummus, creamy feta and the super juicy tomato salad – and it’s enough!
Alternative Recipes: If this is feeling like too much prep for you, check out my Burrata Bowls which are a little bit easier with fewer ingredients OR my One Pan Falafel Bake which also uses premade falafel but comes together in one pan!
Ingredient Tips & Substitutions
- Use any veggies you like here! Just fill a large sheet pan with whatever you would like to include, bearing in mind that they will be in the oven for around 20 minutes, so need to be cut to size appropriately. I find this suits most veggies in bite sized pieces perfectly. Sweet potatoes do need to be cut into pretty small cubes though.
- We want the small couscous grains, the kind you can just rehydrate in boiling water rather than cooking like rice. You could alternatively also use some pre-cooked grains and just add in some lemon juice and zest to those after reheating, if that’s easier for you.
- Get a pack of your favorite premade falafel for this recipe. The kind you can have heated or cold from the packet. If you want to heat them up, you can add them to the roasted veggie tray. If you’re using frozen falafel, you will just need to cook them separately.
- You can use any type of tomatoes – I used medium vine tomatoes and chop them into 1/8ths. You could use larger tomatoes like heirlooms, or cherry tomatoes which would only need to be halved. More flavorful tomatoes do pay off in this recipe so try to use the best ones available!
What to do with the leftovers
- I find this recipe makes a comfortable amount for 2 dinners + 2 slightly smaller leftover portions which can be stored in the fridge in containers. Storage tip: I recommend placing the tomato salad on one end, next to the couscous, just to stop the tomato juices from making other elements soggy.
- Additionally, I often have some extra couscous and tomato salad left over even after portioning out the lunches! If this happens to you, I recommend you just toss them together to make a salad. Add some more feta and olives (and check the fridge for anything else you want to throw in!) This can be stored in the fridge and used as the base for another meal, as a side dish or simple lunch.
Falafel Bowls with Roasted Veggies & Couscous
These falafel bowls are a hearty dinner with roasted veggies, lemon couscous and a herby tomato onion salad. Each component is simple to prepare and combine to make a super filling and hearty vegetarian bowl – make some for dinner and save the rest for lunches!
Ingredients
- 12-16 balls falafel, see notes
- ½ cup (75 g) crumbled feta cheese
- 16 whole kalamata olives
- 1 cup (250 g) prepared hummus
Tomato Onion Salad
- 1 lb (450 g) tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 4 tbsp red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 handful chopped fresh herbs, parsley, cilantro (coriander), chives or basil all work
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 pinches sugar
Lemon Couscous
- 1 cup (175 g) small couscous
- 1 lemon , zested and juiced
- 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
Roasted Vegetables – see notes about quantities
- 8 chestnut mushrooms
- 6 mini sweet peppers
- 10 heads broccolini (tenderstem broccoli)
- olive oil, for roasting
- balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Instructions
- First, get the oven preheating to 450F / 220C / 200C Fan. Now decide what order to prepare the components in. If you have time to spare, I recommend prepping the tomato salad first so that it has as long as possible to marinate, so my steps reflect that. If you need to move quicker, get the veggies roasting first and then start the salad.
- Prepare the tomato salad. Add all ingredients to a bowl, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and let it sit at room temperature while you prepare everything else.1 lb tomatoes, 4 tbsp red onion, 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, 2 pinches sugar, 1 handful chopped fresh herbs
- Get the veggies roasting. Chop the veggies and arrange them on a half sheet pan (45cm baking tray).Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and if you've got mushrooms in the mix I recommend adding a shake of balsamic vinegar to them.Place in the oven for 20 minutes, until roasted. If you want to heat your falafel balls, add them to the baking sheet at the halfway point.
- Prepare your couscous while the veggies roast. Add the dry couscous, lemon zest and juice to a bowl. Crumble in the stock cube, and mix it all together. Pour 1 cup (240ml) of boiling water over the top. Cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.1 cup small couscous, 1 lemon, 1 vegetable stock cube
- Bring it all together. Arrange the couscous, roasted veggies, hummus and tomato salad in the base of the bowl. Top with falafel, feta and olives. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Falafel quantities: Different brands can vary in size so just use however many you want per serving. Despite showing 4 in one bowl in my photos, I find that 3 per person is enough.
The vegetable quantities I give are very loose. Your goal is to just to fill one sheet pan with a mix of vegetables, so you can use more or less as needed.
Calories: 608kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 694mg, Potassium: 612mg, Fiber: 17g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2418IU, Vitamin C: 75mg, Calcium: 147mg, Iron: 3mg