These delicious make ahead chickpea, barley and butternut squash lunch bowls will have you looking forward to lunch all morning!
I wish I had realized earlier in life that I don’t have to eat a sandwich for lunch every single day.
In college, my lunch was a peanut butter sandwich. Every day. Except that I didn’t actually eat it every day, and instead would go get something extra nutritious like french fries. Or sushi (<–not actually bad for you but it cost a lot of money!)
I wish I had realized that I could swap baking those cookies on the weekend for prepping some lunches for the week. I bet I wouldn’t have gained 10 lbs and I bet I would have saved a lot of money!
Well I am now on a mission to make your work lunch rock. I want you to look forward to lunch, I want it to be delicious and fill you up and also fill you with nutrition! So here’s another delicious work lunch for you: Chickpea, Barley and Butternut Squash Lunch Bowls.
Another GREAT jar salad today! (Did you see these Southwestern Sweet Potato & Lentil Jar Salads?)
I love jar salads because they are the perfect size for a lunch. I always think they look small, but you can really pack a lot of stuff in there! Plus when you dump them out, I love how everything gets perfectly dressed.
I also happen to think that jar salads give you that some cred. Like you know something that your colleagues don’t, and it’s all about jars.
Now if you know me, you know I love my salads packed full of goodies, and these Chickpea, Barley and Butternut Squash Lunch Bowls are no exception.
Packed. Full. Of. Goodies.
Feta cheese, pecans, dried cranberries are the perfect salty/sweet and contrast in textures to compliment the butternut, chickpeas and barley.
And this is super easy to make. Less than an hour of effort for a full week of work lunches. Hurray!
More cool lunch recipes:
- these Chicken Fajita Lunch Bowls will have your work-mates drooling
- or how about some DIY-instant noodles? Check out these Healthy Homemade Instant Noodles
- and find a TON of inspiring ideas in this round up of 19 Healthy Lunch Meal Prep Ideas
Chickpea, Barley & Butternut Squash Lunch Bowls
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
Salad
- 1/2 cup uncooked barley
- 4 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Shake together vinaigrette and set aside.
- Cook barley according to package directions and set aside.
- Heat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Arrange on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Toss and roast for 10-15 more minutes, until soft. Allow to cool completely.
Assemble the jar salads:
- Add 1.5 tablespoons of dressing in the bottom of the jar. Add in the following order: chickpeas, feta cheese, butternut squash, barley, cranberries and pecans.
- Seal and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To serve:
- Shake jar contents out into a bowl. Toss completely in vinaigrette and enjoy!
This looks like the exact opposite of a sad desk lunch! Loving the warm fall flavors 🙂
Thanks Medha! I am always trying to mix things up when it comes to lunch 🙂
I love the salty and sweet combo! I don’t buy barley often enough, but it’s one whole grain my family really enjoys. I’d love to try this salad!
Thanks Andrea! I am a sucker for salty/sweet 🙂 AND barley! Love love love the texture.