Make these Grilled Veggie & Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls on the weekend and you will have four work lunches waiting for you. A great vegetarian meal prep option that will keep your oven off this summer.
As we get closer to our moving date, I get a little nostalgic looking around the house.
This was the house where I studied my butt off and earned my PhD. The house where I started this blog, (completely unaware of what it would turn into). The house where we brought teeny tiny newborn Kai home from the hospital.
We have amazing neighbors, and it does take some time to get to know your neighbors. So I’m a little nervous to move to a completely new neighborhood and can only hope that Kai will have some little buddies his own age that live nearby.
But it is time for us to move on…baby #2 pretty much was the push we needed to get a bigger house with more space. I’m sure I’ll be teary eyed as we lock up and move out, but I can’t wait to start fresh in our new house and start making memories there!
Meal prep has absolutely been a savior during the house hunting/house selling/house moving process. Having healthy prepped meals waiting for us in the fridge has been one less thing for us to worry about, and keeps us eating healthier.
Today’s grilled veggie & black bean meal prep bowls are yet another vegetarian meal prep recipe (after this meal prep chopped chickpea salad), and one that doesn’t require your oven!
Instead of roasting, I grilled up the veggies, which makes for an easier clean up and keeps your oven off (and your house a little cooler).
These grilled veggie & black bean meal prep bowls were kinda sorta inspired by a salad at this pub we used to eat lunch at when I was a grad student. It was called a Santa Fe Salad, with lots of Southwestern flavors including BBQ sauce.
I thought it had a BBQ sauce dressing but when I had the chance to go back there recently I realized it had BBQ chicken and ranch dressing. So even though it was my inspiration, my version ended up so verrrrry different. Ha!
Well. This is one of those salads that is going to make you feel so good. Satisfied but not stuffed. And your tummy is going to be happy with all the healthy proteins you just ate (thank you black beans and quinoa) and the veggies galore.
This is one of my new favorite summer meals!
Tips for your perfect grilled veggie & black bean meal prep bowls
- I grilled my veggies on a vegetable grilling plate that prevents them from falling through (here’s a similar one). If you are grilling over direct heat, you will need to turn them more frequently and cook for less time.
- these are my all-time favorite meal prep storage containers
- looking for more vegetarian meal prep recipes? Check out these Southwestern Sweet Potato Lentil Jar Salads and these Chickpea, Barley & Butternut Squash Lunch Bowls
Grilled Veggie & Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
BBQ Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons bbq sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon lime
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Meal Prep Bowls
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 medium zucchini chopped
- 2 bell peppers chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 19 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.
- Cook quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool.
- Heat barbecue over medium-high heat.
- Toss the veggies with olive oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Arrange on a vegetable grilling pan and grill for 10-15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes.
- Divide into each of four 2 cup storage containers the quinoa, grilled veggies and black beans.
- Drizzle with vinaigrette.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, and serve cold.
Notes
Calories 329 // Fat 6 g // Saturated Fat 1 g // Cholesterol 0 mg // Sodium 683 mg // Carbohydrate 56 g // Fiber 11 g // Sugars 10 g // Protein 14 g
Camryn
Such a delicious and easy recipe! I’m a college student so I need quick and healthy meals to eat between classes and this one is perfect!
Denise
Hurray! I’m so happy to hear this, Camryn. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Fiona
This looks great – can you freeze it to make it last longer once cooked?
Denise
Hi Fiona! I personally don’t love freezing grilled or roasted bell peppers as I find they get kind of slimy. So I wouldn’t recommend freezing this one, but I do have lots of freezer-friendly lunch recipes here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/freezer-friendly-lunch-meal-prep-recipes/
Jiselle
Hi, I want to try this recipe but I don’t know what you use the bbq sauce for??
Denise
Hi Jiselle! The BBQ sauce is used in the BBQ Vinaigrette. You can leave it out and swap for 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead, but the flavor might be a little lacking. Hope you enjoy!
Elizabeth Naranjo
I am not a vegetarian but wanted to try this recipe to explore new meal options without the meat. I had it for lunch yesterday with a few slices of Hass Avocado on top. OMG it was so delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Denise
Hi Elizabeth! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Kate
Any other vinegar recommendations for the dressing? White wine vinegar is the only one I don’t have. Would ACV, balsamic, or red wine work?
Denise
Hi Kate, thanks for your patience with my reply (holidays!). You can swap any of those vinegars you suggested. I think balsamic would go particularly well with the grilled veg. Hope you enjoyed!
Cindi
Because it’s still cold here, I roasted the veggies in the oven at 400 for about 15 minutes instead of using the barbecue. Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing these recipes! Love having my lunches for the week all prepared on Sunday 🙂
Denise
What a great idea! Glad you enjoyed, Cindi and thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Celine
Is this okay to eat cold or better warmed up? This looks great but I’m new to cooking and meal prep and I note the beans go in raw. Thanks!
Denise
You can do it either way! The black beans are cooked when they go in 🙂
Karen
Colourful, nutritious and tasty!
Denise
Thanks, Karen!
Amber Hillman
Sounds good but I am not a fan of quinoa. Is there anything I can substitute it with?
Denise
Hi Amber! Absolutely, you could use any sort of rice or grain. Farro might be nice in this as well!
Melanie | Melanie Makes
You’re the queen of meal prep, Denise! Definitely adding these to my menu next week!
Gina
Delicious!
Earl
Hi. This recipe looks amazing. I do not own a grill. Do you think I could roast these in the oven instead? Do you have a process or any tips for that?
Denise
Hi Earl! You could definitely roast the veggies in the oven too. I’d do 425F for 15-20 minutes 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
Earl
Hi Denise! Thank you. I will have to try these next. I love your recipes. I tried them this week for lunch.
Denise
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Aaron
These are fantastic! Lunch is always a struggle for my meal prep, especially after taking a break from it but this really filled the gap and got me back on track. Thanks!
Denise
Hi Aaron! So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Kirti Yadav
Hey Denise,
I can very well relate to the process of leaving a house and entering a new place and new neighborhood. I cried when I left my previous house but as said life is a journey and we keep moving this is also a part of it.
Your recipe is simply superb and I am going to try this.
Denise
Thanks so much, Kirti! I wasn’t sad for too long, our new house is definitely a step up from the old one 🙂
Michelle @ mangiamichelle.com
I am a school teacher and I NEED meal prep in my life! This looks delicious and healthy. Thank you, I definitely will be making these when school starts 🙂
Denise
I hope they make your life a little easier!
Lizzie Moult
That dressing sounds amazing, I will be so trying that. This is my perfect meal. thanks!!!
Denise
Thanks so much, Lizzie, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
I love simple and nutritious meal prep like this! SO good 🙂
Denise
Thanks so much, Medha! 🙂