Jump on the Meatless Monday bandwagon with a delicious, filling, nutritious, and satisfying vegetarian and healthy meal prep. With this easy Chipotle Chickpea Taco Bowl Meal Prep for dinner or lunch, your day will be stress-free, yummy, and healthy.
If you enjoy this Chipotle Chickpea Taco Bowl Meal Prep, then you'll enjoy my Quinoa Taco Bowl, Healthy Taco Salad, and Mason Jar Salad.
In This Post You'll Find:
I think you all know I’m not vegan or vegetarian. But I enjoy cooking easy vegetarian recipes from time to time. Because they are delicious and full of great nutritious benefits.
And because eating less meat has numerous health benefits. So, friends, let’s just discuss this Vegetarian Taco Bowl recipe. It involves spicy chipotle baked chickpeas, tri-colored quinoa, black beans, fresh veggies, and greens. Plus avocado and greek yogurt toppings. So TASTY!
If you were looking for more vegetarian dinner ideas, you’re in the right place. Aside from this easy meal prep, I have tips and substitutions for meat that will help you come up with numerous vegetarian dinner ideas. Because the best vegetarian recipes are very simple – all you have to do is to replace your typical meat proteins with vegan and vegetarian proteins.
If you enjoyed Chipotle Chickpea Taco Bowls, then you'll enjoy Homemade Fajita Seasoning. Next stop - Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. Packed with fiber, protein, and nutrients, this salad is perfect for lunch. It works for a light dinner too. These Spinach, Egg White and Zucchini Lunch Wraps are just so easy to make. And ready in 15 minutes. And they taste amazing.
Sounds easy enough? Great!
In order to make balanced and healthy vegetarian recipes, you have to make sure all the key nutrients are included.
Well, to be fair, that’s pretty much how it goes for all meals, whether they are meatless meals or not.
So, if you want to eat more plant-based and to include more vegetarian recipes into your weekly rotation, let’s get started. By the end of this post, you’ll know how to put together a delicious, hearty, and satisfying vegetarian meal prep. And, of course, meal prep ideas for making the most of your vegetarian dinner ideas.
Amazeballs!
Ingredients For Chipotle Chickpea Taco Bowl Meal Prep
Quinoa: It’s light, fluffy, and packed with plant protein. More importantly? It’s the perfect starch to soak up all those bold chipotle flavors. Think of it as the steady base that keeps everything grounded.
Chickpeas: These chickpeas are the heart of the bowl.The paprika, cumin, and garlic wrap around the chickpeas, giving them that deep taco-inspired flavor.
Greek Yogurt: You can omit the Greek Yogurt to make these bowls completely vegan, or choose a plant-based option.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels and allow them to drain. The dryer, the better. Then, transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Over the chickpeas, add olive oil, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, sea salt, and garlic powder. Toss this thoroughly with a spoon to ensure the chickpeas are evenly coated. Then, transfer the seasoned chickpeas to the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
Step 3: Bake the chickpeas for about 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through baking time, until the chickpeas are heated through and starting to become a little crunchy. Remove the chickpeas from the oven and then allow to cool.
Step 4: While the chickpeas are in the oven, combine uncooked quinoa with sea salt and low sodium vegetable broth in a saucepan, and bring to boil. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Then, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
Step 5: Start off by adding in the cooked quinoa into one quarter of the meal prep containers. Next to the quinoa, add in sliced grape tomatoes, fresh chopped lettuce, spicy and chipotle chickpeas, and rinsed and drained black beans. Top them off with cilantro, diced avocado, a little greek yogurt, and a wedge of lime. (optional) Seal up the containers and place into the fridge for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Tips For Weekly Meal Planning
Wanna know the secret of stress-free, easy vegetarian dinners? Meal prep! Seriously, planning ahead is key! It will make healthy eating so much easier.
Tips for successful meal prep:
- decide what you want to meal prep and don’t forget to add vegetarian meal prep on your menu;
- check your pantry and your fridge to see what you already have and what you need;
- make a grocery shopping list and stick to it when you go grocery shopping;
- for vegetarian meal prep, opt for fresh, seasonal veggies – your vegetarian recipes will be more flavorful and delicious;
- prep your meatless meals and store them in the fridge.
Super duper easy! But so useful for staying on track with your meal plan.
What To Eat Instead Of Meat
Ok, fruits and veggies should definitely be on the list for your vegetarian weekly meal prep. But… what else? In my vegetarian meal prep, we have quinoa and chickpeas.
However, there are many more plant-based and animal proteins you can use as substitutions for meat.
What to eat instead of meat - vegan meal prep options
Replace chicken, pork, beef, and fish with…
- eggplant – versatile and easy to cook, eggplant is a great replacement for meat proteins. You can grill it, bake it or turn it into stir-fry dishes. Either way, it’s yummy.
- lentils – high in protein and with a hearty texture, lentils are legumes that provide you with many health benefits. And they are great substitutions for meat in recipes that require beef.
- mushrooms – any type of mushroom will replace meat wonderfully but Portobello mushrooms have a special place in my heart because they have a meaty texture that’s just perfect for burgers. And I HEART burgers. Especially when they are healthy!
- beans – when it comes to their nutritional profile, beans are similar to lentils. Basically, they are amazing. High in protein, fiber, and nutrients. Everything you want, right?
- cauliflower – oh, you know how much I love cauliflower. Cauliflower can do so many different things – side dishes like mashed cauliflower, cauliflower burgers, main dishes. Cauliflower is amazing, friends. So make sure on your list of easy vegetarian recipes there are some cauliflower recipes included.
What to eat instead of meat - vegetarian meal prep options
Aside from veggies, meat can be replaced in your diet by…
- eggs – eggs are a great source of protein and healthy fats. You can boil them and add them to salads or fry them and serve them with cauliflower rice and a veggies salad.
- greek yogurt – greek yogurt is just amazing. Such a nutritional powerhouse. A yummy one too. You can use greek yogurt to make a healthy dip sauce or you can add it to your morning shake. Or you can make healthy sweet treats like matcha frozen yogurt.
- cheese – eating cheese in moderation is not bad so you can add cheese into your healthy vegetarian recipes.
How To Store Chipotle Chickpea Taco Bowl Meal Prep
Use a air tight meal prep container (For help check out my post on the Ultimate Guide To Meal Prep Containers.) Seal up the containers and place into the fridge for up to 5 days.
For this vegetarian meal prep (and so many other tasty meal prep recipes), I like to use glass meal prep containers. They are microwave and dishwasher safe. Also eco-friendly and great for portioning meals. I have these in case you’re wondering.
