I’ll be completely honest: I’m not sure that there is an official definition of a “buddha bowl” and if there is one I’m not sure that this recipe complies with it. But I like the name because it implies a big bowl of healthy food. I also think a bowl should have some sort of sauce, lots of color and texture, and a little spice.
These Tempeh Buddha Bowls have all of the necessaries and then some.
Now, some of my more carnivorous readers might balk at the tempeh idea, but please try it! It really has taken the place of tofu in many of my recipes because A) it has more texture and B) it’s just easier to prepare. There’s not a need to press it or worry about it sticking to stuff. And it has more flavor out of the package than tofu. So tempeh is a win-win-win in my book.
This recipe is definitely one that you can feel very good about. It’s healthy, easy to make (sheet pan!) and works great for lunch or dinner. Buddha on!
Sheet Pan Tempeh Buddha Bowls
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz. tempeh
- 1 red pepper
- ½ pound green beans
- 2 small portobello mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups couscous
- Soft Boiled Eggs
- Fresh cilantro, Garnish
- Sesame seeds, garnish
Quick Sauce:
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce or gochujang
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- On a large sheet pan, drizzle about a tablespoon of oil. Then add your tempeh block, sliced red peppers, trimmed green beans, and halved mushrooms. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Bake sheet pan at 425 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, flipping tempeh halfway through.
- Meanwhile, cook couscous according to instructions and make Soft Boiled Eggs if you’re using them. Also, stir together sauce ingredients.
- To serve bowls, divide up couscous and top with sheet pan ingredients. Then add an egg to each bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro. Serve with sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tempeh Buddha Bowls
I love that you just spread everything out on a sheet pan for this recipe. Drizzle it well with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Try to make the peppers and green beans the same size but half the mushrooms so they don’t get too soggy and leave the tempeh as one block.
Roast this stuff for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees F. and don’t fuss with it too much. I did flip my tempeh one time halfway through but otherwise I didn’t touch the veggies so they get a bit caramelized.
This was my finished sheet pan.
Other things that I stuck on my buddha bowl are delicious, but very flexible. I mixed up a quick sauce of soy sauce, gojuchang (or any chili paste) and sesame oil.
For my buddha bowl base I used couscous literally just because I had a lot of it in my pantry. Any grain would work great. Quinoa, wheatberries, farro… go crazy!
And I couldn’t resist putting a few eggs on top. I went soft boiled for this version. I’m not going to get into the full method here, but here’s my 100% soft boiled egg success tutorial. Easy!
Pile everything in a big bowl and garnish with some sesame seeds and cilantro.
Boom! This tempeh buddha bowl is a thing of beauty in my opinion and I’d be happy to eat it any day of the week. Add it to your meal plan!
Andy
I’m excited! I’ve been trying to do vegan lunches, and buddha bowls (whatever they are ) seem to be the way to go. I do Sunday food prep and this one-pan recipe will make it way easy (especially since I’ll skip the egg).