Forbidden rice bowls with a variety of roasted vegetables and carrot top pesto sauce. This colorful, nutrient-rich meal is perfect for using up your supply of farmer’s market veggies.
These forbidden rice bowls are the perfect swoon-worthy nutrient-dense meal.
Clean, full of variety, flavor, and texture, and a most excellent way of using up the random vegetables we find in the nooks and crannies of our fridge.
Plunk a variety of roasted summer veggies in a bowl with some rice (be it actual rice, sweet potato rice, broccoli rice, etc), some form of protein, and sauce, and I’m all doe-eyed and hearts and flowers.
Make it colorful, and I’m swooning!
The combination of roasted heirloom carrots, summer squash, sweet potato, heirloom cherry tomatoes, a jammy egg or two with some homemade pesto sauce in these forbidden rice bowls is all sorts of dreamy.
What is Forbidden Rice?:
Forbidden Rice is simply another name for black rice (also known as purple rice). Grocery stores place it right next to brown and white rice in the rice aisle 🙂 If you prefer using a different rice, go for it!
Lettuce discuss the elephant in the room: the rice.
Whether or not rice and potatoes are paleo-approved completely depends on who you ask…and the answer is usually a reflection of whether or not that person can tolerate one or the other. You can read more about this in my blog post, Is Rice Paleo?.
I handle rice like a true champ, so my one modification to eating paleo is I do consume rice. With that said, if you already know your body doesn’t bode well with rice, you can easily swap it out for cauliflower rice (or vegetable rice of choice, such as sweet potato, beet, broccoli, etc.), spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles (or vegetable noodle of choice), quinoa, etc. Point is, you have options!
Pesto Sauce Options:
Have you ever made carrot top pesto sauce using the carrot greens that are attached to carrots?
I love using vegetable greens in pesto sauce, which is exactly what I did with the carrot tops here. Simply remove the carrot tops from the carrots, give them a good wash, and use them in combination with basil or your favorite fresh herb for a dreamy-fresh sauce!
Because I’m sensitive to garlic, I made the carrot top pesto without garlic. If you’re stomach is cool with it, feel free to add in 1 to 3 cloves, depending on your personal preference.
To keep the pesto dairy-free, I simply roasted some walnuts and added nutritional yeast, both of which can yield that nutty, creamy, cheesy flavor so that we’re not missing out on anything.
AND if you’re looking for a different type of pesto, I’ve got you covered! Try my beet green pesto, kale pesto, roasted beet pesto, basil pesto sauce, or your favorite pesto sauce of choice.
Recipe Notes:
- For meal prep, make the pesto sauce up to 5 days ahead of time and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
- Roast the vegetables and cook the rice up to 2 days ahead of time.
- Use your favorite homemade or store-bought pesto sauce.
- Use any type of rice, vegetable “rice,” or vegetable noodle as the base for these bowls.
- Add grilled chicken, steak, or salmon for added animal protein.
Other modifications you can make to this forbidden rice bowl? Generally, if it’s local, or if it’s in season, I say go for it. Use your farmer’s market and CSA produce to your heart’s delight!
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag me at @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Roasted Vegetable Forbidden Rice Bowls
Ingredients
Carrot Top Pesto
- 1 bunch carrot tops about 1.5 cups chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2/3 cup raw walnuts
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast see note*
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2/3 cup olive oil see note**
Roasted Vegetable Forbidden Rice Bowls
- 1 large zucchini squash chopped
- 1 large patty pan squash chopped
- 1 bunch heirloom carrots tops removed
- 1 large sweet potato chopped
- 3 to 4 cups cooked forbidden rice
- 1.5 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 2 ounces microgreens
- 4 to 8 large eggs soft or hard boiled
Instructions
Make the Carrot Top Pesto
- Add pesto ingredients minus the oil to a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Leaving the food processor on, slowly stream the olive oil through the opening of the top. Taste pesto for flavor and add more sea salt and/or cider vinegar to taste. Transfer to a sealable container or jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare the Roasted Vegetable Bowls
- Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F.
- Spread the chopped zucchini, patty pan squash, heirloom carrots, and sweet potato over 2 large baking sheets. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Use your hands to toss everything together so that the vegetables are coated with oil. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, until vegetables reach desired doneness, giving the vegetables a stir or shake halfway through roasting.
- Divide the rice between 3 or 4 large bowls. Top with roasted vegetables, cherry tomatoes, microgreens, and hard or soft boiled eggs. Drizzle with desired amount of carrot top pesto, and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
I think it’s so awesome that you’re not limiting yourself from certain foods just because they aren’t technically paleo. If it makes you feel good then kuddos for listening to your body. With all of the conflicting research out there, it’s really the best thing we can do for our health as individuals.
Anyways, this bowl is speaking all of my love languages. I’m obsessed with that pesto! Definitely trying that soon!
this is a kind of meal i need after a vacation where im all about veggies!!! such a beautiful presentation 🙂
Thanks, sweet girl! xo
What is forbidden rice?
@JULIE, my question too!
Hi Cindy!
Forbidden rice is simply black/purple rice. You can find it in the rice aisle next to the brown rice and white rice. You can always swap it out for what you have on hand, though! xoxo
I think vegetable bowls are delicious! Thanks for sharing this, and carrot pesto: YUMMY!
LOVE that you listed all your pestos for a make-it-your-own style dinner! Those are always my most successful ones.
yummy recipe with all of the ingredients I love, especially sweet potatoes and great idea to use all of these as a all in one clean out your refrigerator dish, thank you
It’s just so tasty! Thanks for the sweet note, Sabrina! xo