Skip to Content

Roasted Vegetable Forbidden Rice Bowls with Carrot Top Pesto

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.
Roasted Vegetable Forbidden Rice Bowls with Carrot Top Pesto

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!

Roasted Vegetable Forbidden Rice Bowls with Carrot Top Pesto

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 with Carrot Top Pesto

Roasted Vegetable Forbidden Rice Bowls

Roasted vegetables, forbidden rice and homemade carrot top pesto comprise these delicious bowls
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
3 to 4 people

Ingredients

Carrot Top Pesto

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

*Use 1 cup parmesan cheese for an un-paleo version
**Use 1/3 to 2/3 cup olive oil, depending on desired pesto sauce consistency.
If you aren't sensitive to garlic, add 1 to 2 cloves raw or roasted garlic to the pesto.
You can use your favorite homemade or store-bought pesto sauce instead of the carrot top pesto if you'd like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Bowl (of 4) - Calories: 587kcal - Carbohydrates: 47g - Protein: 20g - Fat: 38g - Fiber: 9g - Sugar: 12g
Course: Lifestyle
Cuisine: American
Keyword: forbidden rice recipe, gluten free recipes, healthy bowl, paleo, roasted vegetable forbidden rice bowls, vegetarian meal, what is forbidden rice
Servings: 3 to 4 people
Calories: 587kcal
Author: Julia
Farmer's Market Roasted Veggie Rice Bowls with Carrot Top Pesto - make great use of your CSA Box or farmer's market produce with these delicious, colorful bowls!
Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sabrina

Tuesday 19th of February 2019

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

Julia

Saturday 23rd of February 2019

It's just so tasty! Thanks for the sweet note, Sabrina! xo

Lindsey | This Miss Cooks

Monday 9th of October 2017

LOVE that you listed all your pestos for a make-it-your-own style dinner! Those are always my most successful ones.

Kelly Mahan

Monday 25th of September 2017

I think vegetable bowls are delicious! Thanks for sharing this, and carrot pesto: YUMMY!

JULIE

Sunday 3rd of September 2017

What is forbidden rice?

Cindy

Monday 21st of June 2021

@JULIE, my question too!

dixya @food, pleasure, and health

Wednesday 30th of August 2017

this is a kind of meal i need after a vacation where im all about veggies!!! such a beautiful presentation :)

Julia

Wednesday 6th of September 2017

Thanks, sweet girl! xo

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.