Mediterranean Grain Bowl

This tangy Mediterranean grain bowl for one is ready in 20 minutes. It's full of lots of pantry ingredients, most of which can be swapped for what you already have. Use this recipe, especially the dressing, and adjust to use what you have.

While this Mediterranean grain bowl isn't Mediterranean per se, as that's a whole region, it has a dressing with Greek flavors and lots of vegetables and pulses/grains which are common in cuisines of many countries along the Mediterranean sea.

This Mediterranean grain bowl is so flavorful with a zingy red wine vinegar and oregano based dressing. The dressing is based on my mom's go-to Ina Garten Greek salad. My mom adds some pepperocini juice to the dressing, and well, I do too.

The first time I made this Mediterranean grain bowl, I just had white wine vinegar. I used that. It's not as zippy as the red wine vinegar, but it's a fair substitute if you don't have it.

This salad is also great because it's endlessly adaptable. I'd stick with the punchy dressing, and use whatever grains/produce you have. For example, you can swap some of the chickpeas and farro for chicken, marinated and cooked in the dressing.

One more thing, if you want to batch prepare a few ingredients, this bowl would be a great make ahead lunch or couple of lunches. You could also change up the add-ins for some variety. Prepare the grains/proteins, dressing, and add other ingredients.

Grain Bowl Checklist

• Grain: This Mediterranean grain bowl uses farro, a hearty, whole grain. But you can use rice, quinoa, barley, etc.
• Protein: I used chickpeas and a bit of chicken in this recipe, you could use just one of these proteins, or lentils, or white beans for example.
• Vegetables: I like having a leafy green in this grain bowl. Arugula, spinach, or spring greens would work. Crunchy cucumber, tomatoes, cooked zucchini, beets, avocado, etc are also good toppings on your Mediterranean grain bowl.
• Dressing: A very flavorful, zippy dressing is key here. You can make a bowl of mild flavored basics taste exciting with a great dressing. Luckily, you won't need lots of ingredients, just vinegar, spices, and olive oil.
• Additional Toppings: I like adding feta cheese, kalamata olives, and pepperoncinis too for more salty flavor and different textures. A pile of fresh herbs is a great addition to your Mediterranean grain bowl.

Ingredients

Scroll down to the Mediterranean grain bowl recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick visual + description of what's in this recipe.

This ingredient list is longer than most of mine, but you can skip ingredients that you don't have on hand already or don't like. I'd say about ½-3/4 of the ingredients are great pantry ingredients. I had all of them, but the feta and tomatoes.

• Olive Oil: A base ingredient in this flavorful Greek inspired salad dressing for a Mediterranean grain bowl. Good extra virgin olive oil will add some nice olive flavor and color. Just as Ina recommends.
• Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar is great in the salad dressing. You can also use white wine vinegar or white distilled vinegar but each is less flavorful than the last.
• Pepperoncini juice: If you already have a jar of pepperoncinis, and like them, a dash of the juice adds some great acidity and tangy flavor to this salad dressing.
• Dijon Mustard: It's an emulsifier to combine the oil and vinegar in salad dressings, it also adds a nice sharp flavor.
• Oregano: The dried version adds great herby flavor to this salad dressing. The dried version really packs in the flavor, making it work for the whole salad. You can also add a pinch to your assembled Mediterranean grain bowl.
• Salt: A pinch+ of salt will help bring out the flavors in this dressing/salad.
• Farro: Hearty farro is chewy, nutty, and delicious in this salad. Substitute it for whatever grain you have/like- rice, wheat berries, bulgur, quinoa would work too.
• Chickpeas: Tender chickpeas are delicious in this salad, and they taste even better with the flavorful dressing. If you have time, you can roast or Air Fry some chickpeas for a nice crunch in the salad.
• Grilled Chicken: Use chickpeas, chicken, or both in this salad. I was really craving chicken with this dressing on it, so I cooked some up, but you don't have to include both.
• Arugula: Peppery arugula is a tasty base for this Mediterranean grain bowl. Spinach would work too.
• Cucumber: Crunchy cucumber is so great in this colorful, flavorful dinner. I like to marinade the cucumber slices in some of the dressing while the farro cooks and I prepare the remaining ingredients. It's not necessary though.
• Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are best here. They're sweet, juicy, and add nice color.
• Feta Cheese: Crumbly, soft, and salty feta cheese adds nice texture and flavor to this salad. You're really mostly getting flavor from the dressing, feta, olives, and pepperoncinis. Make the most out of the flavor add-ins.
• Kalamata Olives: Meaty, salty olives are a nice addition to this grain bowl. Just a handful goes a long way. If you don't have any on hand, you can skip them.
• Pepperoncinis: A few sliced pepperoncinis, and juice add lots of tangy flavor to this recipe. I highly recommend getting a jar. They last a long time and can be used in lots of recipes.
• Lemon Juice: If you have lemon at home, a squeeze of lemon at the on top of your assembled Mediterranean grain bowl is really nice.

Instructions

Scroll down to the Mediterranean grain bowl recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make a grain bowl in general.

1.Cook Farro. Check water level, add more if needed to prevent burning. It's ok to drain some at the end.

2. Make dressing for your Mediterranean grain bowl.

5. Cook chicken. Drizzle about 1 Tablespoon dressing over chicken while cooking.

7. Assemble Mediterranean grain bowl. Enjoy.

Storage/Reheating Tips

The Mediterranean grain bowl should last about a week, in an airtight container in the fridge.

This bowl is great at room temperature or cold. But you can heat up the chicken, chickpeas, farro before adding the remaining ingredients. Don't add dressing until serving.

Substitutions/Tips

• Since you're cooking a small amount of farro-check water level while cooking. Add more if needed, you can easily drain extra after cooking.
• Chickpeas= garbanzo beans. They're the same
• Swap the grains for what you have on hand: white rice, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa, etc work well in this salad.
• Swap the protein for whatever you have: chicken, marinated tofu, shrimp, lentils, etc
• Swap the vegetables for whatever you have: zucchini, beets, avocado, carrot, etc.
• If you're planning this bowl ahead of time, you can marinate the chicken in the dressing, then cook it.
• You don't need to marinate the cucumbers in the dressing, but it makes them more flavorful.
• Other great add-ins: hummus, tzatziki (here's a recipe), plain Greek yogurt, sunflower seeds, nuts, red pepper flakes, lemon, etc

FAQ

Other good pantry recipes

• Pinto Beans and Rice for One
• Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake
• Single Serve Mac & Cheese
• One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
• Chicken Pecan Salad with Apples

What to do with leftover ingredients

When you're cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It'll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.

• Farro: White Bean and Farro Bowl
• Chickpeas: Chickpea Curry for One via One Dish Kitchen or Small Batch Hummus from One Dish Kitchen
• Cucumber: Pineapple and Cucumber Smoothie, Apple Cucumber Salad, and Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Dijon: Panko Chicken, Copycat Chick Fil A Salad, and Vegetarian Harvest Bowl
• Pepperoncinis: add them to Watermelon Chicken Salad, Baked Salmon in a Bag
• Feta: Zucchini with Feta
• Arugula: Arugula Basil Pesto, Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, and Pear Pizza with Prosciutto
• Tomatoes: Potato Salad without Eggs, BLT Bagel, and Pan Seared Salmon with Summer Salad
• Chicken: Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread, Chicken Soup for One, and Instant Pot Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Did you make this Mediterranean grain bowl? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!

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