Copycat Starbucks Hearty Veggie and Brown Rice Salad Bowl

Have you guys tried the hearty veggie and brown rice salad bowl from Starbucks? I absolutely LOVE it, but at my local Starbucks, it’s hit or miss. In fact, usually when I’m on the go and stop in for a quick lunch or dinner- no such luck, they’re all out. If you’re as crazy about the Starbucks veggie and brown rice salad bowl as I am or you just want a damn good salad, you’ve got to give this copycat recipe a try!

This Copycat Starbucks Hearty Veggie and Brown Rice Salad Bowl is a great, tasty choice for those of you that are conscientious about eating only the freshest and most nutritious foods. It’s also perfect for those of you making a resolution to eat more veggies, eat healthier and/or eat clean foods! Best of all, everyone can enjoy because it’s gluten-free, vegan and dairy-free.

The recipe makes about 4 servings- you can share with your family and friends or use it for meals throughout the week. Check out my tutorial for making the ultimate salad in a Jar and for tips on prepping salads for lunch or dinner throughout the week. I try to eat at least one salad per day, so I’m sure to get my fill of daily veggies.

Here’s what Starbucks says about their veggie and brown rice salad bowl- “If you’ve ever heard someone dismiss vegetables as “rabbit food,” you should introduce them to our Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl. This is one substantial (and quite satisfying) serving of tossed roasted butternut squash, beets, kale, red cabbage, steamed broccoli florets and garden peas with lemon tahini dressing. If rabbits ate nothing but this, we imagine they’d grow to be over six feet tall.”

In creating this copycat recipe, I used all of the same ingredients that Starbucks uses in their salad. However, I made the lemon tahini dressing a little simpler and used maple syrup instead of honey, to keep things vegan. The hearty veggie and brown rice salad bowl is really great, but the lemon tahini dressing- that’s where it’s at. You’re going to want to put this stuff on everything!

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4.89 from 9 votes

Servings:4 large salads

Copycat Starbucks Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

 

This Copycat Starbucks Hearty Veggie and Brown Rice Salad Bowl is a great, tasty choice for those of you that are conscious about eating only the freshest and most nutritious foods.

Ingredients

For the

• 6-9 cups kale and red cabbage or greens of choice I used kale and red spinach found at Trader Joe's
• 2 cups cooked brown or wild rice
• 2 cups broccoli florets about 1 small head of broccoli
• 2-3 cups cubed butternut squash I buy precubed squash*
• 2 small beets steamed or roasted (I used steamed baby beets from Trader Joe's, found in the produce department)
• 1/2-1 cup fresh garden peas I used fresh garden peas from the produce section at Trader Joe's. You can use frozen or canned peas.

For the Lemon Tahini Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 large lemon juiced (about 3 tablespoons lemon juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons water to thin as needed

Instructions

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions and roast cubed squash and broccoli florets at 425 degrees F. for about 25-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare greens and whisk together dressing ingredients.
3. Once brown rice and veggies have cooked and cooled slightly, create your salads by dividing chopped greens into 4 bowls and top with veggies, rice and dressing. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*sweet potato would be a great option too
**The amounts of vegetables used in the salad are suggested and the measurements I use to make this salad. Feel free to use however much of each vegetable you like. If you prefer, you can even replace the vegetables listed for other favorites or leave them out completely. Quinoa could be used instead of brown rice.
***Recipe inspired by Starbucks.

Author: Kim

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Something to think about….

Have you ever tried the Starbucks version of the hearty veggie and brown rice salad bowl? Do you like it as much as I do?

On the Starbucks website they shared that the first recorded usage of the slang word “veggie” appeared in 1955. Funny, I hardly ever say vegetable. What do you say veggie or vegetable?

Have you ever tried a copycat recipe? Feel free to link up, if it’s a good one! I think next on the list is Starbucks Spinach Feta Wrap- I love those things!

Did you make any healthy eating resolutions for 2015? How are you doing with those, so far?

You might want to check out this other really great copycat recipe- Panera Breads Autumn Squash Soup.