My vegan harvest bowls are packed with vibrant fillings like marinated baked tofu, roasted butternut squash, massaged kale, pepitas, and dried cranberries, all drizzled with a luscious maple-tahini sauce. Served over rice (or your favorite grain), they’re wholesome, cozy, and bursting with fall flavor!
To say I’m excited for fall is the biggest understatement ever. I’m completely psyched about the cooler temperatures, cozy sweaters, pretty falling leaves, and, perhaps most of all, the FOOD! Give me ALL the wholesome goodness and vibrant flavors of fall food. I mean that literally, and all at once. So I did what I always do when I have cravings for a variety of flavors and ingredients in one meal: I made a bowl.
Just like with my sheet pan peanut tofu bowls, vegan burrito bowls, vegan sushi bowls, and spicy chickpea bowls, these harvest bowls combine a bunch of ingredients that work really well together to create one amazing meal.
Jump to:
The theme here is (no surprise!) fall: sweet roasted butternut squash, hearty kale, curry baked tofu (a year-round favorite, but so cozy), crunchy pepitas, and tart cranberries. I love a good tahini dressing on a bowl, so for this one I added a touch of maple sweetness to go with the season.
The result is absolutely scrumptious, hearty, and super satisfying. These bowls also keep well, so they’re perfect for dinner, leftovers, packed lunches, or meal prep!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted, if needed.
- Maple syrup.
- Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has the best flavor for this dressing, but red or white wine vinegar will work in a pinch.
- Garlic.
- Spices. You’ll just need curry powder and ground ginger.
- Tofu. Super-firm tofu works best in this recipe. It has a nice texture, but is also soft enough to soak up lots of marinade. Firm or extra-firm will work if needed.
- Butternut squash. Feel free to experiment with other types of winter squash, like delicata, acorn, or kabocha. Sweet potatoes will also work.
- Olive oil.
- Salt & pepper.
- Lacinato kale. This is also known as Tuscan kale and dinosaur kale. It’s my favorite type of kale for eating raw, like we’re doing here, but other varieties like curly kale will work if Lacinato isn’t available.
- Tahini.
- Sriracha sauce. This will add just a touch of heat to the dressing. Feel free to skip it if you prefer!
- Rice.
- Pepitas. Not a fan? Substitute walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds.
- Dried cranberries.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Steps 1 & 2: Marinate the tofu. Stir the soy sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, and curry powder together. Place the tofu into a shallow dish, pour the marinade over it, and let it soak for at least a half hour.
Tip: You can marinate your tofu for up to 24 hours if you’d like! Just make sure to cover the dish and place it in the fridge if you’re going to let it go for more than two hours.
Step 3: Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 4: Get the tofu ready. Arrange the cubes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be sure to save any excess marinade.
Step 5: Get the butternut squash ready. Arrange the cubes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and rub them with some olive oil.
Step 6: Bake. Pop both baking sheets into the oven. The squash and tofu will each take about 30 minutes. You’ll want to turn them both about halfway through, and brush the tofu with any excess marinade you saved.
Tip: If you’ve got some extra room in the oven, arrange your pepitas on a little baking dish and stick them into the oven for five minutes. Not required, but it will enhance their flavor and crunch!
You’ll know that the tofu is done when the pieces have shrunk and darkened.
The squash is done when the pieces are soft enough to be pierced with a fork.
Step 7: Massage the kale. Place it in a bowl, add a tiny bit of olive oil and salt, then rub the pieces together until they soften up, which will take just a few minutes.
Step 8: Make the dressing. Whisk tahini, maple syrup, cider vinegar, sriracha, and salt together, then thin the mixture with a few tablespoons of water.
Tip: Another optional step — soak the berries! Place the cranberries into a bowl and cover them with warm water. Let them soak for five minutes or so. This will plump them up.
Step 9: Assemble the bowls. Divide the rice among four bowls, then top it with the baked tofu, roasted squash, kale, pepitas, and cranberries. They’re ready to enjoy!
Variations
- Switch up the protein. Instead of tofu, use canned chickpeas, seitan, or tempeh. For each of these options, simply toss the ingredient in the marinade, then pan-fry until heated throughout.
- Change the base. Instead of rice, serve your bowls over farro, quinoa, couscous, or your favorite grain.
- Veggie swaps. Replace the butternut squash with another type of winter squash or sweet potatoes. Not a fan of of kale? Replace it with a roasted green veggie like broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
- Harvest wraps. Instead of piling the fillings into bowls, stuff them into a warm tortilla!
Frequently Asked Questions
They sure can! Just substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.
They keep great! In fact, my husband thinks they’re better on the second day. Store leftover bowls in individual airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days. You can keep the dressing separate if you’d like, but if they’re for packed lunches and that’s not convenient, just pile it on.
Store the components separately. Rice, tofu, squash, kale, and dressing can be kept in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Warm everything (except the dressing) in the microwave before assembling. If the dressing has thickened, thin it with some water. Pepitas and cranberries can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature, unless you soaked the berries, in which case you’ll want to refrigerate them.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Recipe
Harvest Bowls with Curry Baked Tofu & Butternut Squash
My vegan harvest bowls are packed with vibrant fillings like marinated baked tofu, roasted butternut squash, massaged kale, pepitas, and dried cranberries, all drizzled with a luscious maple-tahini sauce. Served over rice (or your favorite grain), they’re wholesome, cozy, and bursting with fall flavor!
Ingredients
For the Baked Tofu
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 (14 ounce/396 gram) package super-firm tofu drained, pressed, and cut into ½ inch cubes
For the Roasted Butternut Squash
- 3 cups diced butternut squash (½ inch)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
For the Kale
- 1 small bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch salt
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Water, as needed (usually 3-4 tablespoons)
For Serving
- 4 cups cooked rice
- ¼ cup pepitas (optionally toasted – Note 1)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries (optionally soaked – Note 2)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
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To make the baked tofu, first stir the soy sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, curry powder, and ginger together in a small bowl or cup.
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Place the tofu into a shallow dish, then pour the marinade over the tofu. Let the tofu marinate for at least 30 minutes (Note 3). You can do the remaining prep work on the other ingredients while the tofu soaks.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Arrange the tofu cubes on one of the baking sheets, spreading them out into an even layer. Reserve any excess marinade.
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Arrange the butternut squash cubes on the other baking sheet. Drizzle them with the olive oil, then use your hands to rub the oil all over the squash, getting it into a nice even coating. Spread the squash cubes out into a single layer.
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Place both baking sheets into the oven. Bake the squash and tofu for about 30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through and drizzling the tofu with any reserved marinade. The tofu is done when the pieces have darkened and shrunk a bit. The squash is done when the pieces are easily pierced with a fork. Sprinkle the squash with salt once it comes out of the oven.
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Place the kale into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and salt, then massage the kale for 3 to 5 minutes, until all of the pieces are wilted and tender.
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To make the dressing, whisk the tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, sriracha and salt together in a small bowl. Thin the mixture with water until it becomes pourable, but is still very creamy.
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To assemble, divide the rice among four bowls, followed by the tofu, butternut squash, and kale. Drizzle each bowl with dressing and sprinkle with pepitas and dried cranberries. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve.
Notes
- If you’d like to toast your pepitas, arrange them in an even layer on a baking sheet and pop them into a 400°F oven for about 5 minutes, until they darken a bit. If you have room, you can stick them in with the tofu and butternut squash.
- Soaking the cranberries will plump them up. If you’d like to do this, simply place them in a cup and cover them with warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain before adding them to your bowls.
- You can let the tofu marinate for up to 24 hours, but be sure to cover the dish and place it in the fridge before hitting the 2-hour mark.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl (¼ of recipe) | Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 1823mg | Potassium: 1043mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 17925IU | Vitamin C: 87mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 5mg