Mediterranean Bowls

5 from 5 votes
15 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.

This Mediterranean Bowl recipe is a fresh and delicious lunch or dinner option! Topped with chicken, feta, cucumbers, and all kinds of favorite Greek flavors, you’ll get Mediterranean flair in every bite.

A Mediterranean bowl with saffron rice, spinach, chicken, corn, cucumbers, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, pickled red onions, and fresh dill
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in this Mediterranean Rice Bowl recipe
  2. What Else Goes Well in a Mediterranean Rice Bowl
  3. Homemade Pickled Red Onions
  4. Additions and Substitutions
  5. Meal Prep Ideas
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. More Greek Inspired Recipes
  8. How to Make a Mediterranean Bowl
  9. Mediterranean Bowl Recipe

This Mediterranean Bowl was inspired by CAVA, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant. I tried CAVA on a recent trip to Austin, TX and I fell in love! It reminded me of a Chipotle, but with Mediterranean food instead of Mexican food. I couldn’t wait to get home so I could recreate all the fresh and delicious flavors. This bowl makes a perfect lunch, chock full of healthy protein, flavorful rice, and also all your favorite bright and fresh Greek flavors.

Ingredients in this Mediterranean Rice Bowl recipe

This Mediterranean Bowl is only one of many delicious bowl combinations. I love bowl recipes, but also I love grabbing random ingredients from my fridge and creating delicious concoctions from whatever I have on hand, tossing it into a bowl and calling it a meal. They’re filling, healthy and leave me feeling satisfied but not overly full. It’s so fun to see what you can make out of odds and ends in your refrigerator. But typically here’s what you need for a Mediterranean Bowl:

  • Yellow rice – One cup of our delicious homemade yellow rice. It’s so simple to make!
  • Spinach – one cup baby spinach leaves
  • Chicken – half a cup diced chicken. You can make your own (see more below) or dice up a rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs, anything you have on hand.  
  • Fire roasted corn – one quarter cup, or more to taste. Find canned fire roasted corn next to the regular canned corn in the grocery store. It’s got a rich, smoky flavor that gives the rice bowl extra depth.
  • Diced cucumbers – I like to use English cucumbers because they have fewer seeds, but you can peel and dice any cucumbers you like, especially if you have an abundance of veggies in your summer garden.
  • Tzatziki sauce – this yogurt sauce tastes delicious on so many things! Find it at Whole Foods or other grocery stores. If you can’t find it, make your own with our simple homemade Tzatziki Sauce recipe. It has the best flavor.
  • Feta cheese – find crumbled feta in the dairy section of your grocery store or near the deli counter.
  • Pickled red onions – make your own delicious and beautiful pickled red onions with the recipe below. They’re SO good and taste delicious on sandwiches, salads, wraps, anything!
  • Fresh dill – find fresh herbs in the produce section of your favorite grocery store.
  • Toasted pita bread – for serving

What Else Goes Well in a Mediterranean Rice Bowl

If you don’t have some of the ingredients listed above, this is the time to get in your fridge and clear out some odds and ends. Basically there are five main components of a bowl meal:

  1. Rice base – you could make a quinoa bowl, brown rice, barley, farro, any grain will do, for this Mediterranean Bowl I love to use brown rice or yellow rice. You can opt for cauliflower rice too. For extra flavor, simmer your grain option in chicken broth.
  2. Greens – spinach, romaine, arugula, really any lettuce will work
  3. Protein – chicken, beef, ground chicken, pork, salmon, tuna, shrimp, meatballs, etc. You can also make this a vegan meal by simply omitting this component.
  4. Vegetables – kalamata olives, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, roasted eggplant, pepperoncini, sweet potatoes, the sky’s the limit here; any and all veggies work great!
  5. Toppings – fresh parsley, pita chips, cheese, capers, fresh oregano, a drizzle of dressing, lemon juice, garlic, a dusting of paprika, etc.
A jar of pickled red onions


Homemade Pickled Red Onions

Pickled red onions are the absolute icing on the cake of this recipe. They are little sweet and sour GEMS. Plus, I am also just obsessed with the color. You can buy these at most grocery stores, but they are also SO easy to make at home! Thinly slice one red onion. Then, add it to a large jar with an airtight lid. Then, in a separate bowl mix together ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and 1 cup warm water. Stir until all the salt and sugar dissolve and pour over the onions. Let sit in the fridge overnight, and voila! You will want to make these over and over again. They are delicious on these Mediterranean Bowls, as well as tacos, avocado toast, salads, and sandwiches!

Additions and Substitutions

  • You can swap cooked quinoa, brown rice, couscous or any other grain. At CAVA I got the saffron rice and it was delicious! You can buy pre-made saffron rice at some grocery stores. However, I used our Yellow Rice for this recipe.
  • Go all veggie! Keep out the chicken and pile on the veggies. In addition to the vegetables listed below, you can add roasted cauliflower, eggplant, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, shredded carrots, chopped beets, or sun dried tomatoes. For a little extra protein, you can also add chickpeas or avocado.
  • If you’re a meat lover, you can add two or three types of meat to your Mediterranean bowl, like ground beef or pork, chicken thighs, grilled sirloin or shredded beef.
  • Instead of Tzatziki sauce, you could use a red wine vinaigrette, tahini sauce, hummus, balsamic vinaigrette, or you can also just use extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and vinegar.

Meal Prep Ideas

These Mediterranean Rice Bowls make the best make ahead meals for lunches, easy to grab suppers or after school snacks. You can keep all the ingredients chopped, cooked and placed in separate containers for easy assembly. Store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for three to five days.

A bowl of saffron rice topped with a cilantro leaf

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best rice for rice bowls?

Use your favorite type of rice. I like a simple basmati, jasmine, brown or cauliflower rice. Our yellow rice adds such a colorful layer to the rice bowls though, so try it out!

Are rice bowls good for you?

This rice bowl recipe is the perfect way to eat a ton of vitamins and minerals with fresh veggies and lean protein.

What is in the Panera Mediterranean Bowl?

The popular chain restaurant’s Mediterranean bowl features cilantro lime brown rice and quinoa, romaine and mixed greens, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, hummus, lemon tahini dressing, feta and Greek yogurt. Super easy to replicate at home.

READ NEXT:35+ Easy Lunch Ideas

More Greek Inspired Recipes

Create a full Mediterranean feast with your Mediterranean Bowl by making a few of these bright and fresh recipes:

How to Make a Mediterranean Bowl

A Mediterranean bowl with saffron rice, spinach, chicken, corn, cucumbers, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, pickled red onions, and fresh dill

Mediterranean Bowl

5 from 5 votes
This Mediterranean Bowl recipe is a fresh and delicious lunch or dinner option! Topped with chicken, feta, cucumbers, and all kinds of favorite Greek flavors, you'll get Mediterranean flair in every bite.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Servings 1

Ingredients

Lemon Pepper Chicken

  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 cup Lawry's Lemon Pepper Marinade
  • lemon pepper seasoning, to taste

Yellow Rice

  • 1 ½ tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup long grain rice
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

Toppings

  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 cup diced chicken
  • ½ cup fire-roasted corn
  • ½ cup diced cucumbers
  • ½ cup tzatziki sauce
  • crumbled feta
  • pickled red onions
  • fresh dill
  • toasted pita bread, for serving

Instructions

Lemon Pepper Chicken

  • Combine chicken breast and lemon pepper marinade in a resealable plastic bag. Chill for at least 1 hour.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade.

Yellow Rice

  • Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.
  • Add garlic, onion powder, and turmeric and mix well.
  • Slowly stir in chicken broth and raise heat to medium-high. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring the mix to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cover the pan wit ha lid. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from heat. Add fresh cilantro and fluff with a fork.

Assembly

  • In a large bowl, combine rice and spinach.
    Saffron rice and spinach in a large white bowl
  • Top with chicken, corn, and cucumbers.
    A large bowl with saffron rice, spinach, chicken, corn, and cucumbers
  • Add feta and tzatziki sauce.
    A large bowl filled with saffron rice, spinach, chicken, corn, cucumbers, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce
  • Top with pickled red onions and fresh dill. Serve with toasted pita bread.
    A Mediterranean bowl with saffron rice, spinach, chicken, corn, cucumbers, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, pickled red onions, and fresh dill

Notes

To make your own tzatziki sauce:
  • combine 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • salt, and pepper (to taste)
  • In a food processor or blender, blend until well combined. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 927kcalCarbohydrates: 162gProtein: 39gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 381mgPotassium: 689mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3150IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 176mgIron: 3mg

Love this recipe?

We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.

Rate and Review

SaveSave



Share This With the World

PinYummly

About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

More about Erica Walker

Similar Recipes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How many stars would you give this recipe?




Comments

  1. I totally figured out their salmon recipe, and now I’m excited to try to get the rice down pat, too! 😀 Do you know how to do the green beans?? They’re arguably the best part, imo.

    1. Oooh, it has been SO long since I have been there I don’t remember the green beans! I will be going next summer and will try to duplicate them 😀 The salmon recipe sounds fantastic!

      1. I too NEED the green bean makeup. Lots of garlic, olive oil then balsamic?, worchestershire?, soy probably not. Any ideas? Had them two weeks ago and now have to wait for a July visit.

        1. Oh man, we need to go back there. We are hoping to go again this summer. If we do we will get the green beans and try to duplicate the recipe!

  2. I lived in Post Falls, ID for 6 yrs and The White House Grill was one of my favorite restaurants. To my knowledge they don’t serve this dish any longer but had it when they did. Have to say you have nailed it. Of course depending on the day sometimes the garlic was a bit stronger than this recipe. I lived three blocks from The White House and I have boxes that when opened smell like garlic…. Miss their hummus the most I think.

    1. I agree, their hummus is awesome! I know if you specifically ASK for the spring bowl, they will still make it up for you! Just in case you are in town and craving it again sometime! They also serve it whenever they have their food truck out (like at Pig Out in the Park in Spokane).

  3. Thanks so Much for Recipe.
    We ate at the White House Grill the 1st night it opened when Ederm was Raci's partner. Spring Bowls and Diablo was the Bomb. We have since moved to Florida 3 yrs ago and my wife asked this morning if I could re-make he a White House Spring Bowl. I looked up their site to remind myself what was in it and it was no longer on menu. Thanks so much for the help. Missing Idaho, lol and it aooears Raci has done well with 3 grills now.

  4. I cant wait to try this recipe! I used to live in Post Falls, ID and at the 4 way stop where the White House Grill was located you could smell how delicious their food was! Putting this on the menu for next week! Cant wait!

  5. 5 stars
    We had this the other night as well and it was excellent! Perfect for a summer meal. We weren't as brave with the garlic though and actually ended up adding a bit more rice to the mix to tone down the flavor. But it definitely hit the spot!

  6. 5 stars
    I made this last night for my family and they LOVED it! It was so tasty. My husband asked that it go into our meal rotation.

    Thanks for the yummy recipe!

    Wende

  7. 5 stars
    I just tried this recipe last night and we LOVED it! I've never been to the restaurant, but it was a delicious dinner!

  8. 5 stars
    I've been to the White House Grill in Post Falls, ID. I actually grew up in Newman Lake, WA, just about 10 minutes from downtown Post Falls. Thanks for all of your recipes! I'm excited to try out this recipe and others that you post. Keep them coming!
    Megan