These roasted veggie and tofu buddha bowls with pesto are easy, packed with protein, and ultra flavourful!

Happy Friday! As always, I hope you had a great week. 🙂

Would you believe that I created and photographed this recipe in April? Yes, it’s true, and somehow I forgot about it all summer. Then, as I was going through my blog post drafts, I came upon it. And you know what? This tofu and pesto buddha bowl is actually seasonally appropriate, since the pesto is made with parsley rather than summery basil. It’s very easy to make and delicious, with crispy baked tofu that’s seasoned with lemon and nutritional yeast, parsley sunflower seed pesto, roasted cauliflower and peppers, and quinoa.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

FOR THE ROASTED VEGETABLES: Cauliflower, red bell peppers, olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
FOR THE CRISPY BAKED TOFU: Tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, tamari, nutritional yeast, and arrowroot starch.
FOR THE PESTO: Parsley, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil.
FOR SERVING: Cooked grains of choice, such as quinoa, millet, rice, buckwheat, farro, couscous, etc.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE ROASTED VEGETABLES: Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cauliflower florets and chopped red pepper in a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and place the vegetables in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes, or until cauliflower and peppers are tender and browned around the edges.
MAKE THE CRISPY BAKED TOFU: Chop the tofu into ½-inch cubes. Place in a bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, tamari, and nutritional yeast in a small dish. Pour over the tofu cubes. Sprinkle with the arrowroot and gently toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet (I usually line the baking sheet with parchment paper first) and bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until browned and crispy to your liking.
MAKE THE PESTO: Add the parsley, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, sunflower seeds, salt, and pepper to a blender. Start blending, and gradually add the olive oil through the upper tube. Process until smooth, and transfer into a container until ready to serve.
SERVE THE BOWLS: Portion out the tofu, roasted vegetables, and quinoa into bowls. Top with pesto and serve.

A FEW NOTES

I use a lot of lemon in my pestos. I like them tangy! But feel free to reduce the amount of lemon juice to your taste.
These bowls are great for meal prep lunches. You can make all the components on Sunday and enjoy them throughout the work week. They also travel well.
Don’t forget to cook the quinoa or whichever grain you’re using right after you put the tofu into the oven so that it’s ready when you need it.

I hope you love these roasted veggie and tofu buddha bowls with pesto! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.

Enjoy!