Paneer & Chickpea Power Bowl
Grilled spiced paneer, roasted chickpeas, and a boiled egg over brown rice, with thick Greek yogurt raita and mint chutney. A protein-loaded Indian lunch bowl at 35g per serving.
This bowl is my answer to the Chipotle bowl. You know how everyone builds their own bowl at Chipotle? I wanted one that hit even harder on protein, with better flavors and more going on in every bite.
The combination of paneer and chickpeas and an egg is deliberate overkill. Together with the yogurt raita, they deliver 35g of protein in a single bowl. And the whole thing tastes incredible. You've got the charred, spiced paneer, the crispy roasted chickpeas, cool raita, tangy pickled onions, and bright mint chutney. Every bite is different.
I meal prep these bowls every Sunday. Cook the rice, grill the paneer, roast the chickpeas, boil the eggs, make the raita and chutney. Assembly takes five minutes. I've turned at least three coworkers into meal preppers with this recipe.
The Protein Upgrade
Most veggie grain bowls hover around 16-18g of protein, treating protein as a garnish. We went all-in with three protein sources: generous grilled paneer (10oz), roasted chickpeas, and a hard-boiled egg per serving. The raita is built with thick Greek yogurt for even more protein. From ~17g to 35g, more than double, making this bowl rival any chicken-based meal.
Paneer & Chickpea Power Bowl
Ingredients
- 10 oz paneer (cut into strips or cubes) 18g protein
- 2 cans (15oz) chickpeas (drained and patted dry) 11g protein
- 4 large eggs (hard-boiled) 6g protein
- 2 cups brown rice (cooked) 3g protein
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (for raita) 4g protein
- 1 small cucumber (grated, for raita)
- ½ small red onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chaat masala (for chickpeas)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (for chutney)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (for chutney)
- 1 green chili (for chutney)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss chickpeas with 1 tbsp olive oil, chaat masala, cumin, and a pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until crispy.
- While chickpeas roast, hard-boil the eggs, then peel and halve them.
- Make the raita: Mix Greek yogurt with grated cucumber, a pinch of cumin, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Refrigerate.
- Make quick pickled onions: Toss sliced red onion with lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
- Make mint chutney: Blend mint, cilantro, green chili, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp water, and a pinch of salt.
- Marinate paneer in remaining olive oil, garam masala, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, and salt.
- Heat a grill pan over high heat. Cook paneer for 2-3 minutes per side until charred.
- Assemble bowls: brown rice base, grilled paneer, roasted chickpeas, halved egg. Top with raita, pickled onions, and mint chutney.
Boost Your Protein
- Use quinoa instead of brown rice for an extra 4g protein per serving.
- Increase paneer to 14oz for an extra 5g protein per serving.
- Add edamame to the bowl for an extra 5g protein per serving.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No paneer? Use extra-firm tofu or halloumi cheese.
- No chaat masala? Use a pinch each of cumin, amchur, and black salt.
- Swap brown rice for quinoa or cauliflower rice for fewer carbs.
- No Greek yogurt? Use coconut yogurt to make it dairy-free.
