Sometimes I have a deep craving for the greens we grew in our garden when I was a child, and for me that almost always means Swiss chard.
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This warm grain bowl with goat cheese and greens would also be great with any other dark, leafy green like kale.
This easily customizable bowl is healthy, satisfying and (trust me on this) exciting.
The bright, tangy goat cheese and apple cider vinegar in the greens go a long way toward making a boring grain bowl into something you'll want to make again. Add a poached egg or two to this dish and you're ready to go!
These greens are prepared similarly to my Garlicky Braised Cruciferous Crunch with the omission of butter and the addition of dill.
What You'll Need
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- Dark, Leafy Greens such a Swiss chard or kale. I have used collard greens in this dish as well, but separated the leaves from the stems, cooked the stems for 20 minutes or more on low heat, then added the leaves and also let the leaves cook for longer. Taste to see when they are done to your liking.
- Brown Rice or another whole grain like farro. This would be equally good with white rice. Try using this fantastic guide for how to cook basmati rice!
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Eggs
- Fresh Dill or other chopped fresh soft herbs like tarragon
- Apple Cider Vinegar I have made this with unseasoned rice vinegar too. I prefer the apple cider vinegar but the rice vinegar will work in a pinch.
- Goat Cheese crumbled
- Kosher Salt
- Louisiana Hot Sauce optional, but recommended
How to Prepare
- Have your grains pre-cooked
- Cook your garlic and greens
- Add some vinegar and herbs
- Poach a few eggs
- Top with goat cheese (and hot sauce, if you like)
Variations
This warm grain bowl is great with kale in place of the Swiss chard. I would recommend staying with a hardier green and away from something soft and delicate like spinach.
You could fry your eggs instead of poaching them, or omit them entirely and add a different protein like chicken, bacon or white beans.
In place of goat cheese, you could use feta. Any salty, tangy, easily crumbled cheese would be great here.
You can use farro in place of brown rice.
You can try different soft herbs in place of dill, such as tarragon. If you use tarragon, use less. I would try one tablespoon and see if you would like to add more.
How to Store
This grain bowl is best served right after cooking, especially the poached egg. If you would like to make it in advance, cook the components separately (rice, greens, eggs) and combine with the cheese when ready to eat. All components should last 3-4 days in the fridge.
To reheat a poached egg, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Place the egg on a slotted spoon and hold in the boiling water for 20-30 seconds.
This is such a good make-ahead lunch for busy work weeks. I make a few and put them in microwave safe glass containers to heat up.
How to Serve
This grain bowl is a meal in itself. You won't need much else to serve this. I like to serve it in a cute bowl with some hot sauce on the table for people to use if they like.
A nice variation on this dish is using rices with spices in it. Learn how to make Indian rice with warm spices here.
If you feel like you need more healthy fats, try adding some Almond Pesto or a few slices of avocado. You could also add some seeds, like pumpkin or sunflower seeds, to add a little crunch to the bowl.
Try adding some chicken or bacon to the dish - even a piece of pan-seared salmon would be great here.
Recipes You'll Love
Cut down on time using these instructions for freezing brown rice.
If you love my Grain Bowl with Goat Cheese and Greens, you should try my Garlicky Braised Cruciferous Crunch.
As mentioned above, I think my Almond Pesto goes well on just about anything.
If you want to add some brightness and sweetness, try pairing this with some Roasted Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine.
Still need more grain bowl ideas? Try these Grain Bowl recipes.
📖 Recipe
Warm Grain Bowl with Goat Cheese and Greens
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice or farro/other grain
- 2 heads Swiss chard stalks and leaves separated, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or more to taste
- 4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
- kosher salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill optional
- Louisiana hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Cook your grain of choice. This can be an excellent make-ahead meal if you cook a large pot of grains at the beginning of the week and assemble your bowl when ready to eat. Follow package directions.
- Set a large pot of water to boil. Salt your water and add 2 tablespoon vinegar if desired. Once boiling, reduce temperature to a simmer, about 200°F. Add the eggs and let cook for 3-4 minutes for a perfect soft poached egg. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, place in an ice bath if desired and then set on a paper towel to rest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add olive oil over medium low to medium heat, add smashed garlic and the Swiss chard stems and let cook until garlic is barely golden, 2-3 minutes. Continue to break apart the garlic with a wooden spoon as you continue cooking. If you would like your stems more tender, add the stems 4-5 minutes before adding the garlic.
- Add the Swiss chard leaves and dill and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes, watching to ensure the garlic does not get too dark. Season the greens with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and let the flavors combine, 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble your bowl. Add ½-1 cup grain of choice. Top with Swiss chard, egg and 2 tablespoons goat cheese per bowl. This bowl is fantastic with a little extra acid. For me, a generous dash of Louisiana hot sauce is perfect. If you are not a fan of heat, try a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Notes
- This grain bowl is great with kale insead of the Swiss chard. I would recommend staying with a hardier green and away from something soft and delicate like spinach.
- Preparation time is based on having pre-cooked grains. Cooking your grains from scratch will take approximately 20-40 minutes depending on the grain.
- You could fry your eggs instead of poaching them, or omit them entirely and add a different protein like chicken, bacon or white beans.
- In place of goat cheese, you could use feta. Any salty, tangy, easily crumbled cheese would be great here.
- You can use farro in place of brown rice.
- You can try different soft herbs in place of dill, such as tarragon. If you use tarragon, use less. I would try one not-very-packed tablespoon and taste to see if you would like to add more.
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