Bowls by America’s Test Kitchen

Bowls: Vibrant Recipes with Endless Possibilities by America’s Test Kitchen

Overview

Oh how I love large bowls of salad oozing with fresh ingredients, a mix of textures and visual interest that feeds my eyes too. I initially borrowed this book from the library, but I ended up buying it right away. Before my allotted time was up, I’d already filled two weeks with recipes from this book alone. With such variety of cuisines + versatility of ingredients, I wanted to keep working my way through this one.

To be clear, I’ve also loved Sara Forte’s The Sprouted Kitchen: Bowl + Spoon, so I feel almost set up to adore this one, written in the same vein but with, perhaps, a tad less prep. If you’re chasing new combinations, this isn’t really about that. Bowls is a compilation of savory meals that arrange nicely inside a – you guessed it! – bowl. All the meals fit into four categories: salads, grain + beans, noodles or soups. The photos represent the food as somewhat fussy with sauces dripped just so or cheese blobbed about perfectly, but that’s just an extra step to take or leave. Bowls is flavor-packed + colorful, ready for office lunches all year. This is what attracted me to it, actually, + why it remains a staple around here: I have a need to prep lunches that I can ferry around. As the seasons come + go, I keep finding new assemblies to test, making this cookbook highly usable year round.

From the publisher’s website: “Bowls: Vibrant Recipes with Endless Possibilities is the most wonderful book for foodies who love that umami feeling on their tastebuds. Packed with nutrient-dense, flavorful bowls with vibrant colors, there is a bowl in this book for everyone… Although the recipes may look complicated at first because of the number of ingredients, they are actually pretty simple and can be altered to the taste of the chef or to the individual person… This is a book that has endless possibilities. ” — Manhattan Book Review

What i tried:

Green Goodness Salad Bowl, page 17
Harvest Bowl, page 20
Quinoa Taco Salad Bowl, page 24
Moroccan Chicken Salad Bowl, page 35
Fattoush Salad Bowl, page 45
Skillet Burrito Bowl, page 61
Forbidden Rice Bowl with Salmon, page 70
Shrimp Pad Thai Bowl, page 120 (multiple goes of this one as my whole family loves it)

On the upcoming list:

Summer Ramen Bowl, page 113
Roasted Cauliflower and Brown Butter Noodle Bowl, page 143
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Pork, page 162
Black Bean Soup, page 168

Who is this book written for?

Anyone looking for fresh, simply-prepared meals that are mostly prep + assembly, with minimal cook time.