A quick and easy Lemon-Chili Shrimp Avocado Quinoa Bowl recipe, great for lunch or dinner, or make them ahead for meal prep!
Shrimp Quinoa Bowl
These quick and easy Lemon-Chili Shrimp Avocado Quinoa Bowls are great for lunch or dinner. So light, tasty, and loaded with lean protein! Some other delicious meal-prep ideas are Shrimp Fajita Bowls and Honey Sriracha Chicken and Broccoli Bowls.
These quinoa bowls are my go-to when I’m craving a healthy meal loaded with good-for-you ingredients and lean protein. Quinoa is a very hearty and filling whole grain. It’s the perfect base for the fresh vegetables and spicy, lemony shrimp.
For the dressing, I like to keep it simple. A little extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon are all you need.
The best thing about bowl recipes is how versatile they are. You can add just about anything to them. Sometimes I swap the lemon for lime and use my cilantro lime shrimp recipe instead and add some corn or black beans. If you have other vegetables on hand, like bell peppers or cucumber, add them in!
Helpful Tips
I love quinoa when cooked properly. I find that tri-color or red quinoa is best for bowls because those types are not mushy. They’re more on the nutty side. If you don’t have any quinoa or prefer a different grain, you can always try rice, barley, or millet.
Refrigerate: These shrimp bowls will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you’re not going to eat all four servings within three days, I suggest making half the recipe.
To meal prep
Pack the quinoa, shrimp, onion, and tomatoes in one container. Pack the lettuce in a separate bag, so it doesn’t wilt. Wrap the avocado tightly in plastic wrap to prevent browning.
You can eat these quinoa bowls hot or cold. I personally love the shrimp warm, but there’s no reason you can’t eat them cold. When you’re ready to eat, reheat the quinoa/shrimp mixture if you prefer and then mix everything together and drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice.
Variations:
- Grains – You can swap out the quinoa for any grain, such as rice, barley, or millet.
- Veggies – You can add corn, black beans, or bell peppers to the bowls.
- Citrus – You can switch out the lemon for lime.
More Quinoa Recipes You will Love
- Kale Salad with Quinoa and Cranberries
- Healthy Salmon Quinoa Burgers
- Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Bowls with Cilantro Lime
- Quinoa Fiesta Enchilada Bake
- Southwestern Black Bean, Quinoa and Mango Salad
Lemon-Chili Shrimp Avocado Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
For the quinoa:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, tri-color or red
- 1 3/4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
Shrimp:
- 24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (20 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes, or more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
Bowls:
- 1 medium Haas avocado, pitted and sliced (yields 5 ounces)
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce or your favorite greens
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: Bring broth to a boil in a medium heavy pot. Rinse quinoa under cold water and drain well. Add quinoa, lower the heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- For the shrimp: While the quinoa is cooking, add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, half of the lemon juice, half of the lemon zest, oregano, parsley, garlic, chili, salt and pepper to a small bowl and mix well. Add the shrimp and toss.
- Heat a grill pan or heavy skillet over high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add the shrimp. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Divide greens into 4 large serving bowls on one half of the dish.
- Add half the quinoa to the other half, then top with shrimp, avocado, tomato, and onion.
- Drizzle each salad with 1 teaspoon of the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and drizzle with remaining lemon juice.
