Even when I’m out on vacation, I can’t seem to tear myself away from the kitchen. When I visited my family in the UK several years ago, I cooked this toasted coconut, bulgur and butternut squash bowl for dinner. Initially, I wanted to add toasted kale chips to the bowl for some crunch. For whatever reason, I couldn’t find kale that wasn’t already pre-chopped with their stems, so I gave the kale chips idea a miss. (I can’t stand kale with their tough, stringy stems intact.) I swapped the kale chips for baby spinach that I wilted in a pan, and the grain and butternut squash bowl still tasted wonderful.
I come back to this recipe a lot because it’s quite easy to prepare and a lot of its components can be cooked ahead. I often store cooked grains and roasted squash in my refrigerator so that I can throw together a lunch or dinner very quickly during the week. When I have my butternut squash and bulgur already cooked, this dish comes together in about 10 minutes!
KITCHEN TIP: HOW TO PEEL & CUT BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Toasted Coconut, Bulgur and Butternut Squash Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked bulgur
- 2 cups water
- 1 small butternut squash, about 1 and 1/2 pounds
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 stalk of scallion, sliced
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Add the water and bulgur in a saucepan, and bring the water to boil. Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on the saucepan, and let the bulgur gently simmer until the liquids are nearly evaporated, about 10-13 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the lid on the saucepan. The bulgur will continue to soften.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel and deseed the butternut squash. Chop the squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the cubed squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread the squash onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake the squash for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the cubes can be easily pierced with a fork.
- While the squash is cooking, toast the coconut in a pan. Heat the pan over medium heat, and spread the coconut inside. When the coconut starts to turn light tan, start stirring. Keep stirring until about half of the coconut is browned. Remove the pan from heat and transfer the coconut to a plate immediately. Otherwise, the coconut will continue to brown and it might burn.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the spinach and start stirring. Cook the spinach for about 1 to 2 minutes, until it starts to wilt.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooked bulgur with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Add the butternut squash, toasted coconut, spinach, scallions and pomegranate arils.
- Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
This coconut toasted coconut, bulgur and butternut squash bowl recipe was originally published in January 2015. It has been updated with a new headnote and photos.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
Haha, I totally relate to this post! But I am from the Pacific North West…we have very similar hippie-food-loving ways 😉
This bowl is GORGEOUS and totally my kinda meal. I haven’t tried bulgur, and now I need to! Pinned!
Lisa says
Haha, yes—hippie foodies for life!
Julie | This Gal Cooks says
It’s amazing the things we become accustom to here in the US that other parts of the world don’t even have. But I guess not having apple sauce would result in one making their own, right?! Provided apples can be found. 🙂
Great recipe, Lisa. I think I’ve only used bulgar once or twice but I need to give it a try again so I can try this!
Lisa says
Thanks, Julie! I ended up having to buy a can of apples and blending them with an immersion blender. Worked like a charm!
Rachel@ Athletic Avocado says
its so colorful! The combo of coconut and butternut squash sound amazing! Yum!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Rachel!
Kristina @ Love & Zest says
I’ll take all the butternut squash please
Lisa says
Thanks, Kristina!
Min says
Haha you’re too funny and cute ;). My friends haven’t accused me of being a hippie, but I’m sure I’m headed in that direction. They don’t use measuring cups in the UK either? Just like in korea..it’s actually quite liberating to cook without..I actually never used to measure until I started my blog bc instructions that say a pinch of this, a spoonful of that would be criminal haha. Love the simplicity of this dish, not to mention the beautiful colors!
Lisa says
Nope! They mainly use kitchen scales to measure ingredients. I’m sure many professional bakers/pastry chefs would say that we should all be measuring out ingredients. My mother is totally the same way with cooking. She grabs a random bowl in the cupboard as her measuring come and just adjusts the ingredients based on how they look and feel. Maybe one day I’ll be able to cook like that!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Oh I’ve been having mini cooking/ingredient related meltdowns of my own. Such a difference in the grocery stores between West Coast and East Coast and I get very frustrated when I can’t find what I want. Gotta adapt I guess! This salad looks right up my alley! Love it!
Lisa says
It’s so true! I remember how I couldn’t find so many Asian ingredients when I lived in the East Coast. I would either have my family send them over, or I would carry a huge suitcase full of food back to the East Coast!
Chicago Jogger says
I’ve never tried cooking with bulgar, but this recipe looks delicious! I love the addition of coconut and butternut squash.
Lisa says
Thanks!
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
I love the creative use of shredded coconut! I am a big fan of sesame oil too, so I will stick to your recommendation 🙂 Glad you’re home and indulging in all the luxuries – applesauce to kale! Hah!
Lisa says
Thanks, Marisa! I’ve bought 3 bunches of kale already. Maybe I’m going a little overboard…
heather @french press says
this is such a gorgeous dish, LOVE the colors
Lisa says
Thanks, Heather!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Yeah-heah! Nothing like a good grains and greens salad to wash down that pull-apart bread. This looks amazing, and so what I’m craving right now! Gorgeous 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Sarah! And thanks again for the recipe! My family couldn’t stop raving about it! 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
So yummy! I wouldn’t use bulgur (obviously!), but all these flavors are perfect together!
Lisa says
Thanks, Rebecca! This works very well with rice, too!
Alanna says
I adore sesame oil, and come to think of it…it’s been a while since I last used some!! I actually haven’t experimented with bulgar in the kitchen although I love it!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Alanna! I LOVE the chewy texture of bulgur. If you like grains that are slightly chewy, I think you’ll like this one!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
This recipe is so gorgeous and I can imagine the wonderful flavor that sesame oil must give to it. it’
s one of my favorite oils, too.
Lisa says
Thanks, Lauren! Sesame oil is definitely the best!
Eileen says
This is exactly why we try to stay in hotels or airbnbs with kitchens when we’re on vacation. Who can go without cooking for a week? I feel your pain! 🙂 Also, this is totally the kind of salad I want to make a big batch of and eat all week for instant lunch. Fast and delicious!
Lisa says
Thanks, Eileen! I’ve never stayed at an airbnb before, but I might have to do that the next time I travel!
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
What a gorgeous bowl of goodness!
Lisa says
Thanks, Jeanette!
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
If bulgur makes you a hippy than consider me a hippy as well. This is exactly the type of salad I want right now. Fresh, filling, and packed with flavor.
Lisa says
Thanks, Christina! So glad there are other hippie foodies out there, too!
Kelley @ Chef Savvy says
This looks aaamazing! The presentation is beautiful. I also love the coconut and butternut squash combo!!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Kelley!
Sonali- The Foodie Physician says
This is stunningly beautiful! Such amazing, vibrant colors. It really is all about eating the rainbow 🙂
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Sonali!
CakeSpy says
This sounds SO good. I could eat a squash bowl like this for any meal. Yum.
Lisa says
Thank you!!
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
Are you sure it’s not Winter where you are? Those colours are screaming Summer!
Lisa says
Actually, considering it’s been about 15 degrees C here, it doesn’t really feel like winter at all! So not complaining about this…
Julia says
Oof! Bring on that toasted coconut! I think I could eat butternut squash every day of my life and not get sick of it. And hey, if being a hippy means eating awesome food like bulgar and kale, I say bring on the title 😉
Lisa says
I just scrolled through my recipes lately, and I’d say over half contains coconut! It’s an obsession!
christina says
Happy SITS Saturday. Love this recipe… I’ve got a butternut squash recipe, too! Love the toasted coconut!
Lisa says
Thank you so much for stopping by, Christina! Toasted coconut is the best!
Patty Gale says
This looks absolutely delicious! We just had a butternut squash that my husband made into soup using fresh ginger. This recipe is definitely next on my list to try. Stopping by from SITS Saturday sharefest. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Lisa says
Thank you so much for stopping by, Patty Gale! YUM! I need to try that soup with ginger! Sounds awesome!
What the Bride Wore says
Hi! Popping over from SITS Sharefest! As a vegetarian, this totally caught my eye. Wow, it looks so delicious!
Lisa says
Thank you for stopping by, and thanks for your kind words!
Deryn @ Running on Real Food says
This looks delicious! I love the list of ingredients, the coconut in there is a great touch. It’s my first time here and everything looks so good, great photos! I haven’t cooked with bulgur in forever, I think it’s time 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Deryn for your kind words and for stopping by! Bulgur definitely needs to be on your to-make list!
Fiona says
Wow, you got all of my favourite foods and put them together! It never even occurred to me to put pomegranate and squash together but I’m so excited to try this out, it looks delicious. Thanks for the great recipe, look forward to trying it. If it makes you feel any better, when I visited the US, I was also totally lost – couldn’t handle the whole cups thing… Great blog.
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Fiona! Hope you enjoy this!
Aurore says
Just made it tonight and it was really good.
Thanks a lot for the recipe.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe, Aurore, and for leaving a comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Abby@Cook Ware Lab says
Looks delicious!Its flavor makes me hungry! Slurp! Slurp!
Donna says
I really loved this recipe so much! Such a great idea to mix these flavors! I made it on short notice, so I had to substitute raisins for pomegranate, and used some yellow onion, instead of scallion. I only had 1/8cup of shredded coconut left at home, so I added 1T of maple syrup for flavor. Also added 1/2 can of garbanzo beans and walnuts, and it was a complete meal for the family. Thanks
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for trying this recipe, Donna! I’m happy you found adjustments that work for you!