Mediterranean Grain Bowl (Cava Copycat)

This easy-to-make copycat Cava Copycat Mediterranean Grain Bowl is so much better than take-out. It’s healthy, fresh, and SO delicious!

About This Recipe

Have you been to Cava? Cava is a fast-casual restaurant that serves delicious, healthy, and authentic-inspired Mediterranean food. If you’ve never been there before, just think of it as the Chipotle of Mediterranean food. You go through the line and pick a grain bowl, a salad, or a pita. Then you top your grain bowl or salad (or fill your pita) with a variety of fresh and delicious ingredients.

This Copycat Cava Mediterranean Grain Bowl is one of my all-time favorite things to eat! I remember the first time I had this grain bowl in the DC airport before catching a flight home. It was so good it took everything in me not to turn around and catch the next flight back to DC for another bowl. I knew right away that I HAD to create my own copycat version of that Cava bowl.

I love stacking my brown rice grain bowl with arugula, marinated chicken, hummus, tzatziki, Greek salsa, and pickled onion and cabbage. Then I top it off with feta, lemon, and mint. So much flavor in one bowl, so good! 

Ingredients and Substitutions

This bowl is a perfect way to use up leftovers or meal prep. I’ve included links to my recipes for several items on this list. You can make the chicken and Greek salsa at the beginning of the week and use it for this bowl and other Mediterranean meals throughout the week. 

• Brown rice: I always use the frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s.
• Arugula: Or any other mixed green you love!
• Chicken: We love to use this grilled Greek chicken but any type of cooked chicken works! You could also sub pork.
• Greek salsa: This homemade Greek salsa is one of my favorites! If you don’t have this Greek salsa already on hand, you can just add some chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and red peppers.
• Tzatziki: Store-bought or homemade both work great!
• Hummus: Use your favorite hummus!
• Pickled red onion: Pickled onions are so much better than raw red onions in my opinion but you can use regular red onion or skip if you don’t already have these on hand.
• Pickled cabbage: Use the same pickling juice from my pickled onions recipe for the sliced purple cabbage and let it marinate for about an hour or however long you can.
• Fat-free feta: Regular feta is also delicious is you aren’t worried about keeping the fat macros low.
• Fresh lemon and mint: A squeeze of fresh lemon and mint really take these bowls over the top with fresh flavor! Feel free to sub any fresh herbs you have on hand!

Dietary Adaptations

This bowl is naturally gluten-free, but you’ll want to make a few swaps to make it dairy-free.

For the Greek yogurt in the tzatziki, you can use this So Delicious dairy-free yogurt and replace the milk with your favorite type of dairy-free milk. For the feta cheese, I like swapping out my regular feta for this Follow Your Heart brand of dairy-free feta. 

How to Make

1. Combine the brown rice and arugula. If you’re using the Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice, warm it in the microwave according to the package directions. Then toss it with the arugula in a large bowl.
2. Add the bowl ingredients. Top the rice and arugula with leftover grilled Greek chicken, Greek salsa, tzatziki sauce, hummus, pickled onion, and pickled cabbage. 
3. Top with remaining ingredients. Add extra feta, mint, and a squeeze of lemon. 
4. Enjoy! Once your bowl is assembled, take a bite, close your eyes, and imagine that you’re at Cava. 

For More Mediterranean-Inspired Delicious Recipes

• Herby Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Tenderloins
• Mediterranean Power Salad
• Greek Cucumber Salsa
• Air Fryer Greek Pork Taquitos
• Shredded Pork Greek Pita

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Copycat Cava Mediterranean Grain Bowl

This easy-to-make copycat Cava Copycat Mediterranean Grain Bowl is so much better than take-out. It's healthy, fresh, and SO delicious!

Print Pin Rate

5 from 3 votes

Author Lillie

Course Bowl

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 478 kcal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown rice 70 g- (I always use the frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s)
• 75 g arugula favorite bagged arugula is Trader Joe’s
• 100 g grilled Greek Chicken
• 100 g Greek Salsa
• 30 g tzatziki or use Trader Joe’s tzatziki or avocado tzatziki!
• 40 g hummus I used Hope brand jalapeno cilantro- only 2.5 fat for 2 tbs so if you want the macros to match, try and find one similar! The Trader Joe’s eggplant hummus is great for only 2 fat.
• 25 g easy pickled red onion
• 25 g quick pickled cabbage Just pour some of the same pickling juice from the red onions over sliced purple cabbage for about an hour. Or however minutes you have! Even a litle helps.
• 14 g of fat-free feta Trader Joe’s sells one!
• Extra mint
• Squeeze of lemon

Instructions

• Toss brown rice and arugula in a large bowl.
• Top with leftover grilled Greek Chicken, Greek Salsa, tzatziki, hummus, pickled onion and cabbage.
• Add extra feta, mint, and a squeeze of lemon and close your eyes and dream that you’re at Cava.

Notes

• This is the perfect meal to make with your Greek leftovers. I love to make a big batch of the Greek chicken, Greek salsa, and tzatziki… and use it for pitas one night, and a bowl a night or two later. I’ve usually got pickled onions already in my fridge so it’s easy to pour some of the liquid over my cabbage and let it sit while I prep anything else.

Nutrition 

Serving: 1 bowl as described 

478 calories; 45.7 carbs, 13.3 fat, 47 protein

Search My Fitness Pal: Lillie Eats and Tells Copy Cat Mediterranean Grain Bowl

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl as describedCalories: 478kcalCarbohydrates: 45.7gProtein: 46.7gFat: 13.3gSaturated Fat: 1.8g

Keywords arugula, brown rice, Cava, chicken, grain bowl, Greek, greek salsa, hummus, mediterranean, tzatziki

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