This recipe combines two of my favorite foods and turns a snack into a meal. Healthy spinach, lemony protein-packed quinoa, and baked fries are topped with tzatziki, tomatoes, feta and fresh herbs. Loaded Greek street fry bowls are fun, filling, and easy to customize.
Two of my biggest cravings are fries and salad. The former are my favorite food—during my undergrad, I’d often throw frozen ones on a pan with cheese, ranch, and whatever vegetables were languishing in my fridge and eat that for dinner. Surely, I thought, there must be a way to combine them into one meal. Honestly, potatoes seem a little underutilized in salads. I can’t think of a single reason not to include them.
This loaded Greek fries bowl consists of crispy, golden baked fries tossed in garlic powder and oregano, nestled on top of lemony quinoa and spinach and loaded with tomato, avocado, and feta. Top with hummus, tzatziki and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and serve with lemon wedges. Use all the toppings or just the ones you want—these are easily customizable, so do whatever your heart tells you.
First, we’ll make the fries. You might be wondering why I have you use frozen fries instead of making your own. I’m going to be honest with you: making fries at home is more effort than it’s worth. All the chopping and the soaking and the two-cook method—it’s way more effort than I’m willing to put in when homemade fries are honestly, most of the time, really not as good as restaurant fries anyway. So let’s just agree to take shortcuts when they make sense and buy a bag of frozen fries. You’ll be amazed at what a little olive oil and some seasoning can do.
Quinoa is super easy to make—just follow the directions on the package and replace the water with chicken stock and lemon juice. Once it’s done, fluff it with a fork and stir in lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Layer spinach, quinoa, and fries on a plate or in a wide, shallow bowl, followed by whatever else you choose. It’s best to add the fries last so they stay crunchy for as long as possible.
Loaded Greek street fry bowls are fun, full of things that are good for you, and filling without being too heavy–a perfect summer dinner.
loaded greek street fry bowls
time: 30 minutes
serves 4
ingredients
for the garlic oregano fries
1.5 lb frozen fries (about half a bag)
3 tbsp olive oil
generous 1 tbsp oregano
1.5 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
for the bowls
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ lemon, zest and juice
salt & pepper
8 cups spinach
topping ideas – pick the ones you want
tomato, diced
red onion, diced
avocado, sliced
feta, crumbled
tzatziki
hummus
fresh cilantro or dill, finely minced
lemon wedges
directions
- Make fries. Preheat oven to whatever it says on the bag. Toss frozen fries with oil, oregano, and garlic powder and spread in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake fries according to directions on bag. Sprinkle generously with salt as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Make quinoa. While the fries are baking, rinse the quinoa under cold water for 30 seconds, then add it to a saucepan with the chicken stock and juice of 1 lemon. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes (or until the water is absorbed). When the quinoa is cooked, fluff it with a fork and stir in fresh zest, a little bit of salt, and pepper.
- Build bowls. Big handfuls of spinach first, then the toppings. I recommended mixing the salad with everything but the fries first, and then adding the fries on top like croutons so they don’t go soft.
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