These Copycat Cava Bowls are a delicious and easy weeknight meal! With the help of a few key shortcuts, dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes. Try these the next time you are craving something new, fresh, and flavorful!

When I say “for weeknights,” I am not referencing the Wednesday nights when you are trying to get one kid to dance, another to soccer, and have a parent meeting to be to yourself. Reserve those nights for spaghetti and a jar of Rao’s marinara.

However, if you have 30 minutes for a dinner and want something absolutely delicious that isn’t another night of tacos (not that there is ever a darn thing wrong with tacos), then these copycat CAVA bowls are a great option!

I was hooked on the idea of making these at home after my first CAVA experience. CAVA is a modern, casual restaurant that serves Mediterranean and Greek food in a fully customizable way.

Their food is delicious (and I hear you can even buy some of their most popular dips, spreads, and sauces- see where they are sold here). I loved the idea of recreating my favorite combo at home, but was intimidated at all the parts and feared it would take hours.

However, with the help of a few shortcuts and my rice cooker, this meal came together quite easily and was a huge hit for the whole family. Customization (and deconstruction) for the win!

The Copycat CAVA Bowl Base

Let’s start with the base. At CAVA you have an option of greens, grains, pita, or a combo of the above. I knew I needed our base to be filling (David), but wanted an option to lighten it up (me).

Easy CAVA Bowl Base Options:

• Baby kale and chopped cabbage
• Cauliflower rice
• Rice
• Lentils

You know I love my rice cooker; it makes it easy and mostly hands off. Plus, you can make rice and lentils at the same time. For a hearty and nutritional base, add 1.5 c long grain rice, 1 c black lentils, 3 c broth, and 1 c water to the rice cooker and hit “go” on the rice cycle.

As for the “meat” of the dish, I went with falafel. I can and have made falafel on my own, but again, this was a quick weeknight meal, so I opted for frozen, which had a great ingredient list and baked up nicely in just 20 minutes!

Hearty Main Component Options for Copycat CAVA Bowls:

• Falafel
• Grilled chicken (using this Greek marinade)
• Lamb meatballs
• Hearty roasted veggies

Toppings and Sauces

While the rice cooked and the falafel baked, I assembled the rest of the goodies. I already had pickled red onions in my fridge, which are easy to make (see how here!), last a long time, and add a lot of flavor to all sorts of salads and dishes.

Here are some of my favorite copycat CAVA topping options, which you can make at home or buy the store-bought/ready made versions of to really make the meal come together quickly:

• Chopped up a cucumber and grape tomatoes with a little olive oil and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and oregano.
• tzatziki
• harissa
• shredded kale and cabbage
• pickled red onions
• hummus
• feta
• banana peppers
• vinaigrette
• pita chips

From there, you are ready to assemble! For younger kids, the deconstructed method works so well; they can make a giant snack plate. Adding some large tortillas for older kids to make wraps with (I find they work better than pita bread for wrapping up, but pita or naan bread both make yummy additions) is also a good idea.

From start to finish (if you don’t include the extra time it took for the rice cooker to cook the brown rice, which was hands-off time, but can also be made from a pouch or frozen), this meal came together in less than 30 minutes.

It isn’t the meal with the fewest ingredients but it felt like such a mid-week treat of a meal and the best part? There were plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day- the best!

David and I both devour this meal- so many flavors and textures. It is delicious! And if you are a spicy food fan, I highly recommend not skipping on the harissa. It’s hot, but so flavorful and added a great depth to the dish.

I hope you enjoy these copycat CAVA bowls as much as we do!

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Do you have a favorite restaurant dish that you’d love to recreate at home?