Pumpkin enchilada bake (Low FODMAP)

Looking for easy ways to go easy on your gut? I recommend this low-FODMAP enchilada bake—an easy casserole that doesn’t sacrifice hearty ingredients or rich flavors. And because it includes pumpkin, it’s also a great fall comfort food recipe to keep in your back pocket!

What is a low FODMAP diet?

Following a low FODMAP diet means you avoid eating the following:

• Fermentable oligosaccharides,
• Disaccharides,
• Monosaccharides, and
• Polyols.

Those are a bunch of words I heard in high school and haven’t heard since—but they’re just short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that the small intestine absorbs poorly. These sugars are present in dairy, wheat, and beans—as well as a few fruits and vegetables like:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Apples
• Pears
• Cherries

Eliminating FODMAPs is recommended if you have irritable bowel syndrome or just want to reduce gut inflammation generally. Because they’re irritants, eliminating them can help heal your gut and reduce inflammation.

For me, cooking low FODMAP is very difficult. High FODMAPs include garlic and onion, and let’s be real: I use a LOT of garlic and onion when I cook. But my friend recently started following a low FODMAP diet for her health—and we were determined to make some flavorful food that she could actually eat. So we hung out one Saturday, and this recipe was born!

How to make this low FODMAP enchilada bake

I recommend following the mise en place concept for this recipe. Start by chopping the peppers and walnuts and pre-measuring your spices to make it easier on yourself. Then, make the enchilada sauce. Saute the peppers and walnuts while the enchilada sauce flavors are melding. Next, add all the ingredients for the filling. Finally, start layering!

Add enchilada sauce to the bottom of the pan to prevent the tortillas from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Layer tortillas, filling, and enchilada sauce until your pan is full. Top it off with one last layer of tortillas and your remaining enchilada sauce, and bake!

I topped these enchiladas with our cilantro cream sauce and salsa. If you are low-FODMAP, top it with plain avocado and cilantro for extra flavor!

Low FODMAP pumpkin enchilada bake

Looking for easy ways to go easy on your gut? I recommend this low-FODMAP enchilada bake—an easy casserole that doesn't sacrifice hearty ingredients or rich flavors. And because it includes pumpkin, it's also a great fall comfort food recipe to keep in your back pocket!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

Filling:

• 1 can brown lentils drained/rinsed
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 cup walnuts chopped
• 1 bag frozen spinach
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon chives
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt

Enchilada Sauce:

• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 – 15 oz cans pumpkin
• 8 Tablespoons 1 stick plant-based butter
• 3 while chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 Tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Other:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice ~1 cup uncooked
• Corn Tortillas

Optional Toppings:

• Cilantro Cream Sauce hyperlink from spiced rice wontons
• Salsa hyperlink our salsa recipe
• Avocado
• Cilantro

Instructions

 

• If your rice isn’t cooked, start your rice first so it can cook while you’re preparing the other ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan, add all ingredients for enchilada sauce (3c broth, 30oz pumpkin, 8Tblsp plant-based butter, 3 chipotle peppers, 2Tblsp adobo sauce, 1Tblsp chili powder, 1tsp smoked paprika, cumin, salt). Allow to simmer on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until butter is melted and flavors have melded. If you would like a thinner sauce, add more broth.
• In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil (1 Tblsp). Saute bell peppers (1 green, 1 red) and walnuts (1c) with a dash of salt for 8-10 minutes, until peppers are soft.
• Add sauteed mixture, brown lentils (1 can), cooked brown rice, and 2 cups of enchilada sauce to a large bowl. Mix well with seasonings (1Tblsp chili powder, paprika, chives, cumin; 2tsp oregano, 1tsp red chili flakes, salt).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pour approximately 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Spread to coat the bottom of the pan.
• Alternate layering corn tortillas, filling, and enchilada sauce until you run out of filling. We were able to have 3 layers.
• For the top layer, add corn tortillas on top of filling. Then pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of corn tortillas.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes – until heated through.
• Enjoy!

Notes

If you’re not following a low FODMAP lifestyle, feel free to add black beans, garlic, and/or onion to this recipe.

Keyword comfort food, Low FODMAP, vegan