Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas + 5 Simple Tips To Reduce Food Waste

These easy vegetarian enchiladas {naturally gluten free} are a delicious & nutritious way to clean out your fridge. Get the recipe + my 5 simple tips to reduce food waste!

Wanna’ know my secrets to keeping these vegetarian enchiladas super quick and EASY???

Secret no. 1 …Finesse your creativity and flexibility in the kitchen.

By this I mean, there are no hard fast rules when it comes to what veggies {and beans} to use in these easy vegetarian enchiladas.

Put on your chef’s hat {or look to my all-time favorite Vegetarian Flavor Bible for inspiration}, and clean out your fridge by using up whatever fresh veggies that are about to go bad. The same thing goes for any beans /lentils and cheese you have on hand in you pantry, freezer, or fridge.

Secret No. 2 …Use pre-made enchilada sauce to make these easy vegetarian enchiladas.

Aint’ no shame in using the pre-made stuff, especially when you can get healthy, additive free options like my two favorite brands, Frontera Red Enchilada Sauce, and Simply Organic Red Enchilada Simmer Sauce.

If you’ve got a easy, go-to recipe for enchilada sauce, by all means, use it, but if not, I’m tellin’ ya’, pre-made enchilada sauce is the way to go. #justdoit

Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas Recipe {Gluten Free}

I’ll share the link to my recipe in a sec, but first, while we’re on the topic of cleaning out the fridge, I thought I’d share my favorite simple tips with you, to reduce food waste.

Confession time: This is something I’ve not been that great about, but am trying hard to get better at. I hope you’ll join me, and please share your favorite tips as well!

5 Simple Tips To Reduce Food Waste

1. Make a meal plan each week, even if it’s just for 3-4 days worth of dinners, and create a grocery list that you stick with at the store. Important: Take inventory of your fridge, freezer, and pantry each week before planning you meals, so you use up ingredients you have on hand. If you’re interested in receiving my new weekly personalized meal plans w/ grocery lists, sign up here to learn what different plans are available, and get on the notification list!
2. Take a break from cooking, and put your freezer to good use! Got leftovers you don’t want to eat right away? Fruits and veggies about to go bad, but you can’t eat them all? Have leftover beans or lentils? Freeze ’em! If you haven’t experimented with freezing foods before, here are some of my favorite tips to help you out: Time Saving Tips for Freezing Meals and How to Freeze Lentils & Other Pulses.
3. Blend, Baby, Blend! I love using up “wilted, but still good to eat” veggies, fruit, and fresh herbs, to make smoothies, fresh vegetable juice, gazpacho, and more with my Vitamix. Try this Fresh & Spicy Summer Veggie Juice in a Jar, for a super nourishing and delicious drink & cut back on food waste at the same time. Win, Win!

   

4. Be like an accountant and try your hand at FIFO {First In, First Out}. Designate one shelf in your fridge that holds food that needs to be used up first. This is the first place you should look for ingredients every time your open your fridge. I’ve been implementing this for the past couple of weeks, and it’s REALLY helped me to cut back on food waste. Try it & let me know if it helps you too!
5. And, last but not least, make these Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas for dinner tonight ~ Pop on over to VeryWell.com for the recipe! –> Everything But The Kitchen Sink Vegetable Enchiladas {Seriously, they are so yummy, and easy to make. My kids, Mr. Spicy, and I practically licked the serving dish clean!!!}

   

   
   

Want More Tips on How to Reduce Food Waste? Here are some of my favorite resources & inspiration!

• 10 Tips to Reduce Food Waste at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook. Katie, a fellow dietitian and mom of 3, shares food waste statistics, plus her family’s favorite tips for cutting back on food waste.
• Reducing Food Wasted at Home. The EPA has a lot of great information and resources, along with a downloadable toolkit on how to reduce food waste at home, and in your community.
• How to Store Produce to Reduce Food Waste. Learn how to store your produce properly to help maintain it’s integrity and flavor with these tips from DIFM {Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine}
• Reducing Food Waste Infographic. A great visual from The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics on the health, environmental, and economic benefits from reducing food waste.
• Composting at Home. Learn the benefits of composting food scraps, plus tips on how to do it in this article at the EPA.

Let’s Chat!

Have you made enchiladas before? What are your favorite ingredients to add to them? Are you more likely to make these enchiladas with pre-made sauce, or do you have an easy “go-to” enchilada sauce recipe? Do you have any favorite tips on how to reduce food waste? Please share!

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EA Stewart

Hi There! I’m EA, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) in sunny San Diego. I create easy, DELICIOUS gluten free recipes & low FODMAP recipes for a wide variety of diets: anti-inflammatory, low carb, Mediterranean, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, & more. I offer nutrition coaching for wellness nutrition, digestive health (celiac disease, IBS, IBD, SIBO), autoimmune disease, & healthy aging. Learn more about my nutrition philosophy and my nutrition coaching services, sign up for my newsletter, or get in touch~I’d love to connect with you!