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!

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Want to know my secrets to keep 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 regarding 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 whatever fresh veggies are about to go bad. The same goes for any beans /lentils and cheese you have in your 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 an 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: I’ve not been that great about this, but I am trying hard to get better at it. 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 your meals so you use up the ingredients you have on hand.
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 are 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. Try your hand at FIFO {First In, First Out} like an accountant. Designate one shelf in your fridge that holds food that needs to be used up first. This is the first place to look for ingredients when opening 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 reducing 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 its integrity and flavor with these tips from DIFM {Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine}
• Composting at Home. Learn the benefits of composting food scraps, plus tips on how to do it, in this article at the EPA.