I love the idea of a tray bake. It’s quick and simple and everything goes in one tray. Oftentimes, though, I find I need to cook a grain on the stove to bulk out the dish. As such, I wondered: could I bake everything in one go? Turns out I could, and this low FODMAP quinoa bake was born.

Low FODMAP quinoa bake

This low FODMAP quinoa bake uses rinsed quinoa (surprise) as the grain base. Water or low FODMAP stock, lime skins and lime juice, a bit of oil and spices are added to the quinoa to infuse it with flavour as it cooks.

Next, we add potatoes, pumpkin, half a red capsicum and some canned chickpeas to round out the dish.

Coriander and spring onion greens add depth of flavour and some crumbled feta is added once the bake is cooked.

This recipe uses loosely Mexican inspired spices, but I intend to develop different flavoured bakes as time progresses. It’s a delightfully simple dish that is so good for meal prep. It works for lunch, dinner – whatever you need it for.

Is quinoa low FODMAP?

Yes, quinoa is low FODMAP. As of July 2024, Monash says that it is low FODMAP in up to 500g of cooked quinoa per person per serve. This applies to white and black quinoa. Monash currently does not list an upper limit for red quinoa. They state that red quinoa is low FODMAP in 155g serves of cooked quinoa.

Can I use any sort of quinoa in this recipe?

I have only tested this recipe with white quinoa. It’s generally the only sort I use (just because it looks nice in photos lol) so I cannot speak to other varieties. Because I don’t have much experience using them, I don’t know if they are more or less absorbent than white quinoa.

FODMAP notes for your quinoa bake

As we have discussed, quinoa is low FODMAP in serves of up to 500g cooked quinoa per person. This makes it an excellent gluten free and low FODMAP grain to use.

I have used Japanese/Kent pumpkin to keep the pumpkin component low FODMAP. Monash have recently (as of November 2024) lowered the threshold for Japanese/Kent pumpkin. It is low FODMAP in 75g serves and up to 161g serves per person. In 162g serves, it contains moderate amounts of fructans. It is still the pumpkin variety that you can eat most of on the low FODMAP diet. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to change anything if you have been eating pumpkin without issue prior to this change.

Because this is a loosely Mexican flavoured bake, I wanted to add some red capsicum (red pepper). This is low FODMAP in 43g per person per serve. I have only used 1/2 of a capsicum, but you can use more or omit as your personal restrictions allow for.

Spring onions are low FODMAP in 75g serves per person. In 97g serves, they contain moderate amounts of fructose.

Potatoes and feta are low FODMAP. In terms of the spices, I have used a mix of smoked paprika, oregano and cumin for a simple homemade mix without any onion or garlic powder.

Monash has recently (as of May 2024) updated the entry for smoked paprika on their app. Smoked paprika contains moderate amounts of fructose in 5g serves, which is approximately 2 1/2 teaspoons. I recommend either using half regular and half smoked paprika or all regular paprika and some liquid smoke, if you have it.

A note on the legumes

Finally, the legumes. Canned legumes are lower FODMAP than dried ones because some of their FODMAP content leeches out into the canning liquid. They’re also quick and easy to use.

I love canned chickpeas in this bake as they are sturdy and hold up to being stirred and baked. Canned chickpeas are low FODMAP in 42g per serving. A 400g can of chickpeas is approximately 240g net weight here in Australia. That means that the chickpeas need to be divided into six serves to remain low FODMAP.

Canned cannellini beans are low FODMAP in 76g serves, which means the bake would only need to serve between 3-4 people to remain low FODMAP. They are more likely to break up into the dish, though (which isn’t a bad thing, just something to consider).

Substitution options

If you’d like to make the bake vegan, use a vegan feta that is also low FODMAP (if it needs to be) or omit it.

As discussed, you can experiment with the canned legume you’d prefer to use.

Another option is to use crumbled or grated tofu instead of legumes. Firm tofu is low FODMAP in 170g serves per person which makes it a good vegetarian low FODMAP protein.

You can also experiment with the vegetables. Hardier vegetables like carrots would be good, although a bit of zucchini or broccoli might also work. Choose vegetables that work to low FODMAP specifications and that work for you specifically.

How many people does this low FODMAP quinoa bake serve?

I wanted to discuss this because the quantity/variety of beans used depends on the serving size. For hungry people with a decent appetite, I would suggest this bake serves 4. This is if you’re not intending to serve it with anything else.

If you serve the bake with a big salad, you could serve 6 or even a bit more.

So! If you need the dish to be low FODMAP and you want to use chickpeas, serve it with a salad to make it serve 6 people. If you want to use beans other than those discussed, check the Monash app for their respective FODMAP quantities.

More low FODMAP vegetarian recipes

• Roasted pumpkin, kale and quinoa salad
• Low FODMAP pasta
• Roasted pumpkin salad with feta, pomegranates and a Christmas dressing
• Low FODMAP vegetarian curry
• Low FODMAP Thai red curry