This vegetarian low fodmap breakfast is a Southwestern spin on one of my favorite semi-sweet potato hash recipes. It’s lightened up with wilted spinach and caramelized bell peppers, and can be a healthy make ahead option with or without egg. Gluten and Dairy-free too!
As general rule of thumb, I am always going to choose the low stress hands off approach of making my breakfast in the oven over the sometimes finicky, attention suck of the stovetop. The one exception is for a good breakfast hash, and this low FODMAP version certainly makes the extra effort worth your while.
This sweet potato and black bean hash is one of my favorites for a quick weekend brunch. Any leftovers keep well for the week again. But as you know, onions and legumes are generally off limits on a low FODMAP diet, and sweet potato is one of those tricky medium FODMAP foods.
So this low FODMAP breakfast hash steals a few elements from my old standby—mainly the spice mix of cumin and chili powder, and the delicious wilted greens spread throughout–but is completely free of alliums. If you’re not a vegetarian, you can easily add sausage (I have a sausage-based low FODMAP breakfast hash recipe in my cookbook!).
Is sweet potato low fodmap?
Sweet potato is one of those “medium” FODMAP foods where you have to be mindful of the quantity that ends up on your plate. Because of this, I usually take the “semi-sweet potato” approach to many dishes. This means using a ratio of 1:2 sweet potatoes to regular potatoes, like in this low FODMAP breakfast.
According to the Monash app, the safe serving of sweet potato is ½ cup or 2.65 ounces. Since that’s rather hard to remember and measure, I usually use no more than 1 medium sweet potato in my recipes (that serve 4 people). Select a sweet potato that is 10 ounces, which is a little over half a pound.
You can use as many regular potatoes as you like!
Is spinach low fodmap?
Most leafy greens are low FODMAP, so they are an excellent strategy for adding more fiber and nutrients to your meals when so many vegetables are off limits. I especially love incorporating spinach into low FODMAP vegetarian recipes.
If you don’t have spinach on hand, kale or arugula would also work. I prefer fresh versus frozen for this recipe since there are so few ingredients.
Breakdown of the ingredients in this LOW FODMAP hash:
For the visual learners, here’s a little chart to help you understand what ingredients are low FODMAP in this breakfast hash.
Low FODMAP breakfast and your blood sugar
As you’ll learn in my new cookbook CARBIVORE, managing your blood sugar and preventing any volatility is so important for overall gut health. This can be a fine line to walk on a low FODMAP diet since one of the best ways to balance your hormones is to eat plenty of fiber, and so many fiber-rich vegetables can be irritating for those of us with IBS.
So how do I reconcile these two things in this low FODMAP breakfast? Well, let’s start with the two biggest rules for blood sugar control:
Start your day with a savory, sugar-free breakfast. This low FODMAP hash already checks those boxes. This sugar-free granola and this savory granola do too!
For carb-y meals, make sure to add “carb companions” – fiber, protein and fat. For our fiber, I’ve left the skin on the potatoes (you’ll get more nutrients that way too) and added spinach and bell peppers. For protein, you have the option to add an egg on top!
Overall, this is a perfect Carbivore approved recipe that also happens to be low FODMAP.
How to make this low FODMAP breakfast in the oven
If you subscribe to my cooking rule of thumb above, then I should mention you can easily make this hash on a sheet pan in the oven instead of on the stovetop if you’re short on attention. Simply combine the sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers, spices and oil on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender, about 25 minutes.
The spinach, you’ll still want to do stovetop. It will only take a few minutes to sauté until wilted. Just mix into the oven-baked low FODMAP hash when it’s done.
Can you make this hash in advance?
So long as there are no eggs involved and you keep the low FODMAP breakfast hash vegan, you can make the whole recipe start to finish in advance and reheat to order. If this is your desire and you are only vegetarian, simply fry up an egg to order whenever you want to eat!
To make this low FODMAP breakfast for a crowd, you can bake the eggs directly in the skillet and transfer to an oven until set. This is one of my favorite things to do as a quick low FODMAP dinner idea (yes, hash works for dinner too!).
More low FODMAP breakfast ideas:
- Low FODMAP Frittata with Zucchini
- 15-Minute Low FODMAP Oatmeal
- Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Low Sugar Smoothie Recipe
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
30-Minute Low FODMAP Breakfast Hash
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 orange or yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 medium sweet potato 1/2 pound, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 large russet or Yukon gold potatoes 1 ½ pounds, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 5 ounces baby spinach see headnote
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro optional
- 4 large eggs optional
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Cook the sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, stirring every few minutes, until golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Turn the flame down if they begin to blacken.
- Add the bell pepper, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Sauté for 5 minutes more, until the peppers are soft.
- Carefully fold in the spinach and cook until wilted. Off the heat, drizzle with the lime juice. Garnish with the cilantro and serve warm alongside low FODMAP hot sauce.
- Optional: if you’re serving the hash for brunch (versus making ahead for individual breakfasts), preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Create 4 wells in the potatoes and crack an egg into each one. Transfer to the oven and bake until the eggs are just set, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro.