Low FODMAP Vegetarian Gravy
Did the title get your attention? Not only can you make low FODMAP vegetarian gravy for all kinds of hearty plant-based Thanksgiving dishes, but we give you VEGAN OPTIONS, too (see Tips).
While I did develop this recipe while planning for the fall and winter holidays, you can, of course, make and enjoy it any day of the year. But I have to admit that I particularly love it drizzled over a hearty, LOADED vegetarian stuffing and mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce on the side!
The flavor and color of this Low FODMAP Vegetarian Gravy is largely dependent on two factors:
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- How well you caramelize the scallions and leeks and cook down the mushrooms and
- The flavor and color of your vegetable broth
We have a homemade version of Low FODMAP Vegetable Broth, or you can use a purchased equivalent, but they will all vary hugely in taste and color.
UMAMI!
If you are not familiar with umami, please read our umami article. Umami is the fifth taste, along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami is loosely translated as deliciousness and there are certain foods that are high in umami factor and we have used several here, such as mushrooms (in two forms – see below), soy sauce and tomato paste.
If you think that vegetarian gravy is going to lack flavor, using umami-packed ingredients will help put that fallacy to rest.
Speaking Of Tomato Paste
Sure, tomato paste comes in little 6-ounce (170 g) cans, but sometimes, such as in this recipe, you only need a small amount. We LOVE that we can buy tomato paste in tubes. It allows us to use small amounts when we need them, and refrigerate the rest in a way that preserves it for a good long time.
Mushrooms CAN Be Low FODMAP
One of the most exciting things that I discovered while developing this recipe was exactly how voluminous 10 g of dried porcini mushrooms is (see image below). That is the amount that Monash University has lab tested as low FODMAP and it is a generous amount!
As mentioned, mushrooms are an umami-packed ingredient and add a meaty savoriness to this low FODMAP vegetarian gravy. In this recipe I call for the dried porcini as well as fresh oyster mushrooms, which also have a very generous low FODMAP serving size of 1 cup or 75 g.
Chunky Or Smooth?
We aren’t talking peanut butter! (I am a smooth PB gal, for the record). With this gravy you have a choice. You can leave the solids (leeks, scallions and mushrooms) in the gravy, for a chunky texture, seen here below…
Or, you can strain it and go with a silky smooth texture. Your choice! All the flavor is there in either version. You will lose about 1 cup of volume if you strain.
Low FODMAP Vegetarian Gravy
Our Low FODMAP Vegetarian Gravy is packed with flavor, thanks to several umami ingredients, like tomato paste, soy sauce and low FODMAP amounts of oyster mushrooms and dried porcini mushrooms.
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes about 5 cups (1.2 L); 20 servings; serving size ¼ cup (60 ml)
Ingredients:
- 6 cups (1.4 L) Low FODMAP Vegetable Broth, or purchased equivalent
- 15 g dried porcini mushrooms, broken or chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup (113 g; 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil, or purchased equivalent
- ½ cup (36 g) finely chopped leeks, green parts only
- ½ cup (32 g) finely chopped scallions, green parts only
- 4- ounces (115 g) trimmed chopped oyster mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium, gluten-free soy sauce, such as San-J
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup (73 g) low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
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Combine Low FODMAP Vegetable Broth and the dried porcini mushrooms in a pot and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off and let sit for at least 15 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the gravy.
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Place butter and oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat until butter melts. Add leek and scallion greens and sauté for a few minutes or until they begin to soften. Stir in oyster mushrooms, adjust heat and sauté until mixture has darkened and the vegetables have caramelized. This will take 15 or 20 minutes. Keep the heat low; do not allow the mixture to burn, and stir often. This is a very important step for building dark, rich color and flavor.
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Once the vegetables are caramelized, whisk in the tomato paste and soy sauce, then whisk in the flour. Cook for about a minute to remove any raw flour taste, whisking almost constantly.
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Slowly whisk in the broth (it is OK if pieces of the mushrooms come alona cup at a time. You might not need all of the broth; I ended up using about 5 cups (1.2 L) total. Keep whisking and the gravy will thicken and become smooth and glossy. Taste and adjust seasoning. I often find that this low FODMAP vegetarian gravy needs black pepper but not any salt.
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Gravy (in this chunky statis ready to use, or keep warm till needed. It might thicken upon standing, so keep any leftover broth handy. You can also strain it at this point if you like. Simply press through a wire-meshed strainer. You can also refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month in an airtight container. Reheat, re-whisk and think out as needed with broth (preferably) or water.
Notes:
Tips
- For low FODMAP vegan gravy, use a low FODMAP margarine, such as Earth Balance Baking Sticks, in lieu of the butter. The flavor will change somewhat, but it will still be delicious.
- If you would like to add a little thyme (or even rosemary or sage) be our guest, but I like it as is.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
