Kabocha Squash Bowl with Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing – GF, V, Low FODMAP

Kabocha Squash Bowl with Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing.

This kabocha squash bowl is one of my top rated recipes for a reason. It’s packed with delicious and diverse flavors, but is so popular because of the health benefits. If you’re looking to improve your gut health or fight digestive issues such as IBS, SIBO, or leaky gut, start by adding this bowl to your recipe arsenal.

Gut Healthy Ingredients

This kabocha squash bowl is completely low FODMAP meaning it is extremely gentle on your gut. If you have nasty symptoms of IBS such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or heartburn, a low FODMAP elimination diet is required to reset your gut and learn which foods are causing you trouble. High FODMAP foods such as cashews, beans, avocados, and lentils offer amazing benefits but can disrupt the gut if eaten frequently in large portions.

This kabocha squash bowl contains no high FODMAP ingredients making it totally safe to consume for those struggling with digestive issues. Even if you’re not struggling with your gut, it’s important to take preventative measures and be aware of how to keep your gut in check.

Here are the top ways to achieve and maintain a healthy gut:

1. Don’t eat the same foods everyday. This will lead to intolerances! It’s so easy to fall into a routine of eating the same meals everyday, but in order for your gut to thrive it needs diversity.
2. Don’t eat high FODMAP foods frequently in large portions. Eating foods like beans, cashews, and bananas daily and in high volume is what caused my battle with IBS. Again, diversifying your diet and eating as much of a variety as possible is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy gut.
3. Avoid stress. Sometimes it’s impossible to avoid stress due to work or your home environment. Prioritize a work life balance and consistent morning and evening routine.
4. Cut processed foods from your diet. Once in awhile it’s okay to indulge, but processed foods (especially in the US) will destroy your gut. Stick to simple whole foods
5. Stay hydrated. Water strengthens the lining of our intestines which, if weak, can lead to leaky gut. Water also helps to balance the “good” bacteria in the gut.

Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing – Kabocha Squash Bowl

This dressing was inspired by the dressing in a traditional house salad you’d find in Japanese restaurants. I chose to add miso paste which adds so much flavor and is another gut healthy ingredient as miso is fermented. Fermented foods = gut healthy! Inside this dressing are carrots, miso paste, raw ginger, sesame oil, and sea salt. Here are a few healthy brands I trust and use often:

For this dressing you will need a high speed blender. Here are my top picks:

Perfect for Meal Prep

When making this bowl you will inevitably be left with extras unless you are cooking for a bigger group. I make bowls like this on Sunday’s (my meal prep day) that way I can repurpose the ingredients throughout the week. Here’s my process:

1. Bake the kabocha squash. Chop into cubes and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
2. Chop a few heads of kale. Any kale works, but I like to do a mix of dinosaur kale and curly kale. Add to a large mixing bowl with the juice of a lemon and couple tbsp of sesame oil. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat as is or sauté a cup or 2 at a time.
3. Cook 2 cups of brown rice. While you’re at it, cook 2 cups of quinoa which you can use in salads, bowls, or as a side to protein and veggies. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
4. Thinly slice your lotus root. I prefer my lotus root air fried so they’re nice and crispy, but you can store them raw and just sautee them when you’re ready to eat. Keep in mind if you’re on a low FODMAP diet, don’t eat more than 4 slices in one sitting or it can bring on IBS symptoms.

Kabocha Squash Bowl Toppings

Aside from the health benefits, my favorite part of this kabocha squash bowl are the wide array of flavors. The raw ginger, seaweed snacks, green onions, sesame seeds, and carrot miso ginger dressing add flavor and texture to what could otherwise be a pretty boring bowl. Here are a few of the ingredients I used:

{Related Recipes: If you like this recipe you’ll love my STEAMED VEGGIE DUMPLINGS and my TOFISH AND CHIPS.}