23 Budget-Friendly Gluten-Free Dinners
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Make a cheap gluten-free meal easily with recipes that rely on affordable ingredients like potatoes, vegetables and chicken to create a delicious, well-rounded meal. To mimic the starchy quality found in gluten, we turn vegetables into rice and pasta for a filling dinner. Recipes like Loaded Cauliflower Bowls and Skillet Buffalo Chicken are healthy, tasty and great for those trying to avoid gluten.
These are the kinds of recipes that anyone can enjoy—even if gluten is not a concern. This makes them perfect for family dinners and serving guests because it removes all talk about gluten intolerance from the table, so you can focus on other topics. And best of all, everyone can enjoy the same delicious meal.
Loaded Cauliflower Bowls
Enjoy these comforting roasted cauliflower bowls topped with cheese, bacon, scallions and sour cream on their own. Or add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a full meal.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Strands of tender squash replace pasta for a more flavorful version of spaghetti pie casserole. Not to mention, spaghetti squash is a low-carb alternative to pasta and saves more than 150 calories per serving compared to a traditional recipe. A sprinkling of nutty fontina cheese melts into a gooey topping.
Baked Lemon-Pepper Chicken
Looking for a quick, easy dinner? This baked lemon-pepper chicken recipe is it. Chicken breasts are cooked in a skillet, then finished in the oven with lemon slices that soften and become part of the sauce, with a touch of maple syrup and butter to carry the flavor. It's so simple and delicious, you'll be making this healthy dinner again and again.
Tofu Tacos
These quick vegan tacos, filled with a spicy tofu filling, make a perfect weeknight dinner. To keep them vegan, top them with shredded cabbage, fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. For vegetarians, add crumbled queso fresco.
Herb-Grilled Chicken Frites
We combine fresh herbs, capers, lemon juice and olive oil along with the juices collected from the chicken as it rests to make a simple sauce that livens up this take on poulet frites, or chicken and fries.
Old Bay Salmon with Lemony Mashed Peas
Cooking butter until it browns adds a toasty, nutty flavor to this easy skillet salmon recipe. Here it gives Old Bay-rubbed salmon a chef-worthy finish. Not bad for 20 minutes!
Skillet Buffalo Chicken
If you like Buffalo wings, you'll love this quick skillet Buffalo chicken recipe. Chicken cutlets are sautéed, then smothered in a creamy-spicy sauce. A side salad garnish of carrots, celery and blue cheese pulls it all together.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chili
Sweet potatoes pair wonderfully with this simple chili recipe. Add one more chipotle pepper if you want to spice up this healthy sweet potato recipe.
Black Bean-Cauliflower 'Rice' Bowl
This aromatic cauliflower rice bowl comes together in minutes and is a simple meal for one. Using frozen riced cauliflower instead of rice keeps the carbs in check—and makes for quicker prep.
Gluten-Free Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli
Everyone loves teriyaki chicken—and this one is better for you with much less added sugar. It's also gluten-free as long as you use tamari (aka gluten-free soy sauce). Feel free to swap out the broccoli for any veggie—carrots, snow peas, green beans—that you have on hand.
Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Pesto & Eggs
Top baked potatoes with fried eggs, pesto, spinach and bacon for a loaded baked potato that's perfect for an easy dinner or hearty brunch. Omit the bacon for a vegetarian version that's equally delicious.
Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Chickpeas
In this vegetarian riff on a popular Indian dish, we swap in cauliflower and chickpeas for the chicken in tikka masala. The cauliflower's nooks and crannies are particularly good at soaking up all the intense flavors of the sauce. Serve over rice for an easy healthy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes.
Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole
Ditch the baking dish and make this easy skillet broccoli, cheese and rice casserole. Cooking the casserole in a skillet keeps the flavors and textures fresh—no mushy, sad broccoli! Serve this easy side with baked chicken for a family-pleasing healthy dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes.
Potato Hash with Sausage & Fried Egg
Leftover cooked potatoes and peppers form the base of this quick weeknight meal for one. Alternatively, use frozen cubed hash browns and bell pepper-onion stir-fry mix.
Dijon Chicken with Roasted Broccoli & Butternut Squash
Pre-cubed butternut squash is a time saver in this easy baked chicken recipe. Look for it in the produce section.
Sweet Potato Carbonara with Spinach & Mushrooms
Loaded with veggies, this spiralized sweet potato vegetable noodles recipe—our healthy take on a traditional carbonara recipe—achieves superfood status with the addition of spinach and mushrooms. Look for large, straight sweet potatoes to make the longest veggie noodles.
Chile-Lime Cauliflower Quesadillas
Poblano peppers add a touch of heat to these vegetarian quesadillas, but a sweet bell pepper is tasty, too, if you want something milder. Start these quesadillas in the oven, and finish them off in a skillet for melty cheese and crispy tortillas.
Sweet & Sour Pork with a Sesame Crust
You'll recognize the flavors of sesame, soy and white pepper from the beloved restaurant dish that inspired this recipe for sweet and sour (boneless) pork chops. White pepper is more mild and earthy than black pepper, but either one will work here.
Pizza-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Skip the dough and stuff all of your favorite pizza toppings into spaghetti squash boats for a fun and healthy dinner that'll please the whole family. We love the combination of mushrooms, bell peppers, pepperoni and mozzarella, but feel free to mix it up with your favorite pizza ingredients. And of course, feel free to omit the pepperoni to make the dish vegetarian.
Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls
Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked in the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make. And the cleanup is easy too.
Cheeseburger Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Skip the bun and serve all of your favorite cheeseburger ingredients—beef, cheese, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce—with baked potatoes for a hearty and easy dinner recipe that kids and adults will love. Feel free to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or tofu crumbles.
Spicy Noodles with Pork, Scallions & Bok Choy
These spicy noodles are inspired by a Chinese dish called Ants Climbing a Tree, named for the way the small pieces of ground pork (the "ants") cling to the noodles (the "tree"). The twist in these healthy noodles comes from adding vegetables like scallions and bok choy.
Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks with Potatoes
Use your favorite dried herb blend to season both the drumsticks and the sauce in this healthy sheet-pan dinner. A garlic-and-herb mix is crowd-pleasing, but something with a little more heat, like Cajun seasoning, would be delicious too. Whichever way you go, opt for a salt-free version to keep the sodium down in this quick and easy chicken recipe.
Read the original article on Eating Well.