These flavorful gluten free dinner recipes keep dinnertime exciting without making it feel like you’re giving anything up!
In a world that seems to revolve around gluten, it’s sometimes hard to see that some of the most delicious recipes can be naturally gluten free! Whether you’re eliminating gluten for medical reasons or as a personal preference, there are so many ways to eat delicious meals that don’t contain gluten!
Here’s a list of our top crowd-pleasing gluten free dinner recipes that make dinnertime delicious. These recipes are colorful and satisfying, from zesty shrimp tacos to hearty chili to teriyaki salmon to gluten-free enchiladas. No matter the recipe: you won’t feel like you’re giving anything up!
And now, our best gluten free dinner recipes!
First up in our gluten free dinner recipes: a big favorite. Zucchini lasagna! This zucchini lasagna alternates beautiful layers of roasted zucchini noddles, hearty garlicky tomato sauce and three gooey cheeses. It tastes as good–or better–than a classic lasagna! In fact, we might pick it over the classic.
Next up, our favorite gluten free dinner recipe: shrimp tacos! Thsi quick recipe is ultra-versatile and works for both easy weeknight meals and dinner parties. Top the juicy shrimp with our Creamy Cilantro Taco Sauce; almost like a ranch dressing with cilantro, you might just want to bathe in it! Throw it all together with shredded cabbage, red onion and lime in a charred tortilla.
Chili is an easy way to eat a gluten-free dinner! And this savory, hearty chili is full of good-for-you ingredients: trio of protein-packed beans, quinoa, and loads of spices. And of course, the toppings are where it's at in chili. We like a dollop of sour cream (or vegan sour cream) and hot sauce and crunchy roasted salted pepitas. Or try homemade tortilla strips for another way to add a crunch.
It’s simple, it’s elegant, but it tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant: Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus! Roasting it up on a sheet pan with lemon slices and fresh herbs adds effortless flavor that feels fresh yet refined. This sheet pan meal is the perfect weeknight meal.
Who needs noodles when you've got spaghetti squash spaghetti! Roast up the squash (or cook it in the Instant Pot!). Then saute it with garlic and herbs to up the Italian flavors. To serve, douse it in your very favorite marinara sauce! Add a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and it's a tasty side dish! To make it filling enough for a main dish, add lentils, meat, or vegan meatballs or another side of hearty plant based protein.
This vegan and gluten-free wild rice soup is pretty darn incredible, if we do say so ourselves. It's creamy, it's cozy, it's savory: yet somehow, it's made 100% of plants. After you make it, you'll swear that somehow a little heavy cream got mixed in. It's perfectly seasoned, and you might not be able to stop eating it (we weren't!). Per my sister: "This is really the best soup ever."
Got an Instant Pot? Try our Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup Recipe.
Looking for a healthy and easy gluten-free dinner? Try this shrimp and broccoli! The pair are cooked with soy sauce and and rice vinegar until bright and savory. The contrast of the crisp tender broccoli against the juicy shrimp is really something. Serve it with rice or rice noodles to make it a complete meal that comes together quickly!
Using corn tortillas makes enchiladas gluten free, and MAN are these delicious! The artichoke filling gives a meaty, almost chicken-like texture and flavor. They’re stuffed with quinoa and topped with salsa verde and lots of gooey cheese. The recipe calls for making a salsa verde out of fresh tomatillos. If you’re running low on time, substitute purchased salsa verde as a shortcut!
Another great gluten-free dinner recipe? Make a stir fry! These stir fry vegetables are colorful and taste so delicious, you won’t want to stop eating them. It’s great way to eat all the best healthy vegetables! Making a stir fry is easy, but you also need to know a few tricks to get it right. Serve with Shrimp or Marinaded Tofu, and rice or Instant Pot rice.
Here’s an irresistible gluten free recipe you’ll want to make again and again…this Shrimp Rice Bowl! It got 5 stars in our house. Mix up a batch of cilantro lime rice, then top it with tender shrimp and a black bean and corn salad. This best part is a creamy, zingy chipotle ranch dressing that covers it all in deliciousness. (Yep, that’s the technical term.)
Here’s a gluten-free dinner for a crowd: chili baked potatoes! Bake up some potatoes, top them with chili and all the fixin’s, and it’s an easy dinner everyone can enjoy. Chili is a hearty match for baked potatoes, and really: who doesn’t love a baked potato bar with all those fun toppings?
This Hawaiian bowl of seasoned raw fish, rice and crunchy veggies has caught on here on the mainland, and everybody’s doing it! Poke is that good. And guess what? You can easily make poke in the comfort of your own home. It’s perfect for a weeknight gluten-free dinner, or even better for a showy meal for entertaining.
This chickpea curry takes just 20 minutes! It's a gluten-free dinner idea designed for weeknights and comes together in a flash. It's seriously flavorful, filled with ginger, garlic, cumin and curry powder, with a little coconut milk swirled in to make it creamy. Serve with basmati rice (or Instant Pot rice).
This oven-baked salmon with capers is easy to make and results in one perfectly moist piece of fish! It's baked with lemon and herbs until it’s perfectly tender. Then it’s topped with a silky butter sauce made with garlic and capers. Just a small drizzle packs a huge punch — and the modest quantity keeps it healthy. It all comes together in just 30 minutes!
Yes, we’re pulling out the expletives because this lentil soup recipe is so delicious, you won’t even remember that you’re doing your body and the planet good. You’ll just feel like you’re wrapped in a cozy hug. Featuring fire-roasted tomatoes, savory fennel, and garlic, this vegan lentil soup is ready to amaze you.
This shrimp boil in the oven is an easy way to make a shrimp boil on a weeknight: no large pot or fire required! It's a quick and easy gluten-free dinner made on a sheet pan. The veggies become browned and caramelized, salty and seasoned with the nuance of cozy Old Bay seasoning, and the shrimp come out perfectly tender. This one is a crowd pleaser!
Here's the fastest gluten free dinner recipe around: our Epic 5 Minute Tacos! Can dinner really be made in 5 minutes? We'll let you find out for yourself. These tacos feature our chorizo-style eggs, which materialize into a meaty flavor and texture before your eyes. Serve with corn tortillas and top with salsa fresca, cilantro and hot sauce.
This gluten-free Moroccan stew is cozy, hearty and full of flavor. It's warm spiced with cumin, coriander and cinnamon, and the chickpeas are simmered with tomatoes and chickpeas. Serve with side quinoa and a dollop of Greek yogurt, and it's an extraordinarily tasty meal.
This easy sheet pan dinner is full of colorful vegetables and loaded with flavor! It's a plant-based dinner that roasts up everything on a sheet pan at once: lots of good-for-you veggies and chickpeas for plant based protein. Throw it all in the oven while you cook rice or quinoa. Dinnertime win!
This easy salmon teriyaki will become one of your weeknight go-to salmon recipes! It’s got a quick homemade sauce, and best of all: no long marinading time needed! Do a quick sear on the stovetop, paint with teriyaki, then bake for a few minutes until cooked through. It’s quick and easy, perfect for easy gluten-free dinners.
The word salad doesn’t even really come close to describing the taste treat that is the traditional French Nicoise salad. Hard boiled eggs, green beans, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, tuna, and tangy potatoes sit on crunchy lettuce with a zesty lemon vinaigrette that makes you want to keep eating it for days. It’s filling enough to be a gluten free dinner, and it’s got the best carefree vibe.
Rice noodles are made from rice flour, making this noodle bowl a perfect gluten free dinner idea! This noodle bowl is everything that’s great about a spring roll, in bowl form. There’s crisp veggies, tender noodles, crunchy peanuts, and a zingy garlic lime sauce infuses a gingery, citrusy goodness throughout. This recipe works for weeknights or entertaining (and it saves well for lunches).
Note: While most dry rice noodles are gluten-free, some fresh rice noodles can contain wheat flour. Make sure to check the package just to be sure!
20 Gluten Free Dinner Recipes: Zucchini Lasagna & More!
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
We cracked the code to the best gluten free dinner: zucchini lasagna! Roasted zucchini noodles and three cheeses make just the right Italian flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, fire roasted if possible
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, fire roasted if possible
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or oregano)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
- 2 pounds zucchini (3 large or 5 small medium)
- 2 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1/2 lemon)
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 cups (7 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the sauce: Mince the garlic. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat: once melted, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn down the heat and carefully add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, tarragon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Remove ¼ cup of the sauce and stir it with the cornstarch, then add it back to the pan (this helps to thicken the sauce). Simmer while making the remainder of the recipe, at least 15 minutes. When ready to use, remove the pan from the heat.
- Roast the zucchini noodles: Slice the zucchini into noodles ¼ inch thick, using a knife or mandoline (if you have a mandoline, it’s the easiest way to get uniform pieces). You can discard the pieces that are just the peel. Place the zucchini strips on two parchment-lined baking sheets and drizzle them with olive oil, then use your hands to rub it so they are lightly coated on both sides. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided across the 2 trays. Roast 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender. Remove the pans from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cheese filling: Destem the thyme, then roughly chop the leaves. Add 2 tablespoons thyme to a medium bowl and reserve about ½ tablespoon for topping the lasagna. To the bowl, add the lemon zest, ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Turn down the oven: Turn down the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Assemble the lasagna: In a 9” x 9” baking dish (or similar volume baking dish), spread a ½ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then top with 1 layer of the zucchini noodles, half of the cheese mixture (in dollops) and about ½ cup of the tomato sauce, using a spatula to spread the sauce evenly over the cheese. Repeat again, topping with 1 layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and ½ cup of the remaining tomato sauce. Finally, top with a final layer of noodles, then another ½ cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle the entire top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and ½ tablespoon fresh thyme.
- Bake the lasagna: Bake the lasagna for 40 minutes, uncovered. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving (this allows the lasagna to set; you can let it sit even longer if desired). Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days and reheated in a 375°F oven.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: Gluten Free Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Dinner
More gluten free dinner recipes?
Outside of these best gluten free dinner recipes, we have many more on A Couple Cooks! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Best Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- 5 Minute Seared Tuna Recipe
- Mexican Sweet Potatoes
- Stir Fry Vegetables with Teriyaki
- Loaded Quinoa Tacos
- Quick Coconut Lentil Curry
- Quick Burrito Bowl
- Shrimp with Fresh Corn Grits
- White Bean Shakshuka with Feta
Last updated: March 2020