This one pan plantain taco bowl is easy and delicious! It’s the perfect simple weeknight meal all while being gluten free, dairy free, allergy friendly, and high protein.
Who doesn’t love an easy and nourishing meal? I love one pan and bowl-based dinners, they make life easier. And this taco bowl does not miss! Packed with nutrients including lots of protein, fiber, and micro-nutrients, this healthy taco dish will become a staple in your meal rotations. We are using plantains in this dish to switch things up and because plantains are delicious. If you’ve never had plantains, you need to try one and this is the perfect recipe to dip your toe in!
These taco bowls are also a great, easy Cinco de Mayo option. If you’re looking for a quick recipe or a recipe you can double or triple for a crowd, these taco bowls are perfect. They are allergy friendly and the perfect post-drinking meal ;).
Where to buy plantains
You can find plantains at most grocery stores these days depending on what part of the US you are in (I am unsure about other countries- sorry!). If you can’t find them at your regular grocery store, speciality stores likely carry them including places like Whole Foods and your local ethnic grocery store (many of these stores are more familiar with tropical fruits and veg).
How to pick plantains
For this recipe, we want greener plantains or just beginning to yellow with only a couple black spots. AKA less ripe plantains. The less ripe plantains are not sweet and work better in savory dishes. Very yellow or black plantains are much sweeter and are great for desserts.
One Pan Plantain Taco Bowl
This entire meal can be made in one pan, except for the sauce which is blended together in a food processor or blender.
Ingredients:
-ground beef
-plantains
-bell pepper
-black beans
-olive oil
-coconut oil
-salt
-taco seasoning
-avocado
-yogurt of choice
-lemon
-garlic infused olive oil
-cilantro
Process:
First, brown your ground beef in a large skillet. Alternatively, you can cook your beef in one skillet and veggies in another so they cook at the same time.
If using the same pan, remove your beef to a bowl once done cooking. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the coconut oil and melt on medium heat. Add the chopped plantains and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes until they are beginning to brown on the edges.
Add the bell pepper to the plantains and more oil if needed. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the peppers are soft.
While veggies are cooking, make your dressing. Combine all ingredients together in a small food processor or blender, starting with 1/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth and add water as needed to reach desired consistency. I like something that is runny and pourable vs dippable.
Once veggies are cooked, add the beef and beans along with the salt and taco seasoning to the pepper and plantains. Mix to combine
Serve as is, over a bed of lettuce, or rice. Drizzle the sauce on top, some chopped cilantro, and enjoy!
This easy and delicious one pan dinner is completely gluten free and dairy free. This is the perfect weeknight dinner or meal prep!
Course Main Course
Keyword allergy friendly, autoimmune paleo, dairy free, Easy, gluten free, one pan
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
45 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Author Victoria Faling
Ingredients
1lbsground beef
2largemedium ripe plantainspeeled and diced
1largered bell pepper
1canblack beansdrained and rinsed
2-3 Tbspolive oil
1Tbspcoconut oil
2tsptaco seasoning
1/2tspsalt
Cilantrochopped
Dressing
1avocado
1/4cupyogurt of choiceI used a dairy free coconut yogurt
1tspgarlic infused olive oilor 1 tsp olive oil and a clove of garlic
Juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste
Water
Instructions
First, brown your ground beef in a large skillet. Alternatively, you can cook your beef in one skillet and veggies in another so they cook at the same time.
If using the same pan, remove your beef to a bowl once done cooking. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the coconut oil and melt on medium heat. Add the chopped plantains and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes until they are beginning to brown on the edges.
Add the bell pepper to the plantains and more oil if needed. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the peppers are soft.
While veggies are cooking, make your dressing. Combine all ingredients together in a small food processor or blender, starting with 1/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth and add water as needed to reach desired consistency. I like something that is runny and pourable vs dippable.
Once veggies are cooked, add the beef and beans along with the salt and taco seasoning to the pepper and plantains. Mix to combine
Serve as is, over a bed of lettuce, or rice. Drizzle the sauce on top and some fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!
This easy sheet pan dinner is a delicious way to upgrade your standard chicken and vegetable dinner. Coated in a delicious honey balsamic, you’ll love this quick weeknight meal.
Who doesn’t love a simple sheet pan meal? It makes dinner so much easier during a busy week. A lot of sheet pan meals can be boring because they are basically just chicken and veggies on a pan with some olive oil and salt. BORING! We need more flavor, people! That’s why I love this honey balsamic chicken.
This easy dinner is made with a honey balsamic sauce that upgrades your boring chicken and vegetables. I love this meal because it’s made on one sheet pan and doesn’t require reducing the sauce. If I don’t need to take extra steps, then I’m all about it. I wanted to create this meal without having to worry about cooking the sauce separately.
This simple sheet pan meal is completely gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and allergy friendly. It’s free of all major allergens, making it the perfect crowd pleasing dish for the entire family (or friends!). This recipe is also completely Paleo.
Honey Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients:
-chicken
-broccoli
-carrots
-olive oil
-salt
-balsamic
-rice wine vinegar
-honey
-ginger
Process
This is the simplest meal you’ll make! You add your chopped veggies to a sheet pan and begin roasting them while you cut up the chicken and prep the sauce. The sauce is just whisking everything together, no reducing needed. Halfway through cooking, you’ll add the chicken to the sheet pan and toss everything with half of the sauce. Finish roasting until the chicken is cooked through, then toss everything with the remaining sauce. That’s it!
Upgrade your standard chicken and vegetable dish with this quick and easy weeknight dinner made on one pan! Packed with flavor and highly nutritious, this is the ultimate simple dinner recipe.
Toss the carrots and broccoli with the olive oil and salt and lay evenly across a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
While veggies are roasting, prepare your sauce by whisking everything together in a measuring cup. Taste and adjust the ginger and honey to your liking.
After the veggies have been cooking for 30 minutes, add the chicken to the sheet pan and half the sauce. Toss everything and spread evenly across the pan again. Roast for another 15 minutes, until chicken is done and veggies are fork tender.
Remove the tray from the oven and toss everything with the remaining sauce.
This veggie and protein packed lasagna is completely allergy friendly and low FODMAP. Everyone will love and be able to eat this dish!
You honestly won’t believe that this lasagna recipe is gluten free and dairy free. My gluten and dairy loving dad even gave this homemade lasagna high marks. It’s packed with three different vegetables along with ground beef making this dish a complete meal. It’s the perfect dinner party meal, family dinner option, or meal prep choice. This lasagna produces 8 servings and can be frozen in portions.
I love sneaking vegetables and protein in wherever I can. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know my goal is always to create healthy and allergy friendly versions of your favorite recipes. I thought lasagna would be a tough one due to the cheese and FODMAPS, but it ended up being much easier than I anticipated! This recipe does take some time and since the cheese is made from scratch, you do need to plan ahead (the cheese is super easy, though, don’t worry!).
I get so excited to eat this nutrient dense gluten free lasagna any chance I get. I honestly could probably eat it every night, it’s just that good. This homemade lasagna is proof that you can eat delicious, healthier, and allergy free versions of classic dishes! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this one.
The Best Veggie Packed Lasagna
The layers:
The first key to this dairy free lasagna is dairy free cheese of course! We are going to make a completely vegan and allergy friendly cheese that has no weird additives. This cheese is also fully Paleo and I love using it in lots of other recipes! The cheese does need to be made ahead of time, by at least 3 hours, or even the day before. This vegan cheese is made from coconut milk, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, garlic infused olive oil, and salt. It’s super easy to make, it just needs time to set before using it in the lasagna.
The next important layer is the noodles. I love using the Jovial gluten free noodles. They are made from rice with no corn involved!
Of course, we need our filling. This delicious lasagna is made high protein and nutrient dense with a mix of ground beef and three different veggies PLUS tomato sauce! Fennel (or onion if you can handle it), zucchini, and carrots add lots of nutritious fiber and micronutrients to this classic dish. Shredded carrots are added to the ground beef and tomato sauce so you can’t even taste them! Fennel and zucchini taste pretty mild once sautéed and mixed in with the rest of the ground beef mixture, keeping this dish picky eater friendly.
Ingredient notes:
Cheese: make sure to use full fat coconut milk from the can to make the cheese. I also use garlic infused olive oil to keep this recipe low FODMAP, but I provide alternatives if you don’t have an infused oil and prefer to use garlic powder.
Tomato sauce: I love using Rao’s Sensitive Marinara as it doesn’t contain any garlic or onion. This helps keep the lasagna stomach problem girl friendly!
Noodles: feel free to use whatever noodles you prefer, but as mentioned above, my favorite brand is the Jovial noodles since they are completely allergy friendly and no-boil.
Fennel: I use fennel over onion since fennel is low FODMAP, but you can always use onion instead!
Also, it just occurred to me that lasagna is a casserole… right? Leave a comment and let me know if you think lasagna counts as a one. If so, then here’s to a delicious gluten free and dairy free casserole!
This veggie and protein packed lasagna is completely allergy friendly and low FODMAP. Gluten free and dairy free, this classic dish still tastes amazing! Everyone will love this healthier take on lasagna.
*Please keep in mind the cheese needs to be made ahead!
Cheese
To make the cheese, combine the coconut milk, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, and lemon juice together in a saucepan and whisk to combine over medium heat.
Whisk together the water and tapioca starch in a measuring cup. Pour this into the saucepan with the other ingredients, whisking often, until the cheese thickens.
It will take about 5 minutes to start noticing it thickening and another 5-10 to reach the desired consistency. You'll know the cheese is done because it starts to pull away from the side of the pan. It should drip off a spatula like a pot of melted cheese would.
Remove the cheese from the heat and transfer to a heat safe, glass container. Let cool at room temperature for 15-30 minutes, before adding the lid and transferring to the fridge to set for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
Lasagna
Preheat oven to 375F.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Sauté the fennel for 5 minutes then add the zucchini and sauté for about another 5 minutes until soft and veggies are slightly browned.
You can cook the beef at the same time in a separate large frying pan if you have one, or set the veggies aside and brown the beef in the same pan. Brown your ground beef then add in the carrots, 1 1/2 jars of tomato sauce, zucchini, fennel, salt, basil, and oregano. Mix to combine and set aside.
To assemble the lasagna, keep in mind that we will be making 4 layers. In a large 9×14 dish, spread a quarter of the meat and veggie mixture over the bottom. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles in a single layer on top of the mixture. Then use your hands to spread a quarter of the homemade vegan cheese over the noodles. This is messy and the cheese may seem a little runny, but it's okay! It may not cover ever inch of noodles perfectly and that is alright. Just use your hands the stretch the cheese over as much as you can.
Now, take the next quarter of meat mixture and spread it evenly over the cheese. Add your noodles. Add your cheese.
Repeat 2 more times.
Take some of the leftover sauce and spread around with the cheese on the top layer, being sure to get the edges of the lasagna noodles (they need liquid to cook!). Cover the dish with tinfoil and place in in the oven for 50 minutes.
Uncover the noodles and pat them down gently to make sure they are flat and covered in some sauce and cook for another 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving!
This lasagna will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be portioned and frozen if needed!
Notes
*If you do not have garlic infused olive oil, you can use regular olive oil plus a clove of minced garlic or 1/2 tsp. garlic and onion powder.
This curried cauliflower and sweet potato salad is nutrient dense and flavor packed. It’s the perfect vegan and paleo dish that can be turned into a complete meal!
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods, so I’m always thinking of new dishes to make with them. Plain roasted vegetables can get boring, so I love making vegetables more fun and delicious. This roasted vegetable salad is filled with add-ins to bring in some crunch and sweetness and then dressed with a creamy dressing that has just the right amount of curry kick.
Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients:
Cauliflower
Sweet potato
Olive oil
Salt
Add-ins: golden raisins, toasted nuts (walnuts or cashews are best!), roasted chickpeas
Cilantro
Granola butter or nut/seed butter of choice
Lemon juice
Curry powder
Grated ginger root
Maple syrup
Garlic infused olive oil
How to make this salad:
This veggie salad is easy to make. First, you roast the cauliflower and sweet potato. While those are roasting, you can measure out your add-ins, toast your nuts and chickpeas if using, and make the dressing. Once the vegetables are done roasting, you toss everything together.
This gluten free salad can be made fully paleo by using a nut or seed based butter for the dressing. I use my homemade granola butter in this recipe as it is my absolute favorite and is allergy friendly! You can keep this recipe completely nut free by using roasted chickpeas instead of nuts for the add-ins.
Can I Make This a Complete Meal?
I love serving this vegetable dish with roasted chicken, but you can also make it a complete vegan meal by adding a can of roasted chickpeas. The chickpeas add the perfect crunch and a protein boost.
This fully vegan roasted vegetable salad is gluten free, dairy free, and can be made fully paleo. It is nutrient dense and packed with flavor- the perfect addition to any meal!
1Tbspgarlic infused olive oilor regular olive oil and 1 clove of pressed garlic
2-4Tbspwater
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F.
Chop cauliflower into florets and sweet potato into bite size pieces. Toss vegetables with olive and salt and spread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and fork tender.
While vegetables are cooking, toast your walnuts in a frying pan over medium heat, mixing often until just beginning to golden and become fragrant. This will only take 5-10 minutes.
When vegetables are done, set aside while you make the dressing.
While vegetables are cooling, make your dressing by combining all ingredients except for the water in a small bowl or jar. Start with 1/2 tsp curry powder and increase based on taste. Miix well to combine, taste and adjust salt and curry powder as needed. Add in water 1 Tbsp at a time until you get a pourable consistency that isn't too thick.
Toss vegetables, add-ins, and dressing together in a large bowl and serve! Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
To keep this recipe completely nut free, use a can of roasted chickpeas instead! Be sure to use granola butter or a seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter in the dressing.
These easy Low FODMAP Stuffed Peppers are the perfect meal prep or dinner party dish. They contain no tomatoes for those with allergies, but are filled with Italian spices to keep the flavor high! Dairy free, completely paleo, and delicious.
I was never a huge fan of stuffed peppers, but, honestly, they are a super easy dish that can be adjusted to your tastes. Stuffed peppers are a great meal prep dish or main dish for family dinner or a dinner party. I love that you can adjust the herbs or mix-ins to your taste buds and/or to use up what you have in the fridge.
Ingredients in Low FODMAP Stuffed Peppers
Olive oil: for sautéing the veggies
Garlic infused olive oil: for flavor without the FODMAPs
Bell peppers: obviously
Ground beef: for protein
Cauliflower rice: to keep this recipe grain free and paleo
Kale: for added nutrients and flavor
Italian spice: to flavor these peppers
Salt
Feta, regular or vegan: this adds creaminess and flavor!
These paleo stuffed peppers utilize ground beef, cauliflower rice to keep them grain free, kale, and feta. I used a vegan feta to keep them dairy free, but the melty cheese is a must in these peppers! A combination of garlic infused olive oil (for low FODMAP) and Italian herbs bumps up the flavor profile. I also love serving these with guacamole. That may seem random, but it goes so well!
Substitutions and Variations
Garlic olive oil: Garlic infused olive oil is low FODMAP and won’t upset your GI system. If you can tolerate garlic, use some fresh chopped garlic instead!
Beef: Ground chicken or turkey would also work! Just use your preferred ground meat.
Cauliflower rice: You can always use cooked white or brown rice instead. I use cauliflower rice to keep this recipe paleo, but you can use grains as desired.
Feta:I don’t tolerate dairy, so I always use a vegan feta, but regular feta will work fine too. You can also use your cheese of choice like mozzarella, cheddar, or even some parmesan.
Storage
Keep this leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. These also freeze well which makes them great for batch cooking. Wrap individual peppers in plastic wrap or tinfoil and freeze for in an airtight bag/container for up to 3 months.
These easy stuffed peppers are the perfect nutrient dense meal prep or dinner party dish! Packed with Italian herbs, lots of veggies, and ground beef, you can’t go wrong making a batch of these.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Cook your ground beef until almost browned.
While beef is cooking, slice the tops off the peppers and de-seed them. Place them in a baking dish and set aside.
Before beef is finished cooking and is still a little pink in places, add the cauliflower rice. Cooking for about 5 minutes until it's softer.
Add the kale, garlic olive oil, salt, and Italian herbs. Sauté for a minute or two until kale has wilted.
Mix in the feta, then evenly divide your mixture between the 6 peppers. Place the tops back onto the peppers and bake for 35-45 minutes, until peppers are soft.
Serve with a side salad, guac, or other favorite sauces!
Notes
If you don’t have garlic infused olive oil, just use regular. If you can tolerate garlic, sauté a couple of diced cloves before adding the ground beef.
These Spinach & Feta Chicken Meatballs are a delicious and flavorful meal and can be made completely dairy free. Packed with protein, fiber, and micro-nutrients, this will be your new favorite dinner!
These chicken meatballs are easy to make and filled with flavor. They are also great for food allergies or restrictions because they are naturally gluten free and you can use plant based feta if needed (like I did). I also keep them low FODMAP by using fennel and garlic infused olive oil. It’s one of my favorite ways to add flavor without stomach discomfort. This dish packs a flavor and nutrient punch!
Spinach and Feta Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients:
Ground chicken
Spinach
Cilantro
Feta vegan or regular
Fennel or onion
Salt
Oregano
Garlic olive oil
To make these Greek-inspired meatballs, all you have to do is mix all the ingredients together and bake! It’s that simple. I love serving these over rice and with some sort of Greek salad. I often make a cucumber, bell pepper, and olive salad drizzled with olive oil and oregano. It pairs perfectly with these spinach meatballs.
These Spinach & Feta Meatballs are filled with nutrients and flavor! They are super easy to whip up and perfect for family dinner or meal prep.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword allergy friendly, Easy, Simple
Servings 4servings
Author Victoria Faling
Ingredients
1lbsground chicken
2handfuls of spinach
1/4cupcilantro
1/2cupfetavegan or regular (if using a block, be sure to crumble it)
1/2cupdiced fennel or onion
1/2tspsalt
1tsporegano
1Tbspgarlic olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Dice the spinach and cilantro, then add everything to a bowl and mix well. This is done best with your hands to make sure all the ingredients come together evenly.
Form into 16 meatballs and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, until slightly golden and cooked through.
Hi! I'm Victoria. I was diagnosed with Lyme in 2012 and have been on a healing journey ever since. I love helping others on their road to healing through allergy friendly recipes, exercise, and overall well-being.