Comfort Food – My Gluten Free Cucina

Gluten Free Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine, the French classic. What’s not to love about a yummy quiche filled with bacon, cheese and onion? I think that a quiche is one of the easiest things to make for brunch, because you can prepare most of it a day ahead then just assemble and bake in the morning.

Is quiche gluten free?

The filling of a quiche, usually consisting of eggs, cream, meat and/or vegetables is usually gluten free. Only the pie crust contains gluten. Fortunately, this Gluten Free Cream Cheese Pie Crust is easy to make, and it is perfect to use with both sweet and savory pie recipes. And of course, I just happened to have one in my freezer, waiting for a special occasion!

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Ingredients:

1 Gluten Free Pie Crust
12 slices of bacon
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/3 cup sweet onion, fine dice
2 cups light cream
4 large eggs
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preparation:

If your pie crust is frozen, take it out one day ahead to defrost in the refrigerator. Then let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before rolling it out between two sheets of parchment.

If it breaks, you can put it back into the refrigerator for 15 minutes then try rolling it out again. With a gluten free crust, you do not need to worry about overworking the dough, so you can roll it out as many times as you need to.

Gently place the rolled-out dough into a glass pie dish, trim the edges and crimp. Use the scraps to patch any holes or cracks (you can see I had quite a few!). Yes, pie crust does not always cooperate, but I got it to work. Remember, even if it’s not the prettiest it will taste great!

Place the pie dish in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Hint: you can prepare the pie crust to this point and refrigerate it overnight for baking in the morning. Just cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

You can also prep the bacon, cheese and onion the night before. Cook the bacon (in batches if needed) and drain on paper towels. Chop it into 1/2″ pieces. Grate the cheese and mince the onion.

In the morning, when you are ready to assemble the quiche, preheat the oven to 425º. Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator while the oven preheats, so you are not placing a cold plate directly into the hot oven. Spread the bacon, onion and cheese into the pie shell.

In a bowl, beat the eggs together with the light cream, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Don’t skip the cayenne, it’s just enough to brighten the flavor without adding heat. Pour the egg mixture evenly into the pie shell.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then, lower the heat to 300º and continue baking for 30 minutes longer.

The edges should be nicely browned, and the center golden. To test, you can insert a knife or a toothpick into the quiche, it should come out clean.

The quiche can be served warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days (do not freeze) and reheated in the oven or microwave. And if you’re ogling that bacon wrapped sausage, get the recipe here!

Notes ♪♫ I always have gluten free pie crust in the freezer for when I want to make sweet or savory pies and quiche. It’s a real time saver, especially when we can’t always grab a ready-made gluten free pie crust at the grocery store. Get the recipe for easy, Gluten Free Cream Cheese pie crust here.

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Split Pea Soup

Another Easter has come and gone, and I’ll bet you still have some leftover ham in the fridge! And since the winter weather just won’t give up here in New England, I’m craving soup.

Everyone has their own traditions for using up the holiday ham. I always ring in the New Year with a pot of Lentil Soup. After Easter though, I like to make Split Pea, which is essentially made the same way.

The ham bone, of course is what you would use to make a stock. But what if you didn’t make a ham for Easter? Or maybe your ham was boneless. Well fear not, you can still use your leftovers or even pick up a ham steak and use that in the soup. This year I actually cooked a 2 lb. petite boneless spiral ham for myself after the holiday and that’s what I used.

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Ingredients:

1 lb. split peas
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
48 oz. gluten free chicken stock or stock from ham bone
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
1 packet beef bouillon
2 cups diced ham
Schar Table Crackers, for serving

Preparation:

Rinse the split peas thoroughly in a colander and examine them for stray bits of barley or pebbles. Place them in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from the heat and let them soak while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Chop ham leftovers into small dice. Set aside and refrigerate.

Cut the onion, celery and carrots into even sized small dice. Add a little olive oil to a 5 qt. stock pot or Dutch oven and begin cooking the carrots, onion and celery over medium low heat.

Season with sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Add 32 oz. of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and bouillon. Simmer 30 minutes.

Drain and rinse the peas again. Add them to the pot, stir well and continue cooking for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until the peas are tender.

As they simmer, the peas will absorb quite a bit of liquid, so add more chicken broth as needed.

When the soup is ready, partially puree it with an immersion blender (don’t forget to remove the bay leaves first). I like to leave some of the veggies whole, but you can make it as smooth or chunky as you like. After pureeing, add back the diced ham and heat through.

Serve with Schar Table Crackers (similar to saltines). Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for at least a week.

Notes: ♪♫ If you have a ham bone and don’t want to make soup right away, don’t throw it away! You can wrap it in foil then place in a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for quite a few months. There have been times that I would find a ham bone in the back of the freezer just in time for fall soup season.

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Bacon Wrapped Sausage

The name says it all, you don’t need a recipe for this do you? Just put these little bites of happiness on the table for your next brunch or family breakfast and watch them disappear! (and they are great leftover too 😉)

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Ingredients:

Preparation:

The best part of this recipe is that you can get it ready the night before to cook in the morning. Just wrap each sausage with a half slice of bacon and secure them with 4″ skewers. Use the amount needed for your family.

Line a sheet pan with foil (keeps the mess down) and arrange the sausages on a rack, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 350º. Bake the sausage for 15 minutes, then finish them on a hot griddle, turning frequently until the bacon is nice and crispy, and the sausage is cooked to your liking, 15-20 minutes. Place them back on the rack for a few minutes to drain before serving.

That’s it friends, what could be easier? So, the next time you are pondering whether to make sausage or bacon for brunch, why not make both!

Notes ♪♫ Most bacon and sausage are gluten free, but I still like to see the gluten free label for extra peace of mind. I used Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup Pork Breakfast Sausage Links and Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon.

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Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Pancakes

My gluten free sourdough starter Sophie is getting more bubbly each week. She turned one month old recently, and I was getting ready to bake another loaf of bread in the morning. But first she had to be fed a couple of times, and there was the inevitable discard. You know I don’t want a bit of this magical culture go to waste, so I thought I would test a small batch of Sourdough Discard Pancakes.

It was my first-time making pancakes with sourdough and I was pleasantly surprised. The familiar sweetness of pancakes with just the right amount of savory sourdough flavor, who knew? Using the sourdough discard seemed to give my pancakes an extra high rise too. These pancakes were hearty and filling, guaranteed to satisfy big appetites.

I made 5 pancakes with my test batch, about 1/3 cup batter each. Double the recipe for a family breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. melted butter plus more for the griddle
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup sourdough discard
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cups milk (I used 2%)
120g. gluten free all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

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Preparation:

Melt the butter in the microwave and set it aside to cool while you gather the other ingredients.

Combine the first 5 ingredients, butter through vanilla in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Use a batter whisk to stir the wet and dry ingredients together with 2/3 cup milk. If the batter is too thick, you can add a little more milk, 1 tbsp. at a time to reach the right consistency.

Preheat your griddle or nonstick skillet for 10 minutes and let the batter rest.

Hint: Do you know why they say the first pancake always comes out a little weird? It’s probably because the griddle wasn’t hot enough.

When you are ready to begin, butter the griddle or skillet generously and begin spooning out your pancakes. I like a nice big pancake, so I scooped the batter out with a 1/3 cup measuring cup. You can make your pancakes as large or small as you like.

Keep a close eye and be ready to flip the pancakes over as soon as the bottom is set, time will vary depending on how large you make the pancakes.

You should get a nice rise as soon as you flip them over.

When the second side is set check the center for doneness with a toothpick. I had to flip mine another time or two.

Here’s breakfast! This was a delicious and filling pancake; one was more than enough for me. Look how thick it is!

Once they were cooled to room temperature, I wrapped the rest of the pancakes individually in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer safe bag. They will keep for a couple of months in the freezer (at least) and can be defrosted and reheated in the toaster or the microwave.

Notes ♪♫ I used and recommend Better Batter Original Gluten Free Flour in this recipe. It is a high-quality flour that will change the way you bake!

Use this link to shop Better Batter and remember to use my code MGFC30 at check out for 30% off your full price purchase.

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Gluten Free Chicken Mushroom Ragu with Fusilli

Like many Italian recipes handed down from one generation to the next, this one has the magical ability to transform simple ingredients from the pantry into the perfect comfort food meal. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and pre-sliced mushrooms to simplify the prep. In fact, if you buy some diced onions in the produce section, you can put away the cutting board. How’s that for simple?

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4 Servings:

Ingredients:

1 carton gluten free chicken broth (you won’t need the whole thing)
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. Tuscan seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup white wine (not cooking wine)
8 oz. package white button mushrooms, sliced
6 oz. gluten free fusilli pasta
Italian parsley for garnish
grated Parmigiano Reggiano for serving

Preparation:

Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a deep nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook several minutes per side. It does not have to be cooked through at this point.

Remove the chicken to a plate and sprinkle with Tuscan seasoning. Add the onions to the pan. Cook for several minutes then add the tomato paste in the center. Let it toast for a minute then stir into the onions.

Stir in the white wine, bay leaf, rosemary and cloves. Simmer 5 minutes to reduce by half.

Add the chicken back to the pan with about 1 cup of chicken broth. Cover and cook for 25 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and shred or cut into pieces. Add all of the mushrooms to the pan with about 3/4 cup more chicken broth.

Bring to a simmer and add back the chicken. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. While the ragu finishes, boil water for pasta.

To serve, drain the cooked pasta and toss with the ragu. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian parsley. Serve it right in the pan, with extra cheese for the table.

Notes ♪♫ I used Rummo Gluten Free Fusilli in this dish. I noticed it at Whole Foods and picked it up there but it’s available on Amazon as well. The corkscrew shape is perfect for this dish, and it cooked up perfectly to al dente.

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Gluten Free Italian Sausage and Cabbage with Pasta

Cabbage! It’s not just for St. Patrick’s Day.

🥬🥬🥬

Are you a once-a-year cabbage person? I always make the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner for St. Patrick’s Day, but until recently that was the extent of my cabbage repertoire. Then somewhere along the way, I expanded my horizons.

This humble veggie is a key ingredient in so many recipes and cuisines. Check out my Asian inspired Chicken and Cabbage, Moo Shoo Pork and Chicken Chow Mein. Or how about this Portuguese Cabbage Soup with Linguica? Polish stuffed cabbage rolls, yes please! But wait, I’m Italian. Shouldn’t I have an Italian recipe with cabbage? Well now I do, and it is AMAZING.

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You know I love braised dishes, where the ingredients slowly cook down and the flavors concentrate and intensify. Usually, this process takes several hours or more, but not in this recipe. With a little advance prep, you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. So easy to make, with very little seasoning needed as the sausage flavors the entire dish. And what a delicious meal it is. So, let’s get started.

Dinner for two

Ingredients:

olive oil
4 oz. sweet Italian sausage (I like Premio)
2 cups sliced sweet onion
2 tbsp. tomato paste
4 cups shredded savoy cabbage
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 cup water, more as needed
4 oz. gluten free pasta (I used Farabella Rigatoni) incredible!
1/4 cup grated cheese (I used a combo of parmesan and Romano)

Preparation:

Boil salted water for the pasta.

In a 3 qt. stock pot, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil on medium low, remove casings from the sausage and begin breaking it up with a meat spatula.

Continue cooking until the meat is completely browned, then add the onions.

Stir frequently and cook for several minutes until the onions are translucent. Then add the tomato paste to the center of the pan.

Let it toast for a minute, before stirring it into the sausage and onions.

Next, add all of the cabbage with the thyme, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you like).

Stir thoroughly to combine, then add about 1 cup of water. You can use a ladle of the pasta water if it’s ready.

Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes, adding a bit more water if it seems dry.

Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and add it into the pan. You can add a little of the pasta water as needed. Toss well and continue cooking for 2 minutes longer to finish the pasta. When ready to serve, remove the pan from the heat and drizzle with olive oil and half of the grated cheese.

Give it a good stir then transfer to a serving bowl and finish with a little more olive oil and cheese.

Doesn’t that look good? It was really an excellent dinner and something you can make after St. Patrick’s Day if you still have cabbage in the fridge to use up.

You can even sneak this one by the kids, just don’t mention the veggies. 😉 Picky eaters will gobble up this yummy bowl of comfort food if you let the cabbage be your little secret!

Notes ♪♫ Is it gluten free? The only ingredient substitution needed for this recipe was the pasta, and of course I had just the thing in the pantry! This gluten free rigatoni from Farabella was a splurge, but it was incredible. It tastes just like real pasta- so do check it out! If you can’t find Farabella pasta near you it is available here on Amazon.

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Gluten Free Chicken Piccata Quick Toss

Do you love Chicken Piccata? Get all the big restaurant flavor of this classic dish with a few shortcuts that will have dinner on the table in 20 minutes, minus the gluten!

Diced chicken tenders replace cutlets in this express recipe. Perfect for those busy weeknights when you just want to get dinner on the table, tastes like you’ve been cooking for hours! ❤️

Dinner for two

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Ingredients:

1/2 lb. chicken tenders, cut into chunks
6 oz. gluten free pasta
4 tsp. olive oil, divided plus more for finishing
4 tsp. butter, divided
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. arrowroot flour
1/4 cup white wine (not cooking wine)
1/2 cup gluten free, low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. small capers (more if you like)
Italian parsley for garnish
grated cheese

Preparation:

Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, drain and set aside.

Use a large stainless-steel skillet to brown the chicken in 2 tsp. each of butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Don’t crowd the pan, if it doesn’t fit then make 2 batches.

Notice the chicken isn’t quite cooked through at this point, it will finish in the sauce at the end.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside, keep warm. Add the remaining 2 tsp. each of butter and olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.

Be ready with the wine, lemon juice and chicken broth. Sprinkle the flour over the shallots and garlic and whisk continuously.

Drizzle the liquid into the pan as you continue whisking.

Return the chicken and pasta to the pan and toss to heat through. Cook for several minutes, the liquid will thicken as it comes to a simmer. Stir in the capers and lemon zest at the very end.

To finish, transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with more olive oil, then garnish with Italian parsley and a little grated cheese.

Yum, how good does that look? I love this kind of meal for busy weeknights. Open a bottle of your favorite white wine for this recipe, and then pour a glass for the cook!

Notes ♪♫ I love arrowroot flour for thickening. It makes a lump free roux every time and I use it in some of my flour blends for bread baking as well. It’s something I always have on hand in my gluten free pantry!

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Gluten Free Sandwich Thins

When I hear people say that the gluten free diet promotes weight loss I have to shake my head! ???? The reality is that gluten free breads, pastas and cereals have as many or more calories and carbs than their wheat filled counterparts.

It got me to thinking, that back a few years “BC” (before Celiac) I had a great homemade recipe for the popular Sandwich Thin buns that everyone loved. In this post I’ll show you how I recreated that recipe to a gluten free version for my lunch sandwiches.

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Mind you, I wanted my bread to be nutritious and wholesome, not just empty calories. This recipe checks all my boxes- whole grains, small portions, great taste. I used a muffin top pan to create perfectly shaped rounds that were all the same size, about 1.5 oz. each after baking.

The flour blend was a result of trial and error, largely based on my own taste buds as well as some sampling by my family. Sorghum and brown rice are high on my list of favorites, and I use a combination of the two in many of my breads. Dark teff grain has an earthy flavor that can easily overpower a recipe, but using just a little lends a wheat like flavor and color. I also blended 3 starches together which worked great, but no corn starch as I don’t like it for baking (again, just my taste preference).

You might be interested to know that I used a coffee grinder for some of my ingredient prep. Tiny grains like teff and chia seeds can be purchased in whole form, and ground into a flour just before baking for ultimate freshness.

You don’t need a special pan to make the buns, but this muffin top pan I used was a great for shaping and definitely helped with portion control. The non-stick finish made for a very easy cleanup. I liked it so much I ordered a second one!

Makes 12 buns

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp. chia seeds, ground
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water

………………………………..

90 g. whole grain sorghum flour
130 g. brown rice flour
40 g. tapioca starch
40 g. arrowroot starch
40 g. potato starch
15 g. teff grain, ground
1 tsp. gelatin
1-1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 tsp. salt

…………………………………….

1 egg
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup warm water

…………………………………….

2 tbsp. 1% milk, for brushing
sesame seeds
poppy seeds

Preparation:

Grind 1 tbsp. chia seeds in a coffee grinder and combine it with 1 tbsp. yeast, 1 tbsp. sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Grind 15 g. of teff grain in a coffee grinder.

Whisk together with the other dry ingredients.

Whisk the egg, olive oil and milk into the yeast mixture.

With the paddle attachment, mix in the dry ingredients along with the last 1/2 cup of water. Beat for 3 minutes to form a smooth, wet dough.

Have a bowl of warm water ready for dipping your spoon and fingertips. Drop a scant 2 tablespoons of dough into each well, dipping the spoon into the water each time to help manage the sticky dough.

Dip a small spatula into the water and smooth out the dough, spreading it in a circular motion to fill in the rounds. Don’t skip this step, gluten free dough does not spread by itself! If you are not using a muffin top pan, spoon the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and spread into 4″ rounds.

Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400º. After 30 minutes, brush the tops of the buns with milk and sprinkle with sesame and poppy seeds.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the buns reach an internal temperature of 205º.

Remember, gluten free bread takes longer to cook than regular, and if not cooked through the center will be wet and tacky. Check the internal temperature with a thermometer!

Cool completely on a rack. Buns are best the day they are baked, and leftovers should be frozen as soon as they reach room temperature. I like to slice mine and wrap them individually in plastic wrap to store in freezer safe bags. So easy to grab a roll for my lunch! Here’s the crumb shot.

Just the right size for a light sandwich. As I was baking, the kitchen really smelled like bread. If you are gluten free you know what a big deal this is. And the taste did not disappoint! I have been enjoying my sandwiches knowing that I’m not overdoing it on carbs. This recipe is a must try! Please pin, like and share the recipe and let me know what you think!

Notes ♪♫ I placed my muffin top pans on top of another baking sheet for insulation. This prevented the bottoms of the buns from burning before the centers were cooked through. It worked perfectly!

Originally published 03/23/2019 Updated 01/21/2024

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Sausage with Penne and Spinach

For an easy gluten free weeknight meal, look no further than this delicious skillet dinner. Thanks to my sister for turning me on to the sausage and spinach combo, she made this meal for me shortly after my Celiac diagnosis! Today I always like to have a variety of sausage on hand in my freezer pantry. It’s delicious and the bold seasonings are enough to flavor an entire dish. So, grab a pack, along with some gluten free penne and fresh baby spinach and let’s prepare a quick, satisfying weeknight dinner.

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3-4 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. gluten free Italian sausage sliced into coins
2 oz. diced pancetta
1/2 lb. gluten free penne
1/2 bag fresh baby spinach
1/2 sweet onion, small dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine (not cooking wine)
1 ladle of pasta water
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
grated cheese for finishing (Parmesan or Romano)
Italian parsley for garnish optional

Preparation:

Cook the penne for 5 minutes less than the package directions, drain and set aside, reserving 1 ladle of the pasta water. I find that most gluten free pasta is done to al dente long before the package instructions. So, to be on the safe side I always under cook it, then finish it in the skillet.

Heat a large skillet over medium low and begin browning the sausage and pancetta in a little olive oil.

When nicely browned on both sides add the onion and garlic. Continue cooking and stir frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Next add the drained penne, all of the spinach, white wine and a ladle of the pasta water.

Cover and cook 1-2 minutes longer, or just until the spinach is wilted. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, toss and finish with grated cheese and chopped parsley.

Dinner is on the table in under a half hour. Perfect for those busy weeknights!

Notes ♪♫ Today there are so many types of gluten free sausage available. Just in the 6 years since my Celiac diagnosis, the availability of delicious gluten free sausage has expanded so much. So don’t hesitate to take advantage of easy meals like this one. And if you’re worried about sodium or other ingredients, learn to make your own. Check out my Gluten Free Italian Sausage Patties, and my Gluten Free Breakfast Sausage Patties. Both are easy to make, and you control what goes into them!

Originally published 6/3/2018 Revised 1/17/2024

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Gluten Free Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

Using simple ingredients from the pantry, this plate full of happiness is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds! Other than the pasta, the ingredients are naturally gluten free. A fast easy dinner to enjoy any night of the week!

Dinner for two

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided use
8 oz. thin sliced chicken cutlets
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (I like this one)
paprika
2 oz. sun dried tomatoes in oil
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
4 oz. gluten free Casarecce pasta
pinch of red pepper flakes
fresh Italian parsley, for garnish.

Preparation:

This is one of those recipes that goes very quickly once you begin, so you want to have all of your ingredients at the ready. Heat a pot of salted water for the pasta. Mince the garlic and grate the cheese.

Heat a deep skillet with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil and add the chicken. Sprinkle it with Italian seasoning and paprika. Cook for 1 minute each side (longer if you have thicker slices) and remove to a plate.

By now the pasta water should be ready, cook the pasta to a few minutes less than the package directions, it will finish cooking in the sauce.

Next add the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan with their oil. Cook until they begin to sizzle, then remove and rough chop them or use kitchen shears to julienne.