If you're new to gluten free cooking, a good gluten free roast dinner might be one of the first meals you want to get on top of. Roast is always a popular choice, and with these recipes and tips, no will will have to miss out on their favourite Sunday roast and all the trimmings.
Jump to:
Top tips
- I think it's much better to serve everyone the same menu. Not only will it be less work, but there'll be much less chance of accidentally contaminating some of the gluten free food. And with good gluten free recipes, the rest of the family really won't be missing out.
- Take care of any extra condiments and sauces that you use. Ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and Marmite that many of us add to gravy can contain gluten.
- Making the food yourself is a good way to make sure you know exactly what goes into it. If it's an ingredient that you're not familiar with, read the label extra carefully. Remember that as well as wheat, barley and rye also contain gluten, as do 'healthier' forms of wheat such as spelt and bulgar.
The good news is that many elements of a roast dinner are naturally gluten free. Simple roast meats and vegetables don't contain gluten. It's the sauces, gravy, and desserts that you'll need to look out for.
Gluten free roast
The hero ingredient of your roast dinner is already gluten free. Provided that you buy a joint of meat without any sauces or coatings such as breadcrumbs, it won't contain gluten. You can season the meat with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Individual spices are usually gluten free too, but if you want to use a premixed spice rub, check the ingredients carefully as they can sometimes be blended with wheat starch.
Note - if you're in a rush, you could make this healthy chicken tray bake dinner which has both meat and veggies in one dish!
You can also cook a whole chicken in 45 minutes if you spatchcock it, and it's easier than you might think!
Gluten free potatoes
Although they are starchy, potatoes are naturally gluten free. If you are making roast potatoes, just cook them in oil as usual, but make sure that you don't add a coating such as semolina which is sometimes used to give a crispy coating. If you want to try some other alternatives to roast potatoes, you could also try roasted swede, roasted potatoes with sweet potato and carrots and low fat dauphinoise (all gluten free).
Gluten free Yorkshire puddings
If you are a lover of Yorkshire puddings, fear not. It is really easy to make gluten free Yorkshire puddings, and they are just as crispy and delicious as normal.
Gluten free gravy
Most gravy is thickened with wheat flour, so it's important that you make or buy a specific gravy for your gluten free roast dinner. This GF onion gravy is really easy to make, and you can prepare it ahead of time if that's easier.
If you decide to roast meat such as gammon, you could serve a gluten free parsley sauce instead of gravy.
Gluten free bread sauce
Traditionally served with roast chicken or turkey, it's really easy to make a delicious gluten free bread sauce. You honestly can't tell that it's gluten free, so you can just serve one version.
Gluten free stuffing
Again, you really can't tell this gluten free sage and onion stuffing apart from a traditional recipe. You can bake the stuffing in a dish, make GF stuffing balls, or use it to stuff a chicken or turkey.
Gluten free vegetable dishes
Simple steamed or boiled veggies will naturally be gluten free. But there are also plenty of other options. Cauliflower cheese without flour is easy to make and is a classic with a roast.
There's also plenty of other gluten free veggie side dishes that you might like to try such as mashed carrot and swede, braised red cabbage and sauteed leeks and peas.
Gluten free desserts
There are a number of options for a gluten free dessert, but one of the classics after roast dinner is apple crumble.
It's really easy to make a gluten free fruit crumble, and you won't even need to buy gluten free flour. However, you will need certified gluten free oats. Oats are naturally gluten free, but as they are often processed in factories with other grains they can become contaminated. Gluten free oats are kept separate throughout every part of the processing. All of the supermarkets sell certified oats in the gluten free section, and they'll state that they are gluten free on the label.
A good crunchy crumble is always a popular choice, so take your pick of flavours depending what is in season.
Easy homemade custard
IMHO you can't have crumble without custard. This gluten free custard is really easy to make, it thickens perfectly to a delicious smooth creamy texture.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, most of the ingredients in a roast dinner are gluten free and can easily be adapted. In particular, watch out for sauces and gravy which often contain gluten.
Yes, roast potatoes are gluten free. However, if you are eating out of home, do check as potatoes are sometimes given a coating to make them extra crispy. In addition, some prepackaged food can become contaminated with gluten at the factory.
Yes, gravy is usually made with wheat flour which has gluten in it. However, it is easy to make gravy with cornflour instead. You can even buy gravy granules that are gluten free now.
Have you tried any of these recipe? Please leave a rating and/or comment at the bottom of the page. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
You can also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook.
Comments
No Comments