Low FODMAP Cheesy Bacon Potato Bake

Sometimes comfort food is where it’s at. This simple dish of cheese and bacon topped roasted potatoes is homey and satisfying. Though this dish is more of a side dish, I have been known to eat it as a main course. (Accompanied by a vegetable of course.) It is best served immediately from the oven and all in one sitting so that the cheese is melted. Add more cheese if reheating.

Did you know that bacon can be cooked in the oven? If you wish to skip frying, line a baking tray with parchment, then place the bacon side-by-side on the tray. Bake for 10-20 minutes at 400F. Start checking on the bacon around 10 minutes and watch closely until the desired crispness is reached. If baking bacon at the same time as the potatoes, be sure the bacon is above the casserole as it splatters and can get grease on it.

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Low FODMAP Cheesy Bacon Potato Bake

Makes ~6 servings.

Ingredients

• 2.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
• 4 slices uncured sugar free bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3-4 scallions, chopped (green parts only)
• 2 teaspoons garlic-infused olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a casserole dish with butter or oil.
2. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and paprika to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until potatoes are well coated. Pour potato mixture into a casserole dish. Potatoes should be in a single layer or close to it.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Remove potatoes from oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return dish to oven. Broil for about 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with bacon crumbles and scallions.

Low FODMAP Cheeseburger Casserole

Cheeseburger Casserole is one of my favorite comfort food recipes. It comes together in just 30 minutes and it’s tastier than you might think. Like a regular burger, customize it as you like. I usually use a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, but any low FODMAP cheese could work. Use crumbled bacon and blue cheese to make a classic blue cheese bacon burger casserole. Try a feta burger casserole and top with oregano, fresh slices of cucumber and tomato. There are lots of great variations to explore.

Topped with lots of veggies

As written this recipe contains some ingredients that are not necessarily low FODMAP. In particular ketchup and dill pickles can be problematic. Most supermarket dill pickles contain garlic in the brine, however I have found that when consumed in small quantities they do not bother me. If you are worried about them, you can make your own low FODMAP pickles or leave them out. As for ketchup, Monash appears to have only tested ketchup sweetened with sucrose or high fructose corn syrup. Both are not recommended. Luckily low FODMAP ketchup is available online as are recipes if you want to make your own. I’ve had success with cane sugar sweetened ketchup in small quantities. (There’s only around 1/2 tsp of ketchup per serving, which is not much at all.) Everyone is different. Find the solution that works for you.

Cheeseburger Casserole can be made low carb or not. Both ways are satisfying. If using rice, no change in cooking time is necessary. I usually make mine with rice since it makes a decent stand in for a bun, but it’s great without. Using rice adds about 2 more portions (making ~8 servings total.)

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Low FODMAP Cheeseburger Casserole

Makes ~6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup low FODMAP ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped, divided (green parts only)
• 1 ½ cup shredded cheese, divided (about 6 oz)
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• dill pickle slices, chopped (optional)
• tomatoes, chopped
• lettuce, shredded
• bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
• leftover cooked white rice (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with garlic-infused olive oil or other fat of your choice. If using rice, add about 1/2” of rice to the baking dish in an even layer. Set aside.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef. Cook, breaking up the beef, until browned. Drain the grease from the pan. Stir in the black pepper, half the scallions and salt. Allow to cook for a few minutes while stirring.
3. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in the ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and half the cheese until thoroughly combined. (It’s ok if the cheese does not melt immediately. )
4. Transfer the mixture in an even layer to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 15 minutes.
5. Portion onto plates and top each with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, reserved scallions and bacon if using. Serve immediately, while the cheese is still gooey.

Hot bubbling cheese

Low FODMAP Easiest Hot Ham & Cheese

On low spoon days it can be really nice to have a hot meal, but hot meals are often taxing to make. Fortunately this low spoons hot meal requires no chopping, no standing over a stove and takes under 10 minutes to prepare. Make as many or as few as fits your appetite, but Monash recommends up to 3 corn tortillas per meal.

I use black forrest ham as I found a brand with no high FODMAP ingredients, but you can use whatever type of low FODMAP ham you wish. Even thin slices of home-baked ham work.

Customize this recipe as you like. Add thinly sliced tomato if you like. Use different low FODMAP cheese. A little Dijon mustard spread on the tortilla could add some spice. You could even swap out the ham for turkey or roast beef. Just don’t overfill the tortillas. Too much and hot cheese will ooze everywhere when you take a bite. Make sure to allow to cool a bit before eating so the cheese doesn’t burn your mouth.

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Low FODMAP Easiest Hot Ham & Cheese

Makes 1 serving.

Ingredients

• 3 corn tortillas
• 3 slices of deli ham
• shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425.
2. Place tortillas on a lined baking sheet. Center a slice of ham on each tortilla. Top with shredded cheese to taste.
3. Move oven rack to the highest position and bake until cheese is completely melted and just starting to brown – about 3-6 minutes depending on your oven.
4. Remove from oven. Transfer to a plate using tongs or a spatula. Fold tortilla in half. Allow to stand for 1-2 minutes then serve.

All cheese is melted with just a little brown. It’s ready to be folded.

Ready to eat! Don’t burn yourself.

Low FODMAP Chicken & Cheese Bites with Sweet Mustard Dipping Sauce

These quick and easy snacks are versatile. On their own they are gluten-free, low carb and keto-friendly. Serve them with this honey-less honey mustard sauce for a bit of sweetness or with another sauce of your choice such as low FODMAP marinara or low FODMAP taco sauce.

When serving with sweet mustard sauce, I use cheddar or a cheddar-jack cheese blend. When serving with marinara, I use low moisture mozzarella. I typically use poached chicken when I make these, but you can leftover baked chicken, rotisserie chicken, or even canned chicken – whatever is easiest for you.

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Low FODMAP Chicken & Cheese Bites with Sweet Mustard Dipping Sauce

Makes ~12 bites (4 servings of 3 bites)

Ingredients: Chicken & Cheese Bites

• 10 oz (~1-1/4 cups) cooked chicken, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)

Instructions: Chicken & Cheese Bites

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until evenly combined. Carefully form about 12 patties, placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet as you go. They will be quite wet and you may need to form them on the sheet.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove. Allow to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Ingredients: Sweet Mustard Dipping Sauce

• 2 tbsp mayo
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4.5 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions: Sweet Mustard Dipping Sauce

1. Whisk all ingredients together. Allow to stand for 5 minutes or more then whisk again before serving.

Low FODMAP Tortilla Mini Pizzas

Makes 1 snack-sized serving.

Simple, quick and tasty is the best way to describe this snack. It’s most easily prepared in a toaster oven, but a conventional oven works well, too. Use whatever low FODMAP toppings you like. Cheese alone is tasty. Leftover seasoned beef from School Lunch Tacos is particularly good. Just be sure to add it before the cheese so it does not dry out. For a crispier mini pizza, use less cheese and bake about 2 minutes longer.

Ingredients

• 2 small corn tortillas
• garlic-infused olive oil
• shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 2 grape or cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped (green parts only)
• 1 slice of yellow, red or orange bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425F. If using a conventional oven, move the rack to the highest position.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the tortillas on it so they do not overlap. Pour a small amount of garlic-infused olive oil onto one tortilla. Using the back of a spoon, quickly spread the oil evenly across the tortilla. If you have excess oil, press the other tortilla onto the first to absorb some of the oil. Repeat with the other tortilla so both are lightly coated on the side facing up. Add a handful of cheese to each tortilla and spread it evenly. Top with tomatoes, scallions and bell pepper.
3. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until all the cheese is melted and the edges of the tortilla just start to brown. Remove from oven and using kitchen shears, a pizza cutter or a knife, cut each tortilla into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.

Low FODMAP Twice Baked Potatoes

Makes 1 full potato serving or two half-servings.

Baked potatoes are among the easiest foods to prepare. Elevating them to a delicious meal or side dish is nearly as easy. Twice baked potatoes are essentially regular potatoes with the cooked flesh scooped out, turned into mashed potatoes and eventually returned to the potato skin to be baked a second time. You can flavor the mashed potatoes however you like. In this case I’ve chosen the classic combo of cheese, scallions and garlic. In this case I’ve used a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses for a good melt with a lot of flavor.

Don’t wrap the potatoes in foil. Place the lightly oiled ‘taters directly on the oven rack during the first bake. This will give the skin an excellent crispy texture. To make half-portions, cut the potatoes into halves instead of slicing off the top and serve the halves individually. When preparing several potatoes at once, combine all the scooped potato flesh from all the potatoes and make the mash all at once to save time.

Ingredients

• 1 russet potato
• 1 tbsp lactose free milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic-infused olive oil plus more for coating potatoes
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp shredded cheese blend plus more for serving
• 1 scallion, sliced (green parts only)
• 2 strips bacon, fried and crumbled (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Scrub, rinse and dry potato. Pierce the skin several times with a fork. Lightly coat potato with 1/8 tsp garlic oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place directly on oven rack and bake for an hour.
2. Carefully remove potato from oven with tongs. When it has cooled slightly, slice a hole in the top big enough to easily remove the flesh. Without damaging the skin, scoop out potato flesh and place in a bowl. Add milk, butter, garlic oil, a pinch of salt, a few cracks of pepper, shredded cheese and half of the scallions. Mash with a fork or potato ricer until even.
3. Place the empty potato skin on a baking sheet. Return the mashed potato mixture to the potato skin using a spoon. Leave a slight indentation for the cheese to sit in. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes until heated through and cheese melts. Top with remaining scallions and bacon. Serve immediately.

Low FODMAP Basic Baked Risotto

Risotto? In the oven? That’s correct. You can make delicious, creamy risotto effortlessly by baking it. No more standing over the stove stirring! The oil and butter float to the top, bringing the leek along with it. The leek then lightly self-sautés in the oil layer so be sure it is sliced very thinly. Simply dump everything in a casserole, stir a few times and bake. After it’s cooked, a few moments of vigorous stirring turn what looks like watery rice into the risotto we know and love. This method makes a usually labor-intense meal suitable for low energy days. What’s even better is that this type of risotto reheats very well in the microwave. Just cover and add a little water.

This recipe is intended to be a side dish or a blank canvas for your own risotto. Serve as-is alongside salmon, chicken or steak with a vegetable for a complete meal.

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Makes 4 side dish servings.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 4 cups low FODMAP chicken broth
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup white wine for cooking

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Using your method of choice, heat the broth until almost boiling.
2. Pour the broth into a small casserole (about 10″ wide). Next add the rice, 1 tbsp of butter pieces, garlic-infused olive oil, leeks, and black pepper. Cover with lid or foil, bake 35 minutes or until rice is just cooked.
3. Remove from oven. Don’t panic. It will not look quite right. Stir a few times to break up rice and activate the starch. Add finishing 2 tbsp of butter pieces, parmesan and wine then stir vigorously until the watery rice becomes creamy.
4. If the risotto is too thick, add 1 tbsp of boiling water at a time to loosen it up, stirring well after each addition. Serve immediately.

Low FODMAP Chinese 5-Spice Baked Chicken

The 5 flavors of 5 Spice Powder – sweet, bitter, sour, salty and savory – refer to the five traditional Chinese elements. Typically it is comprised of star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves and fennel, though many variations exist. 5 Spice is used in Chinese, Vietnamese and Hawaiian cooking. Though it makes an appearance in a large variety of dishes, it is most commonly found in fatty meaty dishes like pork or duck.

For this recipe, chicken legs are marinated in soy sauce, 5 Spice and sesame oil. The resulting meat is savory and salty with a hint of sweetness and an amazingly complex aroma. Serve with freshly cooked jasmine rice and stir-fried cabbage (recipe below) for a complete meal.

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Makes 4-6 servings

Baked Chicken Ingredients

• 1 pack chicken legs (4-6 legs)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 2 tbsp scallions, green parts only (minced)
• 2 tsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 2 tbsp dry cooking sherry
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Baked Chicken Instructions

1. Combine the soy sauce, five spice, scallions, garlic-infused olive oil, sherry, and sesame oil in a bowl. Pat the chicken dry and add it to the marinade, making sure to get the marinade under the skin of the chicken. Marinate overnight (or at least 30 minutes).
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the chicken a cast iron skillet and roast for 40-45 minutes. The chicken is fully cooked when a fork stuck in the side produces clear juices (internal temperature of at least 165F). If crispy skin is desired, broil the chicken for about 5 minutes. Do not walk way from the broiling chicken so as not to burn it. Broiling can be unpredictable.
3. Mound steamed rice onto plates and place a chicken leg on top of each. Drizzle any pan juices over the chicken and rice. Add a side of cabbage and serve.

Stir-Fried Cabbage Ingredients

Makes 6–8 servings

2 tbsp avocado or other neutral oil
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 2-lb green cabbage, quartered, cored, very thinly sliced
6 scallions, chopped (green parts only)
1 tbsp sesame oil

Stir-Fried Cabbage Instructions

1. Heat large pot over medium-high heat and add oil. When it shimmers, add ginger and sauté for 30 seconds.
2. Add half of cabbage and sauté until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add remaining cabbage, green onions, and sesame oil. Sauté until all cabbage is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Simple Low FODMAP Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs

When you can’t use aromatics like onions and garlic, texture becomes an extra important quality of food.  These chicken thighs are simple yet very satisfying due to their crispy skins. Serve promptly after cooking for crispiest skin. Pair with a green salad or roasted vegetables for an easy dinner.

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Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about a pound)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, butter or ghee

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil/fat in a 12″ cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.
3. Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.