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Everyone, regardless of their dietary needs, wants a delicious dinner that can be made quickly. But first checking for the nine most common allergens — milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, and sesame — adds an extra step to a process that’s supposed ot be easy.
This collection brings together weeknight-friendly dinner recipes from around (and inspired by) the world which skip these biggest allergens. Think Kerala-style vegetable coconut curry layered with warming spices and creamy coconut milk, or Marcella Hazan’s beloved two-ingredient roast chicken with lemons. You’ll also find pantry-savvy soups and stews, bright vegetable mains, and straightforward roasts that scale for families.
When stocking your pantry for these recipes, be sure to source boxed, canned, jarred items like vegetable stock or marinated artichokes that do not contain (or have not come into contact with) the allergens you wish to avoid. Some of the recipes here suggest garnishes that are not allergy-friendly; skip them as needed. Some oil, such as peanut, sesame, or vegetable (often made with soybeans), may trigger allergies when they are less refined, though this reaction is less common. To play it safe, stick with olive oil, canola (aka rapeseed) oil, or similar.
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Kerala-Style Vegetable Coconut Curry
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
In chef Jes Thomas’s Kerala-style curry, carrots, potatoes, green beans, and peas gently simmer in a fragrant coconut-milk base bloomed with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and turmeric for a silky, weeknight-friendly stew. The technique builds flavor fast by tempering whole spices before adding vegetables and coconut milk, yielding a mellow heat and lush body without dairy. Serve over rice to soak up the sauce and keep the focus on the vegetables’ sweetness.
Spice-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Diana Chistruga
Melissa Rubel Jacobson seasons pork tenderloins with a pantry spice rub — smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon — then roasts them to a juicy finish to make a sliceable, weeknight roast in under an hour.
Squash, Bean, and Corn Stew
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
This Chilean-inspired vegetable stew layers onions, garlic, paprika, and oregano with butternut squash, tomatoes, kidney beans, and sweet corn for a hearty pot that’s ready in under 45 minutes on a weeknight.
Rosemary-Roasted Chicken with Artichokes and Potatoes
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
F&W’s Justin Chapple roasts bone-in chicken thighs with baby potatoes, jarred artichokes, rosemary, and lemon for a golden, crisp-skinned sheet-pan dinner with lively pan juices. The high-heat roast builds browned edges while keeping the meat tender, and the artichokes add briny depth.
Ginataang Gulay (Filipino Vegetable Stew)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Chicago-based chef Lawrence Letrero steeps hearty vegetables in coconut milk with aromatics until tender and subtly sweet, a hallmark of many Filipino home-style stews. The technique is simple — simmer gently so the coconut milk stays creamy and the vegetables keep their shape — making it ideal for weeknights. Check the sambal oelek or chile paste you wish to use for allergens before incorporating.
Lemon and Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs
Diana Chistruga
Chicken thighs roast with garlic, lemon, and pantry spices, while the high heat (425°F) crisps the skin and renders juicy meat with bright, savory pan drippings. It’s a straightforward technique that rewards good seasoning and a hot oven — and it’s done in just over an hour.
Roast Chicken with Lemons
Photo by Julia Gartland / Food Styling by Julia Gartland
Marcella Hazan’s iconic two-ingredient roast uses whole lemons tucked into the cavity to self-baste the bird, yielding bronzed skin and deeply seasoned juices without added fat. The method is simple, elegant, and weeknight-feasible given the (mostly hands-off) time needed for the chicken to roast, up to an hour and a half.
Carrot Ginger Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Keoshia McGhee
Carrots are pureed with ginger, cumin, turmeric, and coconut milk for a silky, warmly spiced vegan soup that comes together in 45 minutes. The technique is classic — sweat aromatics, simmer until tender, then blend — producing a lush texture without dairy. Lime and cilantro add bright finishing notes.
Smoky Beans and Greens in Tomato Broth
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
This quick collards-and-beans soup leans on smoked paprika, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste for a deeply savory, 35-minute bowl. Butter beans add creaminess while keeping the recipe largely pantry-driven and easy to scale. Skip the optional butter, Parmesan, and toasted bread (which introduce milk and wheat to the dish) to keep it allergen-free.
Pisto (Spanish Vegetable Stew)
Julia Stotz
Arizona-based chef Ana Borrajo builds a Granada-style pisto by sautéing onion, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini before a slow simmer with tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and marjoram — deeply comforting vegetable stew not dissimilar to ratatouille. Omit the egg to keep allergen-free.
M’hasha (Stuffed Vegetables)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Doris Sheena Zilkha’s m’hasha, an Iraqi-Jewish classic, stuffs zucchini and onions with a warmly spiced rice mixture, then simmers the vegetables until plush and aromatic. As written, the recipe contains tree nuts (slivered almonds) in the filling; simply omit them to keep this dish allergen-free.
Coconut Curried Lentil Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
This weeknight lentil soup blooms cumin and turmeric with aromatics, then simmers red lentils in coconut milk and broth for a creamy, richly spiced pot. Make with allergen-free oil and broth. Avoid wheat sides like naan or pita and instead serve with rice.
Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower, Potato, and Pea Curry)
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco
This classic dish layers ginger, garlic, and garam masala with cauliflower, potatoes, and peas for a fast, fragrant curry. Cooking the spices in hot fat first intensifies flavor, while a brief simmer preserves texture. Use an allergren-free oil instead of ghee.
Red Lentil Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl
The late Portland chef Matthew Stupey adapted this cult-favorite local soup from the now-shuttered SoupCycle: Red lentils and potatoes are simmered with aromatics, then puréed and brightened with lemon for a smooth, satisfying bowl. SoupCycle owners Jed Lazar and Shauna Lambert called this soup “Pot of For Goodness Sake!” because it’s so nourishing and nutritious.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
Tina Rupp
Cookbook legend and longtime New York Times columnist Mark Bittman takes on skirt steak by pairing a fast, high-heat grill with a bright, herb-heavy chimichurri that cuts through the meat’s richness. The method favors quick marinating and minute-per-side cooking for tenderness and char.
Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy
David Malosh
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s masaledar cholay builds a cumin-, coriander-, and chile-forward gravy that coats this dish of tender chickpeas in just 25 minutes. The flavor base comes from a quick onion browning and a ginger-garlic paste. Omit the serving suggestions of yogurt (milk) and naan (wheat) to keep allergen-free; rice is a delicious alternative.
Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
Lisa Cohen
This classic roast infuses lemon-herb flavor into crisp skin and aromatic pan juices with minimal prep. This recipe was first published in Food & Wine’s 1997 cookbook, Quick From Scratch Chicken and remains in rotation to this day.
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Ancho and Orange
Christina Holmes
This vegetarian chili from TV chef Ellie Krieger layers black beans with ancho chile and a hint of fresh orange for a little acid and sweetness. The low-and-slow simmer gives the spices time to bloom and it’s perfect for prepping ahead. Omit garnish choices like yogurt to keep allergen-free.
Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
John Kernick
This steak-and-potatoes dinner is served at the Lazio winery Castel de Paolis, a rock’s throw away from the Pope’s summer residence. They use a hard sear on rib-eyes and oven-roasted rosemary potatoes for a classic pairing that’s gorgeous and weeknight-achievable with smart timing — especially if you made the potatoes ahead.
Chickpea and Spinach Stew
Tina Rupp
Spain-based food writer Janet Mendel’s Andalusian-style dish combines chickpeas and spinach with paprika and garlic for a quick, earthy stew that feels far more complex than its pantry list. Omit the suggested crusty bread for serving to remain allergen-free.
Garlic-and-Spice–Rubbed Pork Loin Roast
Rob Howard
Chef Ryan Hardy uses a robust garlic-spice paste spread over the whole pork loin, which produces mahogany edges and tender slices after a patient oven cook. This is another low-effort, longer cook-time recipe that is ideal for a weeknight if the timing allows.
Jerk-Spiced Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Chickpeas
John Kernick
Chef Jonathon Sawyer toasts whole spices — habanero, allspice, coriander, cloves — then grinds them into a jerk blend that wakes up this dish of roasted chickpeas, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. The high-heat roast lends crunch and char, while the spice mix delivers heat and perfume.
Pork Chops with Apple, Fennel, and Sage
Dana Gallagher
Thin, quickly seared chops nestle into a bright skillet sauce of apple, fennel, and sage that has the sweet–savory taste of fall. The hard-cider pan reduction balances fruit and herbs for a glossy finish.
Eggplant and Lentil Stew with Pomegranate Molasses
Frances Janisch
This slow-simmered stew pairs eggplant and lentils with pomegranate molasses, creating a plush, aromatic pot that’s even better the next day. Turkish chef Musa Dagdeviren prefers to cook this dish without stirring to help keep the textures and flavors of each ingredient distinct.
