Cooking for a family on a gluten-free diet while sticking to a budget can seem challenging, but with a bit of planning, it’s completely achievable. In this Budget Friendly Gluten Free Meal Plan, I’m sharing the simple, wholesome dinners we enjoyed this week—made with everyday ingredients and designed to keep costs down without compromising on flavour.
Pin it for later!

What You’ll Find in this Budget Friendly, Gluten Free Meal Plan
You’ll find links to each recipe, helpful tips for saving time and money, and a complete shopping list at the end. These meals aren’t assigned to specific days because I believe flexibility is key — if you want to follow this meal plan, you can choose what works best for your schedule.
For those busy days, the slow-cooked chilli is perfect since it simmers away without much attention. On nights when dinner needs to be ready in under 45 minutes, the quick and flavourful shakshuka is an excellent option.
If you’d like to see these recipes come together, you can watch the full What We Eat in a Week video linked below.
The Budget Friendly, Gluten Free Meal Plan N°1
Chicken, Leek and Spinach Pasta or Rice (see below)
Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs and Vegetables (see below)
Chicken, Leek and Spinach Pasta or Rice
You can make this recipe with sliced chicken breasts that are fried before adding the vegetables, or with leftover roast chicken. Using leftover chicken will decrease the preparation time significantly and is generally a cheaper option. I like to serve this with pasta. You can of course buy gluten free pasta, but if you are on a tight budget, serving with rice would be just as tasty and a lot cheaper.
If you are on a dairy free diet, you can replace the cream with coconut milk. Or, if price is an issue, simply leave it out.
I will have a full post for this recipe soon, but here is the quick version, and, of course you can always follow along with me on the video!

Serves 6-8
- 4 medium leeks, finely sliced
- 150g spinach, frozen
- 300 ml chicken stock
- 500g cooked chicken or raw chicken breasts
- 200-250ml crème fraîche
- salt & pepper
- Grated zest of 1 lemon, to serve
- Grated parmesan, to serve
- Pasta or rice, to serve
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil.
If you are using chicken breasts, start by slicing them thinly and frying them in a little olive oil for 5 mins on each side.
Add the leeks to the pan and fry gently for about 5 mins or until they are softened but not brown.
Next, add the chicken stock, spinach and cooked chicken (if using instead of chicken breasts).
Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (usually 11-12 mins). Let the chicken, leek and spinach sauce cook while the pasta is cooking.
Add the cream to the sauce and heat through.
Serve the sauce on top of pasta and garnish with lemon rind and some grated parmesan.
Shakshuka
You can find this recipe in my free Budget Friendly Mini Cookbook.

I love this tasty dish! Leaving the tomato sauce to cook down for 30 mins will give you a deliciously rich sauce that goes so well with the runny egg yolk.
You can serve it with a hunk of crusty bread or with rice for a cheaper option. Check out my Sourdough Garlic Bread Focaccia Recipe which would be a great option too. Add a green salad and you have a filling, healthy vegetarian dish that is perfect at the end of a busy day.
Easy Ground Beef Chili
Check out the full recipe for this Easy Ground Beef Chili here.

We make this recipe on a regular basis, usually on a Wednesday when our local butcher has an offer on minced beef! While beef can be expensive, minced, or ground beef, is usually the cheapest option, and buying it on special offer is a great idea if you can. The advantage of chili is that you can bulk out the meat with beans and I find that this recipe usually feeds my family of six for two meals, especially when served with rice.
The recipe is entirely gluten free and, with a variety of toppings, everyone can choose what they want to add according to their dietary needs and preferences.
To bulk this meal out further, I like to serve it with rice but it is also great on a baked potato or served more like a soup with tortilla chips!
Garlic and Lemon Roasted Chicken legs and Vegetables
Full recipe coming soon! Here is the short version…

This recipe is absolutely packed with vegetables that are roasted to bring out all their flavour. The marinade on the chicken is simple but delicious and really elevates the whole dish.
I love one-pan dished like this that come together quickly (the most time is spent preparing the vegetables!) and that have very little clear up!
Serve with pasta, rice or bread, it’s up to you!
Serves 6-8
- 1.5 kg chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 2 onions
- 2 small courgettes, or 1 large
- 1 red pepper
- 4 carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp herbes de Provence
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Rice or bread to serve
Preheat your oven to 200°C fan.
Cut up the vegetables into 1cm cubes and spread out onto 2 baking sheets and sprinkle with 1-1 1/2 tsp salt.
In a large bowl, place the chicken thighs and add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs,1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. You can do this step several hours in advance and let the chicken marinate – it will be even tastier!
Place the chicken thighs on the vegetables and be sure to drizzle the leftover olive oil and lemon juice all over the chicken and veg.
Roast in the oven for 40-50 mins or until the vegetables are cooked through and the internal temperature of the chicken is 75°C.
Note: making this dish in a ceramic pan usually increases the cooking time.
Lentil and Vegetable Curry
This recipe is based on my Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry which you can find in my free Budget Friendly Mini Cookbook. Instead of the sweet potato, I packed the curry with whatever vegetables I had to hand. Feel free to follow the original recipe or to mix it up a bit and add some extra veggies!
This second vegetarian dish of the week brings protein in the form of lentils. Serve with Raïta – a yoghurt and cucumber side – for extra protein. We like to serve this dish with rice or naan bread.

Budget Friendly, Gluten Free Meal Plan Shopping List
One of the best ways to save money, apart from meal planning, is to make a shopping list and stick to it (see my post about how to save money on groceries for more tips!). I have done the hard work for you with this ready made shopping list. Don’t forget to cross out any products you already have in your pantry!
Please note, the above recipes serve 6, usually with plenty left over. This shopping list reflects that, so please make sure that you are buying the right quantity for your family.
Fruit and Vegetables
- 4 medium leeks
- 150g spinach (frozen)
- 1 lemon (for zest)
- 2 onions (for shakshuka)
- 2 red or yellow peppers
- 1 sweet potato (in 2 cm cubes) – or any vegetables you wish to use in the curry!
- 1 onion (for lentil curry)
- 3 cm ginger (minced)
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 2 small courgettes (or 1 large)
- 4 carrots
- 4 cloves garlic (for various recipes)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Cucumber
Meat
- 500g cooked chicken or raw chicken breasts
- 500g ground (minced) beef
- 1.5 kg chicken legs, skin on, bone in (usually 6-8 pieces)
Dairy and Eggs
- 200-250ml crème fraîche
- Grated Parmesan (for serving)
- 6 eggs
- Yoghurt (for serving)
Grains and Bread
- Pasta (quantity to serve your family)
- 1 baguette (optional)
- 300g red lentils
- Rice (quantity to serve your family)
Canned Goods
- 5 x 400g tins diced/crushed tomatoes
- 2 x 400g tins beans (black, pinto, white, or kidney beans)
- 1 x 400g tin coconut milk
Pantry Staples
- 1.5 L chicken stock, bone broth or vegetable stock
- Olive oil (for frying and roasting)
- Salt and pepper
Herbs and Spices
- 2½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp each ground coriander, garam masala, and dried oregano
- 2 tsp herbes de Provence
Pin it for later!

Don’t forget to watch the full video to see how I prepared these recipes this week. Have any questions about the recipes or substitutions? Drop a comment below, and I’ll be happy to help!
I love my Instant Pot, and it is perfect for making bone broth. If you would like to invest in one, I have linked the one I use below (French and UK does not stock the larger size I use, I have linked a smaller one).
France: https://amzn.to/3YMqyIm
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!)
Leave a Reply