Family meals without tomato, onions, garlic or dairy

[Ichangedmynameonce]

My teenage son has had some health issues and an NHS dietician has recommended he doesn't eat tomatoes, garlic or onions for several months. Hes also dairy intolerant.

I generally cook dinner from scratch, things like spag bol, chilli, sausage casserole, chicken casserole etc. I'm at a loss as to what to make. We also have 2 younger DC and the usual fussiness etc.

Please recommend recipes that he can eat that won't cost the earth in time or money.

Thanks

Ramen type dishes.

fried rice - various flavours/ veg/ eggs/ prawns/ chicken

chicken or beef pie - can make dairy free. With roast new potatoes and vegetables

green pesto pasta - homemade without cheese or garlic

grilled chicken with wedges/ chips - homemade Nando’s vibe

If you like sausage casserole do sausage tray bake with peppers/ courgettes/ potatoes

Most Chinese or Japanese food is dairy free and tomato free. You can leave out onions and garlic.

so:
stir fries without onion
ramen
chow mein
katsu chicken
etc etc

I have a friend who doesn't eat tomatoes, onions or garlic but he does eat dairy. We often end up with a very traditional meat & 2 veg type meal because he also doesn't eat a lot of the veg you'd put in asian type meals!
Tray bakes with meat / fish.
Jacket potatoes & beans
Sausage, mash & pies
Dairy free milk & spread is fine for making sauces or pastry etc

Chat GPT is actually brilliant for this. You can pick and choose what you want to do from it's suggestions as well.

For example:

Show me a recipe for spaghetti bolognese without any onions, tomatoes and garlic.

Here is a spaghetti bolognese recipe without onions, tomatoes, or garlic — still rich, savory, and satisfying. This version relies on umami boosters and herbs for depth.

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🍝 Bolognese Without Onion, Tomato, or Garlic

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 500 g (1 lb) ground beef (or a beef/pork mix) 2 tbsp tomato-free paste substitute (see note below)
• 1 cup beef broth
• ½ cup milk or cream
• ½ cup red wine (optional, but adds depth)
• 1–2 tsp soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce (umami booster)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

• 350–400g spaghetti
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil (optional)

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Tomato-Free Paste Substitute

Use one of these to replace tomato paste in the sauce:

Option A (best flavor):

• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Option B (simplest):

• 2 tbsp roasted red pepper purée (if allowed)

Option C (nightshade-free):

• 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp paprika (if paprika is okay)

You can choose whichever fits your dietary needs.

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Instructions

1. Prep the vegetables

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add carrot and celery. Cook 5–7 minutes until softened and lightly golden.

2. Brown the meat

Increase heat, add the ground beef, and cook until fully browned. Break it apart with a spoon.

3. Add flavor base

Stir in your tomato-free paste substitute and mix well to coat the meat.

4. Deglaze

Pour in the red wine (if using) and simmer for 1–2 minutes until most has evaporated.

5. Simmer the sauce

Add beef broth, milk, oregano, basil, bay leaf, soy/Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
Reduce heat to low.
Simmer 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
(It should thicken and become rich.)

6. Cook the pasta

Boil spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve a splash of pasta water.

7. Combine

Toss the cooked spaghetti with the sauce and a bit of pasta water to help it cling.

8. Serve

Top with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

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⭐ Tips to Boost Flavor Without Tomatoes/Onions/Garlic

A small spoon of miso paste* adds deep umami.
A splash of balsamic vinegar* brightens the sauce like tomatoes would.

• Slow simmering develops richness.
• Beef + milk helps give the classic bolognese texture.

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If you'd like, I can also provide:
✅ A fully allergen-free version
✅ A vegetarian version
✅ A shopping list
✅ A step-by-step photo-style guide

Would you like one of those?

I would think traditional English food - meat and two veg.

Pasta in creamy sauces works well too

Risottos can be ok without onions especially ones with other strong tastes, eg mushroom risotto

Have a look for low FODMAP recipes

Thank you all. Its just thrown me into panic and you've given me lots of ideas , especially chat gpt!

Would he eat Indian food? If so Jain recipes don’t include onion & garlic by default and you can just subsitute tomatoes with equal parts lemon juice & sugar. Instead of butter / ghee / cream use oil or leave it out altogether.

Most sausages contain seasoning/spices which generally contain onion or garlic. It's not always listed on the label though.

OP if you are roughly following a Low FODMAP diet there are a number of Facebook support and recipe groups

@pastabest - some do, some don’t. M and s def have some without and some with as I was looking for onion free ones last year when we visited. they list all the ingredients

chicken schnitzel is a handy go to for kids and teens.

Leek replaces onion very well unless he is off all alliums.

Fish dishes

hot pots, shepards or cottage pies. I haven’t used onion or garlic for years. Some people use the spice asafoetida to replace it - or even frying up turnips but I’ve long since stopped.

Curry and rice, meat and veg
/ sausage and mash/ fish and chips, stir fry.

look for low fodmap food in the supermarket/ apps.
some are crazy expensive but some aren’t - also follow some low fodmap account on social media to help you find onions/ garlic free foods. I believe asda do a garlic free pesto, i think heinz organic beans don’t have onion salt or ‘flavourings’ but They may have been discontinued. There are a couple of garlic free houmous brands but can’t recall just now.

Asfotedia is an allergen by itself. The reason why Indian kids don’t get allergies as often is because it’s of early exposure. I definitely wouldn’t try to introduce it someone with preexisting anaphylactic allergies.

Thank you all. Its just thrown me into panic and you've given me lots of ideas , especially chat gpt!

Btw he doesn't have allergies thankfully. He has a dairy intolerance and issues with stomach inflammation

If you find that cutting out tomatoes onions etc isn’t doing the trick, there is an anti inflammatory diet (AIP protocol) which you could try. It is much much stricter however - basically cuts out most foods and then reintroduces them one at a time to see what causes a reaction. You’d probably need to batch cook separate meals for him if doing this approach. Hopefully it won’t be needed!

If you look up low fodmap recipes they often dont include those items (tomato might be in some) and give good alternatives. I think its monash university that have recipes.

We found roasted butternut squash, blended with a bit of dairy free milk or stock (no onions) made a good sauce for pasta instead of tomatoes.

But chatgpt is really good for it.

Also aak if he can have garlic oil or not. My son can.