Gluten free sourdough skillet one pot healthy meal with starter discard
With the combination of meat and vegetables as well as good fats, and healthy carbs it really is a one-pot meal. Have you ever had Bisquick impossible pies? This is the new improved version of that! But it definitely still has the easy meal factor of being a one-dish meal, making it a staple in our family meal plan.
I love having gluten free sourdough starter in my kitchen. Just like a regular sourdough starter, it has a lot of versatility but is safe for those with celiac disease.
You can use this as a basic guide to making different variations, based on what meat and vegetables you want to use. (See more ideas below.) It is also a great way to repurpose leftovers!
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What Makes This Gluten-Free Sourdough Skillet Healthy?
Ingredients Needed to Make this Gluten Free Skillet Meal
How to Make this Easy Gluten-Free Skillet Meal Dairy-Free or Vegan
How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Skillet One Pot Meal
Variations for Different Skillet Dinners
How to Store Any Leftovers from the Gluten-Free Sourdough Skillet
Where to Get Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
Things to Know When Making a Quick Weeknight Meal
Faq for Gluten Free Sourdough Skillet
Want More Gluten Free Sourdough Recipes?
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What Makes This Gluten-Free Sourdough Skillet Healthy?
As with most things, the overall quality of ingredients used is a big part of what makes a healthy dish. But this meal also has the added benefit of using a gluten-free sourdough starter for the bread topping. Because we use a gluten-free sourdough starter’s discard, it has already gone through the souring process. Which is great even when using gluten-free grains.
When working with grains Nourishing Traditions recommends soaking, sprouting, and souring grains. These three ways help to make the nutrients more bio-available by breaking down the anti-nutrients, (such as phytic acid) helping to make digestion easier. Some people think souring dough only matters if gluten is involved. But I think if you have gluten sensitivity, it is still good to be mindful of the replacement grains and how they are being used.
Ingredients Needed to Make this Gluten Free Skillet Meal
This gluten free sourdough skillet dinner is so versatile. You can adapt this meal to be whatever sounds good to you or whatever you happen to have in the pantry. Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables will work just fine. If you are worried about different cooking times depending on what type of vegetables you are using, check out the “tips” area for more on that.
This recipe fits a 10-inch cast iron skillet. If you have a smaller skillet, you can adjust the total amount of ingredients down to fit your skillet.
For the filling you will need:
- Mixed Vegetables
- Some sort of meat (although, this can be optional if wanting a vegetarian option)
- Salt and pepper
- Minced garlic
- 1/2- 1 tablespoon of herbs and spices
For the gluten-free bread topping:
- GF sourdough starter
- Eggs
- Butter
- Cheese (optional)
- Salt
- Baking powder
How to Make this Easy Gluten-Free Skillet Meal Dairy-Free or Vegan
This GF sourdough skillet meal can easily be adapted to a vegan or dairy-free diet.
For a vegetarian or vegan-friendly version:
To replace the meat try beans, lentils, or tofu. Or add another cup of vegetables in place of the meat called for. Cheese is unnecessary to hold the gluten-free bread crust together so don’t worry about skipping that. To replace the butter you can use coconut oil or olive oil. And I have heard that the eggs are easily replaced with flax eggs, although I have yet to try it personally.
For a dairy-free version:
Much like listed above for the vegan-friendly version, the butter can be replaced by your oil of choice. Whether that be coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil, they should all have good results. You can omit the cheese. It is not necessary for the structural purposes of the gluten-free bread topping.
Equipment Needed
The equipment needed for this recipe is simple! You probably have these items on hand already. No stand mixer is needed.
You will need:
Cast iron skillet– this recipe fits best in a 10-inch skillet
Cutting board– I like a large one that I can dice everything on and just push things off to the side to keep dicing.
Mixing bowl– a large bowl to mix the topping in.
Garlic press– optional depending on how you add garlic
Cheese grater– if you grate off the block as I prefer.
How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Skillet One Pot Meal
- Gather ingredients and turn the oven on to 400 degrees.
2. Cook/ brown your meat medium-hot skillet. If using leftovers skip this step.
3. While the meat cooks, dice and chop your vegetables. Tip- Save your vegetable scraps in the freezer to later make homemade bone broth.
4. When meat is finished cooking, remove it from the cast-iron skillet and set aside.
5. Saute the vegetables.
If using fresh cook until tender, but not mushy. If adding in frozen vegetables, wait till the fresh vegetables are almost finished. The same rule applies with canned vegetables, you only need to warm them slightly as this whole skillet is going into the oven to finish baking.
6. Add the meat back into the skillet once the vegetables are ready.
7. Add minced garlic to the skillet and stir to incorporate it together. Cook for 30 seconds then remove from heat.
8. Combine all the topping ingredients into one large bowl. (The dry ingredients as well as the wet ingredients all at once.)
9. Whisk to combine everything until smooth.
10. Pour sourdough bread topping evenly over the meat and vegetable filling. You can use a spatula to help smooth it on.
11. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
12. Remove from the oven and top with the shredded cheese. (If using.)
13. Return the skillet to the oven for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden brown.
Variations for Different Skillet Dinners
Let these different variations inspire you to try a new twist on this week night meal every week!
Cheeseburger pie: hamburger, diced onions, and cheddar cheese. Feel free to top it with your favorite burger toppings once the dish is plated up to serve.
Fajita style: beef or chicken, diced peppers, and onions with Colby jack cheese. (Or Pepper Jack cheese if you like spicy food.)
Vegetable Delight: this one’s not only for vegetarians! Mushrooms, peppers, spinach, onion, fresh herbs, and cooked lentils.
Taco Pie: ground beef or ground chicken/ turkey with black beans, corn, peppers, and onions. Topped with cheddar cheese.
Fresh from the Garden: chicken, summer squash, carrots, corn, and tomatoes. Top with mozzarella cheese.
Bbq: a great way to use up leftover bbq meat, add some onions, corn, and green beans. Top with cheddar cheese.
Pantry Special: I call it this because these are items I almost always have handy in the pantry. Chicken, carrots, onions, and peas topped with cheddar cheese.
The options really are endless! Maybe a curry version, a Mediterranean or Greek one would be delicious too! I’d love to hear what you come up with for ideas in the comment section below.
How to Store Any Leftovers from the Gluten-Free Sourdough Skillet
To store any leftover gluten-free sourdough skillet, first, let it come to room temperature. Then remove any of the leftover meal from the cast iron skillet and place it in an air-tight container.
Keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To freeze leftovers, place leftovers in a freezer safe container. Let completely cook before placing into the freezer. Frozen leftovers should keep for about 2 months.
To reheat leftovers, place the contents of the container in a preheated cast iron skillet. Make sure that the gluten free sourdough topping is on the top, or it will get soggy. You can reheat it directly on the stovetop or place it in a 350-degree oven until warmed through. (Leftover amounts make the heating time vary so just keep an eye on it.)
Because all the ingredients are cold from the refrigerator, using a lower heat setting for reheating allows everything to warm up at the same time. Rather than edges being over done with the center still being cold.
I would not suggest leaving it in the cast iron skillet for storage. Cast iron skillets stick less when the pan is preheated before ingredients are added.
Where to Get Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
You can get some gluten-free cultures from Cultures for Health on Amazon and make your own! This gives you a jump start on cultivating these wild yeast strains.
You can also try to start your own with these directions from King Arthur.
Personally, I was gifted some GF sourdough starter from a friend.
In my post Gluten Free Sourdough Starter: How to Activate It I share how to get it started as well as how I would transition to using King Arthur gluten-free flour blend.
King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour, Certified Gluten-Free is my preferred GF all purpose flour blend that I use in my kitchen.
Things to Know When Making a Quick Weeknight Meal
To help this gluten free sourdough skillet come together even faster, prep your filling and topping ingredients ahead of time.
Cook your meat, sautee your vegetables, and mix them together with seasonings. Let them come to room temperature and then tuck them away in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a storage container large enough to fit it all, you can use a mixing bowl with plastic wrap on top instead.
For the gluten free sourdough bread topping, whisk all the ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.
When ready to make your meal, simply warm up your skillet with some butter or oil of choice (although, I’m not a fan of vegetable oil), and add your filling. Remove the gf bread topping and place it in a warm place for a few minutes while the filling warms. And then once the filling is warm, top it with the gf sourdough topping and continue on with the recipe.
Faq for Gluten Free Sourdough Skillet
When referencing sourdough, (be it gluten-free or not,) discard is referring to the portion that is removed before feeding the rest of the starter to become active and bubbly.
Technically, no you could use a feed sourdough starter and still get good results.
The benefit though of using only a discard starter is the grains have already gone through the fermentation process. This gluten-free sourdough skillet recipe is not like a regular bread recipe, there is no bulk fermentation time.
Yes! You can make the meat and vegetable of your choice ahead of time for the filling, and freeze it in ziplock bags. And then make the topping the day of cooking.
No, you could adapt it to using a 9×13 glass pan instead. Just cook the filling ingredients in a frying pan, then add them to the glass pan. Mix up the gluten free sourdough topping and pour over the filling and bake as usual.
Want More Gluten Free Sourdough Recipes?
Check out my gluten-free sourdough bread recipe the next time you want to try out new gluten-free bread recipes. How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Bread with Recipe
If you want to see every gluten-free sourdough recipe I have, you can check out my gluten free sourdough category here.
Create Your Own Custom Cookbook
If you have a collection of favorite healthy recipes you’d like to make into a tailored recipe book you should check out Mixbooks! As with most recipes in a tailored recipe book, the overall quality of ingredients used is a big part of what makes a healthy dish.
Notes:
Fed or discard starter: You can use fed or discarded gluten-free sourdough starter for this recipe.
If you do use a fed starter, make sure there is extra space in your cast iron skillet for it to rise a bit more than a discarded starter may. Some people prefer placing the skillet on a cookie sheet in case of any spills from overflowing topping.
For the cheese topping: you can also mix the cheese into the gluten-free bread topping mixture when whisking it all up. (Rather than melt it on top.) I enjoy it both ways, although melty cheese is always a winner in our house.
The Specific Recipe I used:
The pictured meal is 1 pound of ground chicken. 1 cup of diced onions, 2 1/2 cups diced carrots and peppers, and 1/2 cup of frozen corn that I added towards the end of sauteeing the fresh vegetables. Topped with raw cheddar cheese.
If you love this recipe as much as our family does, I’d love for you to come back and leave a review! Or pin it for later!
Gluten Free Sourdough Skillet One Pot Meal
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet I use a 10 inch pan, 12 inch also works.
- cutting board
- Measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- Spatula
- Wire Whisk
- knife
- Mixing bowl
- Garlic press
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 pound ground chicken or any other meat or substitution
- 2 tbsp oil avocado or other
- 4 cups mixed vegetables diced. (Canned, frozen or fresh)
- 1/2-1 tsp salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp seasoning blend Italian, Mexican, or a no salt seasoning blend. Whatever goes well with your flavors.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Topping
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free sourdough starter see notes about discard or fed starter.
- 3 tbsps butter melted, cooled a bit
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp seasoning blend Italian, Mexican, or a no salt seasoning blend. Whatever goes well with your flavors.
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese Optional, any cheese that melts well will work.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat the cast iron skillet on the stove top.
- Cook the meat in the skillet till completyly cooked. (If using leftovers, skip this step.)
- Remove the cooked meat from the skillet and set aside. (Also remove any excess fat that may be left in the skillet
- Add 2 tbsp oil to the skillet
- Saute the vegetables in the skillet. (If using onions, cook those first till soft. Then add the rest of your vegetables to finish cooking.) This should take about 6 minutes on medium heat.
- While the vegetables cook, mix together the gluten-free sourdough bread topping. (But don't forget to continue to stir vegetables in the skillet occasionally too).
- Add all topping ingredients, except for the cheese, to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Add the cooked meat to the skillet filled with the sauteed vegetables.
- Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, stir to combine.
- Cook for 30 seconds.
- Make sure the filling mixture is evenly distributed in the skillet.
- Remove the cast iron skillet from the heat.
- Pour the gluten-free sourdough bread topping over the filling mixture.
- Use a spatula to make sure it is also evenly spread over everything.
- Transfer the skillet into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the skillet.
- Top with the 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese.
- Return to the oven for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
This looks delicious! Saving to Pinterest to make later!
I’m so glad you like it! Thank you 🙂
Looks delicious and so excited it’s gluten free.
I’m so glad! Gluten free diet people still need the good food, right?!
Oh man. This recipe alone makes me want to go out and buy a cast iron skillet! Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to try it!
lol a cast iron skillet is definitely a great tool to have in the kitchen. 🙂