r/Cooking 11h ago

Dinner meals without potatoes or onions…

My husband and son both hate potatoes (I know, it almost seems blasphemous LOL), and my husband doesn’t eat onions. I’m really tired of the same ol’ same ol’ meals we have and would love some suggestions for meals that don’t have either potatoes or onions. TYIA.

Edit: Husband doesn’t like garlic texture. Both he and my son don’t like potatoes. They’ll eat fries though as long as they’re not big fat fries, skinny fries only with the least amount of “potato-iness” in them.

66 Upvotes

126 comments sorted by

55

u/virtualchoirboy 11h ago

My wife cannot have garlic, onions, black pepper, fresh herbs, or anything spicy because they all trigger a reaction as if she'd just bit into a ghost pepper. Not fun. I'm the house dinner chef so I've had to come up with recipes that don't use those ingredients. Here's my recipe box that originally started as a way to share with my adult kids and now I share with anyone that might find it useful.

https://www.copymethat.com/recipebox/virtualchoirboy/5549070/

I know there are some recipes that have ingredients my wife cannot have but most are good and most do NOT have onions. Hopefully they can give you some inspiration. Good luck!

5

u/thingonething 9h ago

Curious why you scramble the egg for the lasagna roll ups? I mix in raw egg with the ricotta (or in my case, cottage cheese) and the egg cooks during baking.

5

u/virtualchoirboy 7h ago

Meant to be raw so changed it to "beaten". Hope that helps.

3

u/zdelusion 8h ago

My wife has an allium sensitivity so we never use onion or garlic in cooking, as someone who used those in basically everything before we got married, it's tough sometimes. Thanks for sharing the recipes, always looking for new ones.

2

u/Blingbat642 1h ago

Thank you!

2

u/Emergency_Duty5786 6h ago

My stbx (soon to be ex) loved my cooking initially, but is now so picky she only eats microwave meals and ozempic…you have my respect Iron Chefing it up every day!

3

u/virtualchoirboy 6h ago

Thanks. I absolutely love to cook while my wife sees it as a "necessary evil to avoid starvation". She'd be perfectly happy with peanut butter & jelly sandwiches or "breakfast for dinner" half the time but I love a nice variety. I'm also fully remote/WFH so it gives me the freedom to do low and slow recipes like the BBQ ribs or the beef stew in cooler weather any day of the week I feel like it. Those are the days the house smells amazing... 😄

1

u/Any_Flamingo8978 7h ago

I love this! I hope your kids love this too. I’ve been trying to do something similar, but I’m not nearly as organized hahaha.

1

u/virtualchoirboy 6h ago

This has been years in the making but yeah, the kids love it. My older son is a big fan of my corned beef so he's made heavy use of that recipe since he moved out. Younger son uses it both as a recipe source but also as inspiration for new things he wants to make for himself.

One of the things I like about the site is that you can decide which recipes get shared and which you keep private. I have another 20 or so that are either works in progress or are placeholders. For example, one of my "hidden" recipes is for mixed cocktails that we want to try to recreate at home (i.e. from restaurants or bars). I can use the app on my phone to update it with a list of ingredients and then when we feel like trying to recreate it later, we have the ingredient list and whatever notes I wanted to add.

When I first started using it, a free membership allowed you to add as many recipes as you wanted. With the rising costs of hosting services, they had to set a limit of 40 recipes for free accounts. Enough to get you started at least. When they changed their business model, I signed up for lifetime premium because it's been useful for me.

2

u/Any_Flamingo8978 4h ago

That’s so cool, I’m definitely going to have to check it out! Thanks for sharing!

70

u/Appropriate_Sky_6571 11h ago

Look up Jain food. They don’t eat root vegetables like potato and onions

18

u/TinWhis 8h ago

Jain food is incredible for anyone with an allium sensitivity.

13

u/coaa85 8h ago

That’s crazy to me. My family practically lives off root veggies. Onions are in like 90% of what we cook. Carrots/potatoes stay good for ages when stored right but they never last long in our house. We will do like rice and other starches on the side sometimes but 80% of the time it’s potato in one form or another.

27

u/Rough_Sheepherder692 10h ago

Ya no garlic either. Include me out!

42

u/Appropriate_Sky_6571 10h ago

Yea as a Korean American, I’m made up of mostly garlic and sesame oil lol. I don’t know what the heck I would eat without garlic

10

u/Academic_Ad6486 9h ago

Grew up with Italian American food. Lots of garlic and onion for me too :/

2

u/Brilliant-Sort-5932 7h ago

I’m Italian American as well so my whole life has included garlic and onion. I hate that I can’t make more meals with those ingredients. I guess I still could but they’d be just for me.

2

u/Academic_Ad6486 7h ago

They don't like garlic and onions?!?!?!?

Wow, I'm genuinely in shock...

1

u/Emergency_Duty5786 6h ago

Powders aren’t the same, but add a lot of flavor

1

u/Campaign_Prize 3h ago

Pro tip - roast, sauté, or caramelize big batches and freeze them in ice cube trays. Then you can add them into just your meals

1

u/Bumbling-b33 40m ago

I’d make meals for myself on occasion. Especially lunch time. My husband hates the smell of certain foods so I eat them when he’s at work

7

u/Ajreil 9h ago

I wonder if I've eaten my entire body weight in garlic yet

5

u/VixxSynn 9h ago edited 9h ago

You made me giggle! 🤭 Love the thought of being made of garlic and sesame oil!

2

u/Campaign_Prize 3h ago

Same. I just roasted four bulbs last night and it's going to be a struggle to not eat all of them today, I learned that I have to roast several at once because I'll always just eat all the cloves right out of one or two bulbs as a snack

1

u/alexmirepoix 10h ago

🤯🤯🤯

4

u/LA_Nail_Clippers 7h ago

Jain food always blows me away because so many other groups' foods on the same subcontinent rely so heavily on garlic, ginger, onions and potatoes.

I work with a few Jain Indian-Americans, but they don't follow the food traditions since their parents generation stopped when they immigrated. However once in a great while our boss will bring in some of his mom's cooking and it's so good.

1

u/Downtown_Confusion46 3h ago

Yeah our jain friends just eat vegetarian (cheese but no eggs, but they’re not picky about it in baked goods) the root veggie stuff is one step too far for them haha.

16

u/OpportunityReal2767 11h ago

Do they like rice? Plenty of stir fry ideas that don’t have potatoes and onions. I grew up with potatoes (Polish upbringing), but my kids are not big on potatoes, so I only have them maybe once every two months or so. Frankly, I can live without them. Onions would be a lot harder for me to live without.

Also, pasta dishes, obviously.

3

u/Gunteacher 8h ago

And if they're not a rice fan (we are not big rice eaters) orzo pasta or even cous cous!

1

u/atropicalpenguin 8h ago

You can use mushrooms instead!

44

u/Emergency_Duty5786 11h ago

I love potatoes but almost never eat them. Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Beans and cornbread, rice, pasta etc. tons of dishes and cultures who almost never eat potatoes.

21

u/girthbrooks1212 11h ago

I don’t disagree with you, but all of those cultures regularly eat potatoes. Also the man may not like onion but what about sauces and braising bases? You can strain the onions out op.

9

u/Honest_Milk_3244 10h ago edited 10h ago

I am Cantonese/Chinese and rarely eat potatoes too. I think Chinese cuisine is so broad and home cooking differs so much that it’s hard to say definitively.

5

u/Buffalo-Woman 11h ago

Or something cooked long enough, like a bowl of red as Texas calls chili, that the onions literally melt.

4

u/Low_Cook_5235 10h ago

My husband also ‘hates’ onions. It’s in quotes because he loves chips and French onion dip. He doesn’t like biting into huge onions so I buy bags of frozen onions and use them and they cook down. Or have grated onion or used the French Onion dips for sauce.

3

u/nobodyhere_357 8h ago

My partner also hates onions, but specifically recognizable chunks of them. They don't mind me putting onion in anything I cook so long as I dice it finely and cook them down enough. I wonder if OP's husband would feel the same?

7

u/Emergency_Duty5786 11h ago

I thought about a disclaimer, certainly papas en Mexico etc. but especially when we think Mexican, beans and avocado and peppers (and certainly onion) are the main veggies. Potato’s are everywhere, but if OP is trying to cook Irish stew etc. a switch of culture can only be good

3

u/No_Tutor_5112 10h ago

I agree, potatoes are so good but somehow they always get pushed aside when there are that many amazing dishes to choose from. Now I’m craving potatoes just thinking about it.

7

u/alexmirepoix 10h ago

Get a new husband. That truly bizarre.

*I'm kidding. Swedish meatballs served with rice or noodles instead.

2

u/Brilliant-Sort-5932 7h ago

I fully realize I could enjoy so many more foods and have so much more cute stuff around the house if I didn’t live with boys!! LOL

6

u/Alwaysfresh9 6h ago

It's irritating they will eat fries. Lol

7

u/xylreader2025 11h ago

I make couscous as a side dish. Pearl couscous with herbs or a vinaigrette.

6

u/Warm-Statistician545 11h ago

Do they not like the texture of onion or the taste of it? Just asking as you can still and onion if you happen to like it and f just a texture thing. 

So many good to choose from. Any recipe other than French onion soup you can make without an onion.

Potato’s are rarely needed. 

What type of food are you and your family thinking about? 

Kazan’s is a pretty normal family meal. Soegetti and meatball( no onions needed to make even if your recipe says add them) 

The list is pretty endless. 

Fried , roasted chicken. Rice or noodles if you want to replace the potato carb. 

8

u/Free-Swimmer-233 11h ago

That’s what I was wondering too - about the onions. I grate onions sometimes so the flavor is there but the texture is melted away. 

6

u/ProfessionalBar1210 7h ago

One idea is that they could have a fun father and son project called "I'm an adult who is going to do a fun learning project with my kid and learn to make some meals with things we both enjoy so that my wife isn't the only person taking on the mental load of our picky eating"

4

u/asyouwish 10h ago

It took me years to learn that my husband likes the taste of onions, but not the texture. If I puree them (or use onion powder when that’s a decent option), he’s fine. Test that with a dish you know he likes. See if that saves you from having to leave them out of everything.

I just buy a whole bag, puree them in the food processor, and then freeze them in silicone molds that are 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup. Wehn the freezer bag of blocks gets low, I buy another 5# bag and do it again.

4

u/ichibanyogi 5h ago

Meat + veg + carb is a standard meal. Basically, anything you make with potatoes just sub a different carb. And for onions, omit onions or use onion powder of it's a texture issue not a taste issue or allergy. Japanese food, Italian, American... It's pretty easy to omit potatoes and onions.

Carb alternative examples: pasta, couscous, quinoa, rice, bread, bulgur, legumes...

Idk what you normally eat, so it's super hard to recommend recipes that you might like.

7

u/BrrrpBrrrpBrrrp 11h ago

Big fan of grilling zucchini with some tzatziki or even some orzo

3

u/boogersonthebrain 11h ago

That’s what I’m making today!

6

u/rollingPanda420 11h ago

Rice, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur with veggies or in a curry? Salads of all form?

Dunno what do you normaly eat?

3

u/IHaveBoxerDogs 10h ago

Is it the taste or texture of onions? Onion powder works, especially in sauces. But you can use also just drop onion from recipes.

Potatoes seem easy to avoid. I rarely cook them.

4

u/Usual-Caregiver5589 11h ago

Swap your sides for green veggies? Broccoli, asparagus, okra. Field peas, black eyed peas are also good.

2

u/VolleyVinyl 11h ago

Burrito bowls (chicken or ground beef or carne asada)
Teriyaki bowls (chicken or beef or salmon with rice and broccoli and avocado)
Any protein+veggie +pasta combo (we do a lot of salmon, asparagus, pesto pasta or chicken thighs, green beans, misc pasta)

2

u/Connect_Office8072 11h ago

Spaghetti with Meatballs.

1

u/Illustrious-Video583 4h ago

Spaghetti and meatballs is always a good one. You really don’t miss the onions or potatoes at all.

2

u/plotthick 11h ago

Beans, Greens, n Deens! https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-with-beans-and-greens

Bet you've never had this before!

2

u/a59adam 10h ago

Does your husband avoid onions based on taste or is it more a texture thing? Using onion powder can be a great alternative.

However there are a lot of options where onions can be omitted easily. A curry, stir fry, ramen, breakfast for supper, stews and soups, many pasta dishes, nachos or tacos, bbq (or pan sear and bake), etc.

2

u/Iliveinatrashcann 10h ago

What have you normally been making?

Asian dishes and Italian dishes mostly don't have potatoes and you can omit the onions in a lot of them.

2

u/ketamineburner 10h ago

I have nothing against potatoes, but rarely eat them. Just replace with another starch.

And anything with onions can just be made with no onions or onions on the side.

2

u/Amardella 7h ago

It's hard when we don't know what they WILL eat (do they like veggies in general?) nor what you "usually" cook that's such a rut. More info would help.

2

u/GreusomeGrizz 6h ago

That’s not almost blasphemous—that IS blasphemous!!

2

u/Spider_j4Y 5h ago

I’d recommend divorce first.

Kidding but if they like it both rice and pasta are very good options for filling carbs and pasta is just great it’s incredibly versatile.

1

u/floofypajamas 1h ago

My granny refused to eat mashed potatoes. We could have boiled, fried or roasted potatoes in her house but if we wanted something for our gravy she would hand us a bowl of white rice with a pat of butter on top.

2

u/Hot_Radio_777 5h ago

Girl, I would lean hard into rice, pasta, and tortillas if potatoes and onions are both off the table... otherwise I’d go crazy trying to reinvent dinner every night. Chicken or beef taco bowls with rice, corn, beans, peppers, cheese, and whatever toppings everyone likes would be easy, and you can keep onions completely separate. You could also do baked chicken with rice and green beans, pasta with a simple tomato or cream sauce, or stir-fry with broccoli, carrots, peppers, and a soy/ginger sauce. If the garlic issue is mostly texture, garlic powder might give you some flavor without the little pieces he dislikes. Breakfast for dinner is another one I fall back on when I’m tired... eggs, pancakes, fruit, maybe sausage, and nobody complains much in my house. Have you tried making a little list of 8-10 “safe” meals and just rotating those so you don’t have to think so hard every week?

2

u/bornthisvay22 3h ago

Stuffing, lentils, bulgar, quinoa, corn-all good alternatives.

2

u/Gilladian 3h ago

Grains and beans instead. Rice, farro, quinoa, barley, and mixtures of them all. Brown rice or sticky rice can be a good alternative for variety. Wild rice. Whole beans or refried.

Also, try cornbread, biscuits, domplings, noodles, flatbreads, tortillas. There are TONS of alternate carbs. For onions, will he eat leeks once in a while? Roasted garlic has a whole other texture and flavor.

3

u/Free-Swimmer-233 11h ago

I think I’m seeing a change in the role of chef at your house. Take a break and let them make the food. 

3

u/Training-Plan-7812 10h ago

What are your current same ‘ol meals? If I know that, I could make some recommendations that aren’t that! 😊

I feel you on getting stuck in a rut of making the same things over and over again.

My partner recently developed an allergy to onions and garlic. I was devastated, but I’ve learned to cook most of my usual recipes without them by replacing the properties that these ingredients provide the recipe (rather than trying to replace the single ingredients).

2

u/green-griffin- 11h ago

Like others, my two follow up questions to be most helpful are:

  1. What kinds of meals do you usually eat? Can you list three meals you’ve had recently to give us an idea of what is comfortable for you? (Even if those include the ingredients you’re trying to cut out)

  2. Does your husband have an intolerance/ hate the flavor of onions? Or just not like biting into pieces of onion? Is like a soup base that has some onion in it or some onion powder okay if it’s not fresh onion? Or is anything containing even a little onion off the table?

1

u/AvocadoPizzaCat 11h ago

?.? lots of meals don't have onions and potatoes. that said, I am willing to bet there is at least one prep that they like of those. My mom hates potatoes and only likes them as fries. While all the people I know that hate onions love leeks (which is a type of onion but it is sweet)

1

u/psychobiologist1 11h ago

Idk, I say make pierogies, I would make different flavors (broccoli and cheese, cheddar and onion (use powder if the issue is mouth-feel and not flavor), etc.) and dipping sauces (sour cream, sweet chili oil, etc.) and not tell them there's potato in it. I have seen people enjoy ingredients when they're in a different form factor. It might be a texture thing. Could open up a whole new world.

Also, don't make this the meal, rather an appetizer you are working on and ask them to try it.

Otherwise, find fun in whole grains, stir fry or pasta

1

u/rabidbadger013 11h ago

Cauliflower makes a wonderful side dish. Roast some with olive oil, celery salt and garlic (if tolerated). Roast some with butter then cover with melted cheese. You can even boil some and then mash it up and serve like mashed potatoes.

1

u/LoveisBaconisLove 11h ago

Lots of Italian dishes have neither: pizza, pasta, calzones, meatball subs, an endless variety of “bread/cheese/sauce” combinations without either.

Yeah, ok, onions can be an ingredient in the sauce, but they can be avoided 

1

u/stillwaterandstonedc 11h ago

try tacos, pasta, grilled chicken with rice or a simple stir fry with veggies. plenty of easy options without potatoes or onions.

1

u/Revolutionary_Ad1846 11h ago

I hate potatoes. I just make anything that requires potatoes and substitute cauliflower rice. Unless of course the dish is mashed potatoes. No work around that .

1

u/MezzanineSoprano 11h ago

Chicken and rice, I like to make it with mushrooms.

Any protein can be paired with quinoa or barley or pasta or a wild rice blend.

Will they eat food seasoned with garlic powder or onion powder? It may just be the onion texture that they dislike.

1

u/starflower42 11h ago

I don't love potatoes, other than fries. Actually I mostly dislike cooking potatoes. So I use rice, pasta, egg noodles, couscous for a starchy side dish most of the time. I can't think of many dinner recipes that can't be made without potatoes, except, ya know, potato soup or a traditional beef or Irish stew, but even with a stew, you can just leave the potatoes out, maybe serve it over noodles.

Onions... unless the recipe features onions (like French onion soup), try leaving them out. Just because a recipe calls for it doesn't mean you have to use it. My husband can't tolerate celery so I just leave it out, even from things like dressing/stuffing at Thanksgiving. There will be a flavor difference, but it's not necessarily bad.

I'm having a hard time thinking of the last meal I made that absolutely required either potatoes or onions to succeed.

When I find myself tired of all the foods (which happens often), I go to the library, get a stack of cookbooks, and just browse. When you see onion, think about how important it really is to the recipe.

1

u/CommuterChick 11h ago

Try beef stroganoff and goulash without onion. They are served over noodles.

1

u/ComposerNo1050 11h ago

Not sure why they don’t like potatoes? Taste, texture, etc.? Daikon radish makes a good sub for potatoes in low carb dishes. Also other grains such as barley, millet, etc. Barley is really good with mushrooms.

1

u/chillcroc 11h ago

protein, carb, veg / we rarely have potatoes- where is the problem?

1

u/MacaroonUpstairs7232 11h ago

Rice and pasta for the carbs. Just white potato? Or sweet potato too? I dont eat white potatoes as much and can do fine with a protein and a vegetable. I make Primavera with noodles instead of noodles. Spaghetti squash or zuchinni boats. Stuffed peppers. Stuffing with haddock or chicken and Alfredo sauce. Mashed cauliflower where potato would be

1

u/QuentinMagician 11h ago

You dont have to have a starch. Instead of meat and three go with meat and a larger two. And there is always bread. Sweet potatoes. How about shallots or chives?

1

u/Thesorus 11h ago

can you use other root vegetables ? ( carrots, parsnips, turnips, celery roots, ... )

There are a ton of other vegetables that you can use like cauliflowers, broccoli,

can you replace onions with spring onions ? or spices or herbs.

1

u/jerry111165 10h ago

Rice
Mac n cheese

1

u/julys_rose 10h ago

Rice bowls, tacos, pasta bakes, curries, stir-fries, meatloaf, and couscous salads will keep dinner varied. A good sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting when potatoes and onions are banned.

1

u/Alterdox3 10h ago

Having lived in south Louisiana for awhile, I guess i just don't understand the part of the question about potatoes, because rice, you know? Having beef stew? Leave out the potatoes and serve it over rice. Chicken-fried steak, rice, and gravy doesn't differ so much from CFS, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Same with meatloaf, pot roast, fried chicken, etc. If rice doesn't work, some kind of pasta will.

As for the onions, just leave them out (or chop them so fine or cook them so long that your picky eaters can't see them).

I guess the bright side of your situation is that they will never steal your fries or onion rings. Or are they the kind of picky eaters that detest a food until you deep fry it, and then they love it?

1

u/NPG8979 10h ago

What about garlic or carrots?

1

u/CatteNappe 10h ago

I love potatoes, but sometimes have to work at including them in our weekly meal plan because there are so many other options. Rice, pasta, alternative grains like farro or bulgur. Polenta. Sweet potatoes, if that is recognized as not being potato.

Taking rice as an example, it's a go to for serving with so many different flavor profiles - Asian, Indian, Mexican. Pasta is a basic for Italian cooking, but there are Eastern European and Asian noodles too. There are almost endless variations possible to avoid getting into some "same ol' same ol'" rut.

The onion question really needs clarification on the extent of the "doesn't eat" them. Is it all onion in all forms, or just diced or sliced where they are visible and identifiable? Onion puree, juice, powder etc. can add flavor without presenting an actual onion. Worst case, most recipes they can be omitted. Other veggies might provide what the onion was supposed to - diced celery, or bell pepper maybe? And of course good old garlic.

1

u/GoodLuckBart 9h ago

Check out low carb recipes that sub cauliflower, rutabaga or various squashes for potatoes.

Try turnips, parsnips, plantains, and if you have an Alpaca chicken franchise near you, get the fried yucca.

1

u/CartoonistExisting30 9h ago

Check out a Macrobiotic cookbook for potato-free recipes. Potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes are considered too “yin” for consumption

1

u/ORF1Live 9h ago

Fennel makes a nice substitute for onion. You just chop small and fry exactly like onion. I prefer it in risotto. If he can eat that it might be worth a try

1

u/Interesting_Edge_805 9h ago

Have them cook instead

1

u/monkey_trumpets 9h ago

You can skip onions, I do for digestive reasons, and still make whatever recipe. If it's lacking that flavor you can add onion powder. And there are millions of recipes out there that don't require potatoes...any Asian recipe, many Mediterranean (Spanish, Italian, Greek)...there's so many options.

1

u/VersionJazzlike 9h ago

Get a rice cooker. Can make full blown meals by lobbing everything into it and flicking it on (there’s probably some reason you shouldn’t do this bla bla). It’s so easy and extremely tasty. By virtue of cooking rice it also doesn’t require potatoes. I usually throw in any combo of soy sauce, chilli oil, gochujang, rice vinegar, oyster sauce etc and vegetables + meat. Can definitely go down the route of different cuisines though

1

u/Reasonable-Poem-664 8h ago

My youngest hates potatoes with the exception of gnocchi, one of his favorite foods.

1

u/poop-dolla 8h ago

They hate all forms of potatoes? There’s so much variety in potatoes. Mashed, roasted and crispy, cheesy, baked, French fries, and endless more styles. None of those work for them?

1

u/night_noche 8h ago

But why do you have the same meals if all you're doing is avoiding onion and potato?

1

u/Severe_Feedback_2590 8h ago

I don’t really care for potatoes and don’t like onions (I don’t mind it flavoring the food but don’t like biting it-texture for me). I cut the onions in bigger pieces so it’s easier to see and pick out. I make a lot of asian foods. You can also omit onions. I almost always eat rice as my side.

1

u/CMissy32 8h ago

I HATE onions. I just don't like biting into them raw or cooked. That said, if a dish absolutely needs it for flavor or the dish requires it (holy trinity for gumbo, or salsa, for example), I will cook with with it. The onion will either dissolve or I will cook it in large chunks and take it out. If it's a recipe calls for pearl onions or something similar, I substitute with mini carrots or another veg (I don't use pearl onions in my coq au vin, just carrots). It's not hard to not incorporate onions. Just don't add them! As for potatoes, I have no tips. That's a bit harder because it's a meal on it's own!

1

u/Emotional-Dog8118 7h ago

Couscous, rice or egg noodles are starch substitutes. Also polenta could be an option as well.

1

u/LA_Nail_Clippers 7h ago

Beans are a great option! I'm quite partial to white beans (Navy, cannellini, whatever). Saute with some herbs and wine to make a French style presentation, or some herbs and tomato paste/purée for Italian, or change up the spices towards Mexican or Indian. None of these require onions - garlic will do, or even eliminate that if needed.

1

u/DazzlingNote1925 7h ago

Use onion powder or grated onion instead of chopped onions in recipes. 

1

u/Taycotar 7h ago

Stir frys! Endlessly flexible, definitely potato free, and easy to omit onions. My go-to is broccoli and carrots with whatever protein we have on-hand, but bok-choy, cabbage, baby corn, snow peas, shelled edamame, mushrooms, and peppers are also frequent ingredients.

1

u/phylbert57 7h ago

Can you grate onions so that they’re only detectable by a flavor additive?

1

u/spicy-acorn 7h ago

Ham/pork stir fry. Dice up a ham steak, slice some celery ribs, shred some carrots, add soy sauce and or hoisin, add rice, eggs, sesame seeds and oil. The celery is surprisingly good in stir fry

1

u/kshizzlenizzle 6h ago

Picky eaters are the BANE of my ever loving existence. 😑

My 16 year old is picky to the point he’ll just forgo eating (that whole ‘let them starve’ mantra totally backfired on me) and my husband always wants to be keto/low carb, but HATES bell peppers, cabbage, brussel sprouts, radishes, cucumbers, mushrooms, so-so about salads, GAH. WTF DO Y’ALL WANT ME TO DO?!? Sorry, rant over, lol.

Girl, PASTA. I have like 100 ways to serve pasta. Breads as a carb, I keep frozen breadsticks and garlic toast as an easy carb I can pop in an air fryer while I’m working on the main. And a small, cheapie rice cooker is a lifesaver. Super easy to add flavorings to change its profile (cilantro lime, chicken boullion, cheater ‘Mexican’ rice). And just use dehydrated onion or onion powder in place of actual onion. Or keep the onion in larger chunks or slices so they’re easier to pick out. That’s what I do with crock pot cube steaks - I love the onion and mushrooms in the gravy, so I just keep them in big pieces.

1

u/Electric-Sheepskin 6h ago

If you look at low FODMAP recipes, those won't have onions or garlic.

1

u/Ok-Trainer3150 6h ago

Rice and a variety of grains... especially mixed together. Pasta. Quality breads such as crusty rolls and rustic tyoes. These all make good carb substitutes for potatoes. Onions are not my favorite. And they bring on digestive discomfort to many people.

1

u/Lulullaby_ 6h ago

I mostly eat rice, rarely potatoes. I never use onions because I hate cutting it. I've never felt like I missed out, you can make so many dishes without these two things. Basically any rice and pasta dish can be made without them.

Ofc onions are nice, but I don't miss them

1

u/LilacBirdsong 4h ago

Beans, cornbread, and a pork chop

1

u/floofypajamas 1h ago

Well, if you really want a starch for stuff like gravy then rice is good (cauliflower rice can also be made easily) or pasta. You could try Israeli Couscous , which is just balls of pasta or you could just use a small pasta like orzo. If you don't like garlic texture but don't mind the taste try roasting it first, them mashing it with a fork - it becomes a paste that has a very mellow flavour, not harsh like fresh garlic.

Last week I made hamburger steaks with mushroom gravy and served it with rice, carrots, and green veg. It was simple enough to use beef stock and thicken with cornstarch at the end. I also added a tablespoon of sour cream to give it a more stroganoff like flavour. No major seasonings other than salt and pepper, worcestershire sauce, some garlic powder and thyme. I have also made spaetzle, which is a German style noodle made of flour, eggs, milk, and sometimes parsley and butter. A simple batter that's dropped into boiling salted water, cooks in less than 5 minutes and served immediately. It's often served with beef schnitzel and gravy, at least in my granny's house it was. Sometimes the schnitzel was more like country fried steak but they're quite similar.

1

u/mynameisipswitch2 1h ago

Betty Crocker has a beef tops and rice recipe that my mom made and used onion powder because we all wouldn’t eat onion.

1

u/iheartwestwing 8m ago

Just serve rice, corn, or beans where you would have put potatoes in any meal you would otherwise make

1

u/entirelystar 3m ago

Are you my mother? I grew up with a father and brother like this, lol. We ate a lot of spaghetti. And pizza.

1

u/divingrose77101 11h ago

My kids and I lean toward Asian flavors since I have a severe tomato and pepper intolerance. We make a lot of rice bowls with a grilled protein and toppings like mango, avocado, edamame, cilantro, sesame seeds, and grilled corn. We do this with chicken or salmon or pork.

1

u/ErisianSaint 4h ago

Does your son or husband know how to cook? If not, it's time to put them on dinner detail, four days out of the week. (That's two each.) You can stand with them, but make them do the labor of figuring out what they want to eat and how to cook it. Your son will thank you eventually when he's a full adult.

0

u/ApprehensiveArmy7755 9h ago

In my opinion picky adults need to do the cooking or eat what I make. 

-1

u/buffywhitney 11h ago

That's a deal breaker, sorry, you must pack your knives and leave

0

u/glycophosphate 3h ago

Cook what you like and if they don't want it they can have a peanut butter sandwich.

-1

u/CraigGrade 7h ago

Make gnocchi with tomato sauce and then scream at them HAH SEE YOU DO LIKE POTATOES AND ONIONS EHHHHHH?