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Use this simple staple to make two gluten-free weeknight dinners. Photo by Silvana Nardone

How do I keep the dinner pressure down in my kitchen? Along with the regular stress of beating the dinner rush with my two kids screaming that they’re hungry, my meals need to be gluten free. I’ve got my hands full, right? Not anymore.

Since my son Isaiah was diagnosed four years ago with both gluten and dairy intolerances, I thought I’d never come around to enjoying cooking and baking again. I was so wrong. It not only woke me up to the possibilities of what my family would eat, but how we would eat. Now, dinnertime is easy with my fast fridge fixes.

First, I make a low-maintenance, but high-impact basic recipe—like Dry Roasted Mushrooms (below)—that I keep on hand in the fridge. Then, throughout the week, I’m ready to get dinner done fast with my easy mix-in mains, like Roasted Mushroom­–Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups or Roasted Mushroom Grilled Cheese. So easy, you don’t even need a recipe.

Raw mushrooms, about to be roasted. Photo by Silvana Nardone

Dry Roasted Mushrooms

If you’ve never tasted dry-roasted mushrooms, get ready for a juicy, caramelized experience.

Makes: Enough for 4 sandwiches or 8 chicken roll-ups

26 ounces thinly sliced mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake and oyster)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces (or more olive oil)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Salt
¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 325º. Scatter the mushrooms on a large baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until liquid has released and evaporated, about 35 minutes.

2. Drizzle the mushrooms with the olive oil and top with the butter and garlic; season with ¾ teaspoon salt. Return to the oven and roast until shriveled and dark, 35 to 40 minutes. Toss in the parsley.

Roasted Mushroom­–Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups: Crispy on the outside and gluten-free; coat with tortilla chips instead of breadcrumbs. Photo by Silvana Nardone

Roasted Mushroom­–Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups

Want dairy free? Swap in some fresh spinach or use your favorite cheese substitute.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Place 8 chicken breast cutlets on a work surface. Top each with 1 ounce of cream cheese, shredded cheddar and Dry Roasted Mushrooms. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Place 3 beaten eggs and 2 cups finely ground corn tortilla chips into two separate shallow plates. Dip the chicken roll-ups into the eggs, then coat with the tortilla chips. Place on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and cook until golden and the cheese oozes, 25 to 30 minutes.

Roasted Mushroom Grilled Cheese, made with 'fridge staples and gluten-free hamburger buns. Photo by Silvana Nardone

Roasted Mushroom Grilled Cheese

No panini press? Just heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the sandwiches and weigh them down with a smaller skillet filled with two soup cans. Cook, turning once, for about 8 minutes total.

Heat a panini press. Remove some of the soft insides of a gluten-free hamburger bun. Spread Dijon mustard on each top half and fill with Roasted Mushroom Grilled Cheese . Spread Roasted Mushroom Grilled Cheese on each bottom half and top with chopped hazelnuts and arugula. Place on a panini press and cook until golden and warm, about 3 minutes.

Silvana Nardone is a food lifestyle expert, magazine editor and motivational speaker. She is the editor-in-chief of the all-digital, gluten-free magazine, Easy Eats. Silvana is also the author of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals and publisher of Silvana’s Kitchen, a blog that takes the guesswork out of how to feed a family with food allergies. Previously, she was the founding editor-in-chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray.