Low Carb Parmesean Chicken Casserole

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Last night I had my mom over for a little girls night.. and since she is currently following a no carb diet I wanted to make something that would correspond with her eating habits but to also have a dish that was full of flavor!!

I found the base of this dish on Pinterest ( go figure :)) and then tweaked it to make it my own. I currently have an obsession with zoodles,cauliflower rice and spaghetti squash. They are so versatile and make for great bases to any type of dish. For example I made fajita taco bowls the other night and instead of using rice.. I used the cauliflower rice!! It was so healthy and honestly I could not tell a difference. A vegetable noodle is an easy fix to get your carb cravings in and that is exactly what I used as the base of this casserole. 

Shopping List:

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Basil

1 clove garlic minced

Fresh buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesean Reggiano Cheese ( shredded)

1 Jar of organic Marinara

1 yellow onion

3 cups COOKED chopped chicken breasts

4 chopped zuchinni and yellow squash

Procedure:

( have chicken cooked beforehand and chopped into large chunks)

Preheat your oven to 350

Saute’ 1/2 large yellow onion with 1 minced clove of garlic in some EVOO over Med/High heat and once cooked set aside.

Next-To a casserole dish or cast iron skillet, layer the bottom with your chopped zucchini and squash: add a little EVOO to the top. On top of that, add your freshly cooked onion and garlic, then add your cooked chicken ( layering like a lasagna) then pour your marinara sauce over everything. Finally add chunks of your buffalo mozzarella, pinches of Parm, and the chopped fresh herbs. Cook for 25-30 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly. 

Low Carb-Spaghetti Squash Turkey Spaghetti

This is a super healthy and fun twist on the normal spaghetti and would be fun to try if your household is eating low carb! I made my tomato sauce in the food processer but you can totally just use canned to make dinner a little snappier!

 

 

 

 

Shopping List:

** if your going to make sauce homeade

 

one medium sized spaghetti squash

about 12 tomatoes*

one bunch basil**

garlic

one package of spinach

kosher salt

pepper

oregano

Italian spice

one package of ground turkey( I use 85-15)

one zuchinni

one yellow squash

one medium onion

 

 

Procedure:

 

*If you are going to make the sauce homemade you will need a food processer, about 12 medium sized tomatoes, fresh basil, three cloves of garlic, kosher salt, olive oil, half of the onion, and pepper. Basically chop everything up into 1 inch pieces and pulse until the consistency is what you want. Add olive oil to your sauce to make it creamy and not so watery.-I also added half a jar of tomato basil canned sauce to thicken it up just a little.

 

Take your spaghetti squash and cut it in half. Then scrape the middle out with all the seeds and discard. Once it is clear of the (goop) splash some olive oil salt and pepper in side and place FLESH SIDE DOWN on a baking sheet. Pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

 

THEN-

 

Chop the other half of the onion into small pieces, throw some olive oil in the skillet and start to brown the onion. To the onion add the turkey and let it brown. When it looks browned add your squash, zucchini, and spinach and cook until soft/wilted. Turn the heat down low and add your sauce to the mixture.  allow the sauce to heat with the meat/veggie mixture. Then add your spices-salt/pepper/oregano/fresh basil/Italian seasoning. allow the spices to marry together-about 7 mins.

 

NEXT-

 

Take the spaghetti squash out of the oven and scrape ( you will see spaghetti flesh coming off of the squash) into a bowl or plate. Top with the meat sauce....add your favorite pecorino and enjoy!!!!!