ITALIAN CHICKEN MUSHROOM MARINARA CASSEROLE

Look how substantial that serving is. Crispy topping, cheesy and plenty of marinara sauce - so delicious!

Marinara sauce and herbs on top of the mushroom and chicken layer. Finally sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese, then bake!

The topping gets baked alongside the casserole, but will be done much sooner. Break it up and sprinkle on top of the baked casserole.

ITALIAN CHICKEN MUSHROOM MARINARA CASSEROLE

Hmm, comfort food at its best. This is a substantial casserole. Do try the homemade marinara sauce. It’s delicious in this easy recipe. I am doing intermittent fasting at the moment, which means 2 meals a day for me, so my carbs can actually be a bit higher than if I ate three squares and had snacks. By the way, with intermittent fasting, if one gets hungry a protein and cheese snack will be fine in between, as insulin response will be next to nil. My hubby does that quite successfully. He likes sausage and cheese.

Love, love, love topping my casseroles with my "breaded" toppings. So delicious. You'll never miss breadcrumbs again.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil (15 mL)

1 lbs sliced mushrooms (0.45 kg)

Seasoning salt, to taste

6 cups diced rotisserie chicken (1.5 L)

2¹/₂cups Marinara Sauce, (625 mL)

(below...whole recipe)

1 tsp dried oregano, OR basil, OR (5 mL)

use fresh herbs up to 2 tbsp (30 mL)

1¹/₂cups grated Mozzarella cheese (375 mL)

Crumb Topping:

³/₄cup Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, OR (175 mL)

simply use almond flour

¹/₄cup Parmesan cheese, OR shredded Cheddar (60 mL)

(kind in a canister, OR shredded)

3 tbsp butter, melted (45 mL)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

In nonstick frying pan, over medium heat in olive oil, cook mushrooms until moisture evaporates. Sprinkle with seasoning salt, to taste.

In large bowl, combine mushrooms and cooked, diced chicken. Sauce (recipe below). Place in bottom of 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish. Pour Marinara Sauce on top. Sprinkle with oregano, OR basil, OR fresh herbs and Mozzarella cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping below.

Crumb Topping: In medium bowl, combine Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, OR almond flour, Parmesan cheese and melted butter. If it is not moist enough add a bit more butter. Press into a glass dish and bake alongside casserole for 15 minutes. If it is still not golden brown, bake a little longer. Break it up into pieces with a fork to make the Crumb Topping.

Yield: 9 servings

1 serving

298.7 calories

28.4 g protein

21.8 g fat

2.8 g fiber

10.0 g net carbs (moderate carbs - good carbs though)

MARINARA SAUCE

Sometimes homemade tastes best. This sauce is very easy to prepare. I made it specifically for my Italian Chicken Marinara Casserole above. Pureeing the sauce ever so slightly deepens the flavor.

2 tbsp olive oil (30 mL)

¹/₄cup finely chopped red onion, (60 mL)

optional

28 oz diced canned tomatoes (840 g)

6 oz tomato paste (180 g)
¹/₂cup water (125 mL)

Liquid sweetener equal to 2 tsp sugar (10 mL)

(to balance flavors - optional)

¹/₂tsp salt (2 mL)

¹/₂tsp dried basil (2 mL)

¹/₂tsp dried oregano (2 mL)

¹/₂tsp dried thyme (2 mL)

¹/₈tsp black pepper (0.5 mL)

In frying pan in olive oil, cook onion (if using) over medium high heat until turning brown. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, liquid sweetener, salt, basil, oregano, thyme and pepper. Simmer gently about 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened. Cool slightly. In food processor, pour mixture and pulse until the sauce is a bit finer in texture, but not juiced.

Yield: 2¹/₂cups (625 mL)

1 tbsp per serving

12.3 calories

0.2 g protein

0.7 g fat

1.4 g net carbs

ANOTHER RECIPE YOU MAY ENJOY

CHEESY CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE