I needed some cooking therapy BAD tonight so this thing had better be good!! (It's still in the oven so if you're reading this later it means you should keep reading because my sister and I deemed it delicious and worthy of posting.) Full disclosure: Last week I made some swedish turkey meatball and egg noodle concoction that my boyfriend ate strictly because he loves me because it was so extremely bland. Not nearly good enough for sharing. I will keep practicing though because who doesn't crave IKEA food court on the regular? ...Just me? Nevermind.
It all started when my sister, Allison (better known as Big Al), and I were dreaming up things to make for dinner this week with what was left in my fridge from last week. We are very Italian by which I mean that we have giant black eyebrows and lots of love for carbs. Therefore, when we get together we have to be very careful not to eat a whole pizza (each). We found a zucchini and a squash and naturally decided squash casserole was on the menu. After doing some research we ended up with this Cheesy Chicken and Squash Casserole (ft. lots of other veggies) with crunchy crackers on top and (hopefully-- pending actually putting it in my mouth) it was divine. Right now it just smells divine.
Here it is for the cooking!
Cheesy Chicken and Squash Casserole (ft. lots of other veggies)
Serves: 2-3
Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: 30min
You will need:
1 small zucchini (mine was about 5oz)
1 small yellow squash (mine was about 5oz)
1 roma tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes
1 small sweet white onion
1 small bunch of asparagus (5-7 spears)
2-3 fresh basil leaves
1/2 lb chicken, boiled and shredded
1/4 C sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1/4 C cream of chicken soup
1/2-3/4 C cheddar cheese (I like to shred my own because it melts better)
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers (I like the whole wheat)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
9x7 baking pan
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Place a small pot of water to boil and boil your chicken until cooked through. While your chicken is boiling, begin chopping your veggies. Chop onion, tomato, squash (1/4 inch slices), zucchini (1/4 inch slices), asparagus (3 pieces per stalk), and basil. Here are my chopped veggies (minus the onion)!
When chicken is cooked through, shred and place in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add 1/4 C sour cream or plain greek yogurt, 1/4 C cream of chicken soup, 1/4 C shredded cheese, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp of each) and mix well. Mine looked like this!
Next, grease your baking pan and layer half of the veggie mixture on the bottom. Top with half of the chicken mixture and then repeat like so:
Sprinkle your remaining 1/4-1/2 C cheese on top until a thin layer is formed and then crumble Ritz crackers on top of the cheese. Place the casserole in your 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes. Here is mine after 30 minutes (and then 5 minutes cooled). Look at that oozy cheesy goodness!!
Good news y'all- this bad boy passed the test!! It tastes like your favorite southern side dish but it's actually packed with protein and colorful veggies because wellness and whatnot. We loved it and hope you do too!
Note: You could also use breadcrumbs if you prefer (or if you want to make gluten free with gluten free bread crumbs). Same recipe applies! It also works to double, triple or quadruple in a 9x13 or 3 quart casserole dish. Adjust baking time for larger dishes to 40-45 minutes.
Recipe adapted from: everydaydiabeticrecipes.com
