I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had a few days off work (gotta love bank life!) and got to spend the whole break with family and friends. But now it’s back to reality for a few weeks.

I know I should probably be over casseroles after literally eating them for days, but I’m just not. I don’t think I’ll ever be over a good casserole. So tonight I bring you the PERFECT dish: loaded cauliflower and chicken casserole.

Now this is not the healthiest meal I’ve ever made, mind you. It’s also not the least healthy meal I’ve ever made. I like to call this a transition meal. It is designed to gently prep my body for the junk food detox it’s about to go through the rest of this week. 😉  But seriously, it’s about to be ON. So I figured I might as well fully enjoy myself before resorting to a menu consisting of mostly roasted veggies and lean proteins.

I will say, I think this *might* be the first truly kid-friendly recipe I’ve created. I don’t have kids, so I can’t say that for sure. But I know I would’ve eaten it as a kid. It’s a play on a loaded baked potato, but better. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with cheese, bacon, chicken, and a sour cream-ish sauce topped with more cheese and bacon. Honestly. It is so good.

As I’ve said before, I will literally never endorse using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream because sour cream is life, and Greek yogurt is NOT a good substitute for it in my humble opinion. However, if you really wanted to, you could lighten this up by using only Greek yogurt instead of half Greek yogurt and half sour cream. You do you.

Any way you look at it, this casserole is worlds lighter than the kind you eat on Thanksgiving. It’s rich and flavorful but not too heavy. If you’re on a low carb diet, this recipe is perfect for you! If you’re not on a low carb diet and just love delicious food, this recipe is perfect for you, too! Bon appétit!

Loaded Cauliflower and Chicken Casserole

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups chicken broth

5 strips of bacon, cooked until crispy, crumbled

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tbsp butter

2 green onions, sliced thinly (both green and white parts)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded*

1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded*

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a saucepan, boil chicken breast in chicken broth until cooked through (about 10 minutes). You could skip this step and use rotisserie chicken breast instead.
3. While chicken is cooking, steam cauliflower. I do this by placing the cauliflower florets in a microwave safe bowl and covering with plastic wrap. Then I cut a slit in the plastic wrap and microwave for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
4. Remove the bowl from the microwave and add butter and some salt to the cauliflower. Toss until the butter has melted. Allow to mostly cool.
5. Remove cooked chicken from the saucepan and shred it.
6. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic and herb seasoning, salt and pepper. (Hint- taste the mixture to ensure you have enough seasoning and salt) Add more seasoning or salt if desired.
7. Add chicken, 1/2 of the crumbled bacon, 1/2 of the green onions, 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream mixture to the bowl of cooked cauliflower. Stir well.
8. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
9. Top the mixture with remaining cheese and bake covered for 15 minutes.
10. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
11. Garnish with remaining bacon and green onions and serve.

*Note: I really didn’t measure the cheese (shocker), so you may want to add more. The measurements were a guesstimate.