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keto chicken dinner with spinach and tomatoes in meal prep container

Italian Chicken Meal Prep Casserole (Keto, with Vegetarian option)


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4.8 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Lindsay Cotter
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4-5 1x

Description

This Italian chicken meal prep casserole is a great use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. It’s simple to make ahead and very kid friendly.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb cooked chicken or uncooked boneless chicken strips (to be cooked in 1 Tablespoon olive oil) – see notes
  • 1/3 cup cultured sour cream or paleo mayo
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning or blend of spices, preferably with garlic powder and oregano included.
  • 1 to 2 cups zucchini, sliced or spiralized (pressed with paper towel to remove extra water)
  • 2 cups spinach leaf, torn
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes, diced. Drain excess tomato juice before using. (If using canned tomatoes, use 14 oz can Italian herb flavor)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Optional: grated parmesan cheese for top of casserole

Instructions

Before you begin – See blog post for multiple meal prep dish prep! TO AVOID EXCESS WATER in casserole, you can lightly bake zucchini slices in oven at 400F  for 10 minutes before adding them to the casserole. This will remove excess water.

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and oil casserole dish/meal prep container. If meal prepping without baking, skip preheating oven.
  2. Toss chicken in sour cream or mayo. Mix in Italian seasoning. Set aside.
  3. Next, layer zucchini and spinach at the bottom of the casserole dish. Save extra spinach for top. If using zucchini noodles, be sure to drain excess liquid from the noodles before layering at the bottom.
  4. Place chicken mixture on top of spinach and zucchini.
  5. Lastly, spoon diced tomatoes on top of the chicken. Add any extra spinach on top. 
  6. If desired, add grated Parmesan to top of casserole. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown. If using for meal prep, cool the baked casserole before freezing. (Freeze for up to 3 months)

Notes

  • Oven safe meal prep casserole dish I use.
  • If using uncooked chicken strips, first heat skillet on medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil. Place chicken strips in pan and cook, flipping every 2-3 minutes, until chicken is cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes, or until center is no longer pink and internal temperature reaches 165F. Place cooked chicken strips in a bowl and shred with fork, then mix in sour cream and Italian spices. 
  • Quick Cooked Meat Options – chicken sausage or gluten free Italian sausages (cooked and chopped) may also be used to replace boneless chicken.

Vegetarian Option – For a vegetarian option, simply make the recipe as shown, but leave out the chicken. Or, swap the chicken for pressed tofu or diced hard boiled eggs.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup (includes cheese topping)
  • Calories: 180
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Sodium: 95.2 mg
  • Fat: 4.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4.5 g
  • Fiber: 1.5 g
  • Protein: 28.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 87.1 mg