There are so many reasons to love this recipe! It’s delicious, nutritious, easy to make, has a simple ingredient list, and re-heats well. It’s the perfect meal for a big gathering, or for just a few people so you can have yummy leftovers for another day (or days)!
Why Casseroles Are The Way To Go
Who doesn’t love a good casserole?! Growing up in a big family, casseroles were part of our family meals. Actually, looking back at some of my favorite childhood meals, many of them were casseroles! Before I started avoiding/limiting gluten and dairy, lasagna would have been at the top of my list, but right now turkey delight and chicken almondine are in the top spots. Eating a casserole is obviously my favorite part, but I love making them too. Here’s why:
- Convenience: Casseroles are a one-dish meal that can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or freezer for quick and easy meals during the week. This honestly might be my favorite reason to make a casserole when I have visitors. You can put it together ahead of time, and then later all you have to do is pop it in the oven. That leaves more time for enjoying your company! They’re also easy to make in bulk, making them perfect for food-prep days!
- Versatility: Casseroles can be made with a variety of ingredients and can be adapted to fit different dietary preferences, such as vegetarian or gluten-free. In our family, we have some that avoid gluten, some that avoid dairy, and some that avoid both gluten and dairy. Casserole recipes can almost always be adapted to fit our family’s needs so everyone’s happy and satisfied.
- Portion control: Casseroles can be portioned out and frozen in individual servings, making it easy to control portion sizes and reduce food waste. When I’m making a casserole for just my husband, Chris, and I, we like to freeze leftovers so we can have an easy ready-made future meal. Our future selves always thank us for a day we don’t have to cook, but can still enjoy a healthy homemade meal 🙂
- Comfort food: Casseroles are often associated with comfort food, providing a warm and satisfying meal. These meals are perfect for cold weather or really just anytime you need a delicious, cozy meal.
- Easy clean-up: Casseroles are typically made in a single dish, reducing the number of dishes and utensils that need to be washed. Can I get an ‘amen’?! Not having to wash a thousand dishes at the end of a big family meal is a dream.
Why This Recipe Rocks
Well, now that we’ve covered all the reasons to make a casserole, let’s chat about this gem of a recipe I’m going to share with you today! First off, as I mentioned above, we mostly eat gluten and dairy-free, so finding a dairy-free chicken alfredo dish was super exciting to me. Add to that the fact that it’s low-carb, and I am sold.
Why do I like low-carb meals? Two biggies: better blood sugar control and more energy. Low-carb meals prevent blood sugar from spiking and crashing, keeping blood sugar levels nice and stable. Know what comes with stable blood sugar? Well, lots of benefits, but stable energy is a big one, and one that most of us could use!
This recipe uses spaghetti squash for the ‘noodles’, making it not only low-carb but giving you another source of veggies (in addition to the broccoli) for more vitamins, minerals and healthy plant nutrients (phytochemicals). Plus, it’s full of protein and healthy fats.
It’s super easy to make and doesn’t require an entire pantry of ingredients. Easy, simple, and healthy…just how I like my meals! Oh and did I mention delicious? 🙂
How I Modify This Recipe
Sometimes I like to make this with rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the raw chicken breasts. I’ve done it both ways, but we do love the flavor of rotisserie chicken so it’s our preference to do it that way. We just take the meat off an entire rotisserie chicken, chop it up and put it in the dish along with the other ingredients.
I use less onion. The recipe calls for an entire onion, I probably only use ½ to ¼ of an onion. Again, just a taste preference.
I use avocado oil instead of olive oil. Avocado is a more heat-stable oil, so it’s my oil of preference for cooking.
That’s it! Now it’s just time to make and ENJOY this recipe!
The recipe is from wholekitchensink.com, you can access the recipe by clicking HERE.
