Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
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All of the flavors you love from Chicken Parmesan come together in this easy-to-make, comforting, and of course, tasty Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole!
Chicken Parmesan is one of those recipes that my husband LOVES. It's not something that gets made regularly, which I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's usually served with pasta, and I'm not personally a huge pasta fan. Don't get me wrong I do love all the comforts of pasta, but when you're grain-free, and 90% of the store-bought "gluten-free" pastas have some grain (usually corn) that you can't have makes it a little bit annoying. So when we've had pasta, I've often made it myself.
That was until my husband found the Barilla Chickpea Pasta at our local store. Now you're probably going, oh, that's easy because we all have the grocery stores around. Well, maybe if I lived near an actual city or a suburb for that matter. I don't, though. I live in a place that is nicknamed "fort lost in the woods." So our options close by are the store on post or the local Walmart. Let me say this is not your super Walmart's you guys are used to seeing. This one is small, and the selections for sure leave something to be desired.
Anyways my husband spotted the Barilla pasta and brought it home for us to try. I didn't have much high hopes for it, which makes me feel terrible because, boy, was I blown away. Not only does it have a pleasant neutral taste without a weird after taste, but it holds its shape when it's cooked, doesn't get slimy, and it reheats nicely. The best part? There is only ONE INGREDIENT: chickpeas. I don't know how they make it work, but I am just happy that they did because this girl loves her pasta more because of it.
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Okay, back to this chicken Parmesan casserole recipe. It comes together really fast and has only a few natural ingredients you probably have on hand in your fridge and pantry.
What's in Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Ingredients:
- Chicken
- GF Pasta of choice
- Marinara Sauce of choice
- Dice Tomatoes
- Cheese
- Spices
I add a nice little crispy top, so you don't have to worry about breading the chicken to make it even easier!
How to make Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Cook the chicken (Use leftover chicken or even your favorite rotisserie chicken to make this easier.)
- Cook the pasta.
- Combine the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, spices, and half the cheese to a bowl.
- Add the chicken and cooked pasta and stir.
- Transfer to a baking dish and cook covered for about 30 minutes.
- Uncover and top with bread crumbs and remaining cheese and bake another 10 min uncovered until cheese is melted.
Crunchy Topping
There are a few ways you can make the crunchy topping. I usually like to keep bread crumbs on hand whenever I make any gluten-free bread. I keep a container in my freezer and pull them out as needed. You can also use your favorite gluten-free panko bread crumbs, or if you don't have either of those, I like to crush up my favorite Siete tortilla chips (sea salt or no salt ones work best) and use them to top this casserole.
Making Ahead
This casserole can be made two days ahead and stored in the fridge. Just make sure you let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.
Storage
In the Fridge:
-
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 days.
In the Freezer:
- This casserole can be frozen and stored in the freezer until you are ready to eat. I like to let it defrost in the fridge overnight before I reheat it and finish baking it off. I also add a little bit more sauce when I am going to be freezing it since the pasta will soak up a little bit more. This keeps the casserole from drying out while being stored.
This recipe can easily be doubled to make more for having leftovers or feeding a larger crowd.
More Family-Friendly Dinners to Try:
Melt in Your Mouth Pork Carnitas
Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Equipment
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 C Cooked Chicken diced
- 1 24 OZ Jar of Marinara Sauce
- 1 14.5 OZ Diced Tomatoes
- 1 ½ TSP Salt
- 1 TBS Garlic
- 1 TSP Pepper
- 1 TSP Thyme
- 1 TSP Oregano
- 1 TSP Parsley
- ½ TSP Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 C Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 Box Gluten-free Pasta of Choice cooked and drained
- ¼ C Gluten-free Bread Crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish and set it aside.
- Cook the chicken and then dice and set it aside.
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- Combine the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, spices, chicken and pasta and mix till everything is coated.
- Add half the cheeses and stir till combined.
- Transfer to a baking dish, cover with foil and bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
- Once it has cooked removed the foil and top with the gluten free bread crumbs (or crushed tortilla chips) and remaining cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Allow it to rest a few minutes, top with fresh parsley if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- This casserole can be frozen and stored in the freezer until you are ready to eat. I like to let it defrost in the fridge overnight before I reheat it and finish baking it off. I also add a little bit more sauce when I am going to be freezing it since the pasta will soak up a little bit more. This keeps the casserole from drying out while being stored.
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.