Italian Chicken and Vegetable Casserole

Step 1

Dice and start to caramelize the onion in some EVOO. About halfway through, add in the peppers. Half is used for the sauce; the other half for the dish.

Step 2

Put all of the ingredients for the sauce, including half of the onion and peppers, in a food processor and blend well.

Step 3

The deli counters at most store do a nice job with roasting chickens, so I just buy two whole roasted chickens and pull the meat, which saves hours of roasting time.

Step 4

Layer 1: Pour a cup of sauce into the pepper and onions and place in the bottom of a large/tall casserole.

Step 5

Layer 2: Combine ricotta and softened cream cheese with an egg, white pepper, and oregano. Mix the broccoli and cauliflower into the ricotta mixture and layer onto the onions and peppers.

Step 6

Layer 3: 8 oz shredded mozzarella.

Step 7

Layer 4: Mix 2 cups of sauce with the chicken, and layer onto the cheese.

Step 8

Layer 5: Add the remaining sauce; top with 8 oz Italian cheese mixture.

Step 9

Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350 F. Serve with a dusting of grated parmesan cheese.

Step 10

About 1/18 of this is a pretty reasonable serving, clocking in at only about 260 calories (12 g fat and 17 total carbs)