I go back and forth with Josh almost every week about how he needs to contribute to the meal plan, and every week he claims he has no idea what kinds of foods can be made vegetarian. Let’s ignore the fact that there’s a meat substitute for almost literally every kind of meat in the world and focus on the fact that he has eaten a predominately vegetarian diet for years.
Let me also point out that vegetarian versions of his favorite childhood meals, like the fajita tater tot casserole, are my more popular recipes. Clearly, there’s a lot of people who want to eat what Josh eats and that group of people includes me. Though he likes all the vegetarian meals I make, he definitely prefers when they have more familiar proteins (even if they’re fake versions of those proteins). Lucky for Josh, after my sponsored post for BeyondMeat a few months ago (Taco Pinwheels), I was gifted a fat stack of coupons for free faux beef and chicken, which meant he got to eat “meatier” foods for a few months.
I took inspiration one of his favorite foods (Ranch dressing), two of my favorite foods (noodles and cheese!), and the fake chicken in my freezer to make this casserole. I didn’t even bother writing down the ingredients the first time I made it: I was literally just throwing delicious things into a pan. Needless to say, this dish was a winner and I had to make it again, ASAP. This is hearty enough to feed 6 – 8 people, so between making it a couple of times I’ve been able to have leftovers for lunch and freeze another portion for a later dinner. This casserole reheats well and is sure to please even the pickiest of meat eaters. If you’re of the chicken-eating variety, you could even sub in pre-cooked chicken (or wait to add the chicken until last so you can divide this between meat eaters and non meat eaters). It’s a winner all around.
15 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried chives
1½ c low fat or fat free cottage cheese (small curd)
½ c Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
4 oz smoked Gruyere or mozzarella (shred)
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, divided (shred)
2 large carrots, chopped (about 1 c)
1 c chopped broccoli
10 oz whole wheat pasta or GF pasta
¼ c Ranch dressing (your favorite brand or homemade)
Red pepper flakes, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp bacon bits, optional (many are accidentally vegetarian)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spritz a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Saute the onion and garlic in a nonstick pan over medium heat, spritzing with nonstick spray or adding a little water as necessary to prevent sticking.
Add the chicken, tomatoes, parsley, dill, and chives and simmer 5 – 10 minutes.
Add the cottage cheese, yogurt, smoked cheese, and 2 oz of the cheddar. Reduce he at to low and cook until excess liquid has evaporated. Careful not to boil or the dairy will get a strange texture.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. In the last 5 minutes of cook time add the broccoli and carrots. Strain and return to pot.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and veggies. Stir until well mixed, adding the Ranch dressing. Taste, adding salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. (I like a few shakes of red pepper for a little spice, leave out or add to individual portions when serving if you need to be careful about spice).
Transfer to prepared casserole dish, sprinkling with reserved cheddar and bacon bits, if desired.
Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melty.
Notes
I used BeyondMeat Chicken, but any faux chicken will work. Feel free to sub in pre-cooked chicken if you’re not vegetarian. If you aren’t a fan of faux meats, a can of rinsed black beans would work great, too.
Ohhh, this looks delicious Kelly! I haven’t tried too many meat substitutes but I always loved those fake chicken burgers and I used to put them into pasta all the time! I also love the addition of the ranch!!! I don’t eat it as much as I used to, but it is definitely one of my guilty pleasures!
I think if I left my man in charge of meal planning, it would be cereal and frozen pizza every night! Love that you used cottage cheese in this. It’s such a great trick to make it healthy and creamy at the same time.
Brandon and I were just having the same conversation the other night. He said he’s going to start cooking one meal per month, haha! Then I told him he would have to let me know ahead of time what he wants to make so I can pick up the ingredients when I shop and he said I was getting ahead of myself. Sigh…men.
This casserole looks like pure cheesy comfort! I want to dive into a bowl for lunch!
Back when I was in a relationship a million years ago, I learned men aren’t the best food planners in the universe…sigh…can’t live with em, can’t live without em. This casserole looks amazing! Gruyere and cheddar are my two faves…PLUS yogurt and cottage cheese?! Major delish going on in that casserole dish!
Haha if you figure out how to get him to contribute on a weekly basis, can you please share your secrets?? Right now the.boy’s only contribution is eating…which I am grateful for, but still. THIS CASSEROLE. I can see it being a huge hit over here.
Ohhh, this looks delicious Kelly! I haven’t tried too many meat substitutes but I always loved those fake chicken burgers and I used to put them into pasta all the time! I also love the addition of the ranch!!! I don’t eat it as much as I used to, but it is definitely one of my guilty pleasures!
I think if I left my man in charge of meal planning, it would be cereal and frozen pizza every night! Love that you used cottage cheese in this. It’s such a great trick to make it healthy and creamy at the same time.
I think if left totally alone, most of Josh’s meals would be Taco Bell lol Maybe some Ramen and frozen pizza thrown in
Love how cheesy and gooey this looks!
Brandon and I were just having the same conversation the other night. He said he’s going to start cooking one meal per month, haha! Then I told him he would have to let me know ahead of time what he wants to make so I can pick up the ingredients when I shop and he said I was getting ahead of myself. Sigh…men.
This casserole looks like pure cheesy comfort! I want to dive into a bowl for lunch!
Back when I was in a relationship a million years ago, I learned men aren’t the best food planners in the universe…sigh…can’t live with em, can’t live without em. This casserole looks amazing! Gruyere and cheddar are my two faves…PLUS yogurt and cottage cheese?! Major delish going on in that casserole dish!
Haha if you figure out how to get him to contribute on a weekly basis, can you please share your secrets?? Right now the.boy’s only contribution is eating…which I am grateful for, but still. THIS CASSEROLE. I can see it being a huge hit over here.