Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole (without soup)

Looking for a cozy but healthy fall recipe? This gluten-free chicken casserole is perfect for a cozy fall night when all you want to do is lounge around! Plus the best part… you can make this casserole without soup!!

It bakes for an hour and will have your home smelling like delicious warm garlic and parmesan. It take 5 minutes to prep and an hour to bake. Its also easy to prep ahead of time. 

This casserole is healthy and easy, using simple and quick ingredients.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

This chicken casserole is made with italian sausage is naturally gluten free because it uses rice as the base and rice is gluten free!

You can make this rice casserole without soup!!

It uses easy ingredients such as microwavable rice or frozen rice as well as pre cooked sausage

This is an easy healthy weeknight meal…I like to call them lazy girl meals!

Its healthy

Its low in carbs

This rice bake is low in saturated fat

Dairy free

Nut free

Oil Free

Packed with veggies

Easy to prep ahead of time

INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS

Brown rice

This gluten-free chicken casserole calls for a combination of brown rice and cauliflower rice to keep it healthy and make this casserole a healthy weeknight dinner option. You can use all brown rice, all cauliflower rice or even white rice.

The key is the rice cannot be raw. If it is frozen rice it is OK to put into the baking dish frozen. If it is intstand microwave rice it is OK to microwave following package instructions and then add to baking dish. You do not want to add raw, uncooked rice because there is not enough liquid to cook the rice fully.

Cauliflower rice

To make this extra heathy and low carb you can use all cauliflower rice. You can also use any other riced vegetable including broccoli, carrots, etc. If fresh it is OK to just add to baking dish without cooking but make sure it is soft and fully cooked before removing from oven.

Chicken sausage

Only use pre cooked chicken sausage. Do not use raw chicken sausage. If you have chicken sausage that is not cooked yet, pan fry quickly before adding to baking dish.

Tomatoes

You can dice your own tomatoes and use whatever kind you’d like. You can also buy a can of diced tomatoes to make this recipe even easier. Make sure to get unseasoned diced tomatoes.

Pepper + Onions

Dice up any color peppers as small as you can. You want them to be only slightly larger than the rice so the peppers fully cook in the oven. The larger the size the longer the casserole will have to bake. If you arent sure or want to cut down on time you can sautee the peppers and onions ahead of time so the baking step is only to warm up the casserole and not to fully cook any ingredient.

You can prep the raw vegetables ahead of time and store in the refridgerator in an air tight container for up to 3 days beforehand.

Parmesan cheese (vegan/dairy free if desired)

This recipe calls for vegan parmesan cheese to make this rice casserole dairy free. If you are not lactose intolerant or care to make this dairy free you can use regular parmesan cheese without a problem.

Salt + pepper + powdered garlic

TASTE & TEXTURE

This casserole is full of italian flavors, parmesan cheese and warm garlic! Its best served warm and cozy right out of the oven and topped with extra parmesan cheese to get a cheesy textured topping. The peppers, onions and tomatoes blend together to make the perfect light italian casserole sauce. Its healthy and light without a heavy sauce since you make this rice casserole without soup.

HOW TO MAKE

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

In a cooking dish, combine brown rice, cauliflower rice, diced chicken sausage, red onion, tomatoes, peppers, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. See note below on only using cooked rice.

STEP 2

Bake uncovered on 400 for 45-60 minutes until rice is fully cooked and top starts to brown. Make sure the peppers and onions are fully cooked and soft before removing from oven.

STEP 3

Remove from oven and plate. Option to top with arugula or fresh spinach.

EXPERT TIPS & TRICKS

The key for this gluten-free chicken casserole is the rice cannot be raw. If it is frozen rice it is OK to put into the baking dish frozen. If it is intstand microwave rice it is OK to microwave following package instructions and then add to baking dish. You do not want to add raw, uncooked rice because there is not enough liquid to cook the rice fully. You can also use lentil rice or other vegetable rice but cook as per package directions before adding to baking dish.

To make this extra heathy and low carb you can use all cauliflower rice. You can also use any other riced vegetable including broccoli, carrots, etc. If fresh it is OK to just add to baking dish without cooking but make sure it is soft and fully cooked before removing from oven.

This recipe calls for vegan parmesan cheese to make this rice casserole dairy free. If you are not lactose intolerant or care to make this dairy free you can use regular parmesan cheese without a problem.

You can prep the raw vegetables ahead of time and store in the refridgerator in an air tight container for up to 3 days beforehand.

HOW TO SERVE & STORE

Leftovers for this gluten-free chicken casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Leftovers for this recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheat in a pan, covered until rice and sausage is warm and soft.

Reheat in the microwave, covered until rice and sausage is warm and soft.