Chicken and Green Chile Cauliflower Rice Casserole

I am on a full blown “what kind of casseroles can I make with cauliflower?” kick. I love cooking with cauliflower because not only is it healthy for you and filling without being a ton of calories, it picks up a lot of the flavors from what it is cooked with which makes it pretty versatile. And do you know what one of my favorite flavors is? Green chile. I LOVE green chiles and add them to just about anything I can.

This casserole is a fantastic weeknight dinner since it only requires about 10 minutes of hands on time, less if you meal prep. It took me less than 5 minutes to toss together because I had precooked and chopped my chicken and onions over the weekend. I literally got home from work, mixed everything in a bowl and then dumped it in a casserole dish. While we waited for it to cook we made paper bag puppets as a family. Now THOSE are the weeknight memories I like! Not me standing over the stove chugging wine while my kid says “Mom” on repeat. Who’s with me??? Also for those of you playing close attention to my pics- yes, I did sneak some bacon in mine since I had some leftovers. GO FOR IT IF YOU HAVE IT!

Servings: 8 
Total Time: 30 minutes
Hands on time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
3 bags steam in bag cauliflower rice
1-2 cans refried beans
2 C sharp cheddar (divided)
1 C monterey jack (divided)
8 oz green chiles
2 chicken breasts, chopped
2 T taco seasoning
1 C frozen corn, defrosted
1 white onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 oz low fat cream cheese
1 C greek yogurt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 pan.
• Steam cauliflower as directed and squeeze/drain out any excess water so that it doesn’t make the casserole soupy.
• While that cooks, sprinkle the chicken with taco seasoning and cook over medium heat. When chicken is done, remove to the side, then add a bit more olive oil to the pan and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant, then add the onions the onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until they become translucent.
• In a large bowl mix cauliflower rice, half the shredded cheese, chicken, corn, green chiles, onion, cream cheese, greek yogurt and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. If it seems like it’s not QUITE creamy looking enough, add a little water back in. I ended up needing about 2T because of how great of a job I did squeezing the liquid out of the cauliflower rice.
• Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly. Plop beans in piles across the top and then use a spatula to smooth into a solid layer. If you like beans as much as I do (a lot), use 2 full cans. I also add hot sauce at this point. Then sprinkle the rest of both of the cheeses over the top.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Meal Prep Tips:

Precook your chicken or use leftovers. 
Don’t shred your own cheese.
Get your taco seasoning in the big container at costco!
Use the prechopped garlic so you don’t have to chop it.