Skinny Chicken Taco Casserole Recipe: Healthier Ingredients, Lower Calories | Casseroles

Mexican casseroles are one of my weaknesses. What's not to love about a hot-out-of-the-oven casserole full of Mexican flavors and ingredients? But my husband and I are trying to eat healthier and cut calories to shed of few of these unwanted pounds that keep hanging around. This easy skinny chicken taco casserole recipe is full of those flavors we love without so much fat, calories and salt.

To make this low-calorie, healthier chicken casserole, you will need to gather the following ingredients: corn tortillas, riced cauliflower, brown rice, taco sauce or enchilada sauce, a green pepper, a fresh tomato, red onion, cooked shredded chicken, cheddar cheese and optional fresh cilantro (I'm always on Team Cilantro!). The fresh, gluten-free ingredients bake up in about 30 minutes.

Serve this Mexican casserole for dinner with your favorite side dishes. I kept it simple and served mine with some fresh guacamole on the side. If you love Mexican casseroles, here's a few more to try:

Skinny King Ranch Casserole
Walking Taco Casserole
Creamy Chicken Fajita Casserole
Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Note: 30Seconds is a participant in the Amazon affiliate advertising program and this post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission or fees if you make a purchase via those links.

Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

6corn tortillas, cut into quarters
1 cup frozen riced cauliflower
1/2 cup cookedbrown rice
1 - 1 1/2 cups taco sauce orenchilada sauce
1 poblano pepper or green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Helpful Products

Recipe Notes

To cut prep time, I used precooked brown rice.

I used a Mexican salsa, but next time will use red enchilada sauce. Use whatever sauce you enjoy the flavor and heat of in this casserole.

Because the vegetables go in raw and are not cooked in a skillet to soften first, chop them smaller so they cook faster.

See Also
101+ Kid-Friendly Recipes From Around The World Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Recipe from The Food Charlatan.

If you don't have leftover chicken meat, cook about two chicken breasts or four boneless chicken thighs. You could also use rotisserie chicken.

If your casserole dish doesn't have a lid, cover with aluminum foil.

You can use reduced-fat cheese for this recipe. Don't like cheddar? Try a Mexican blend, Monterey Jack or your favorite cheese.

Here's how to make it:

Put one-third of the tortilla quarters onto the bottom of a lightly oiled casserole dish.
Top with the cauliflower and brown rice. Drizzle with some of the taco sauce or enchilada sauce.
Add more tortillas on top.
Top with the chopped peppers, tomatoes, onions and chicken. Drizzle with some of the taco sauce or enchilada sauce.
Top with the remaining tortillas. Cover with the remaining taco sauce or enchilada sauce and sprinkle with the cheese.
Cover and bake in a preheated 400-degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 286

Total Fat: 7.3g

Saturated Fat: 3.3g

Cholesterol: 52mg

Sodium: 305mg

Total Carbohydrate: 33.6g

Dietary Fiber: 4.2g

Total Sugars: 4.9g

Protein: 22.1g

Vitamin D: 2mcg

Calcium: 149mg

Iron: 2mg

Potassium: 357mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

Need to convert cooking and baking measurements? Here are some kitchen conversion charts. Here's how to submit your recipes to 30Seconds.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily.

Related Products on Amazon We Think You May Like:

30Second Mobile, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.