Cauliflower "Hashbrown" Casserole and Chicken Crust Pizza

One of my all time favorite casserole is hashbrown casserole. I know there is a million different versions out there. Ours is usually sour cream, cream cheese, oodles of aged cheddar, and garlic and onions. (See HERE for our version for 2 servings.)

I decided to healthify it to cut some calories and carbs but still see if I could keep the great taste. 

Then I was stuck thinking about what I could make to go with this casserole as we usually serve it as a side dish. I decided to make a new pizza crust that is super easy. 

Like.... super de duper easy. 

It's one ingredient. 

Ooooooooooooooooh. Crazy, right?  

Cauliflower "Hashbrown" Casserole

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower, shredded (about 4 - 5 cups)

1 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup light, aged, cheddar cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp chives, dried

2 Tbsp light cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp seasoning salt

salt & pepper

1/3 cup Greek yogurt (0 fat, plain)

dash hot sauce

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 X 9 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.

Place shredded cauliflower in a large bowl, set aside.

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, cook the butter, onion, and garlic until onions are soft and starting to brown.

Add the cooked mixture to the cauliflower along with the aged cheddar, chives, cream cheese, seasoning salt, salt & pepper, Greek yogurt, and hot sauce.

Stir until well combined. Spread evenly in prepared 9 X 9 pan. (Don't worry if it seems a bit dry. As the cauliflower starts to cook it releases some moisture and it makes the casserole more creamy.)

Cook for 30 minutes at 350. 

Remove from oven and stir in the pan.

Spread out evenly again.

Evenly sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake another 15 - 20 minutes, until cauliflower is soft and cheese is melty. 

Serve hot. 

A serving size is 1/4 of the dish. According to Myfitnesspal the nutritional count per serving is:

200 calories, 12 carbs, 11 fat, and 15 protein. 

The regular potato hashbrown casserole is 100 more calories per serving, 25 more carbs, same fat, but 2 less protein. 

Now, on to the tricky 1 ingredients pizza crust. 

It is surprisingly firm and can easily be sliced in pieces and picked up in your hands. 

Chicken Crust Pizza

Ingredients

Crust

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 7 - 8 oz)

Toppings

2 Tbsp pizza sauce

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (divided)

1 mushroom, sliced

2 tomato slices, chopped

2 thin onion slices, diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a pizza pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Place chicken breast into a large plastic bag.

Using something heavy (I used my rolling pin), pound the chicken breast as thin as you can - it should almost fill up the bag.

Carefully remove the breast and place on parchment paper on pan. Trim off any pieces of meat that are hanging off and shape into a circle as best you can (about 8 - 9 inch circle).

Bake at 350 until chicken is cooked and no longer pink - about 10 - 15 minutes. (See photo below for clarification of steps.)

Top with pizza sauce, half of the cheese, mushroom, tomato, and onions. Then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Return to oven and place under broiler until cheese is melty and browned. If you want your toppings cooked then you will need to do so before broiling. Broiling only takes a few minutes. 

Remove from oven and serve hot.

For the entire recipe, according to Myfitnesspal, the nutritional count is:

422 calories, 4 carbs, 14 fat, and 68 protein.

This was really tasty too and made a great accompaniment to the casserole.

My entire meal - which was one serving of casserole and 1/2 serving of the pizza (photo above) - was a total of:

411 calories, 14 carbs, 18 fat, and 49 protein. 

That is pretty darn low in carbs and pretty darn high in protein. 

Plus... it's got lots of veggies. 

Plus.... it's really easy to make. (Okay, shredding the cauliflower is a pain in the patootie but other than that it's ready in a snap.)

Plus... it's delicious.

Plus... it's easy to personalize to your favorites. Change up the cheese and veggies to suit your preferences!

We're sharing at these fab linky parties. Check them out! -- Feeding Big, Jam Hands, April's Homemaking, Anyonita Nibbles, Hun...What's For Dinner?, Chef In Training, Table For Seven,