Here’s a really easy healthy dinner idea: a 15-minute pesto chicken cauliflower recipe. Filled with vegetables, pesto, garlic, cheese and chicken this healthy dish is so good! It’s a super easy gluten free recipe, you can use leftovers to make this quick low carb meal, perfect for busy weeknights.
Pesto Chicken Cauliflower Rice
I’ve been trying to eat gluten free and kinda low carb for a while now, so cauliflower rice has become a regular thing on our dinner table. I’m sneaking it into pasta dishes, risotto dishes, pretty much anywhere for my son, who’d spit out anything that looks green and is not a cucumber. When I’m cooking something only for me I make some variation of cauliflower rice. It’s easy, it’s quick, I eat a ton of vegetables and they taste really good! Of course, cooking only for myself, by myself, rarely happens, so let’s appreciate that moment and call it self-care.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this cauliflower recipe are quite easy to find and pretty healthy. Here’s what you’ll need:
- red pesto
- leftover shredded chicken
- cauliflower rice
- tomato
- garlic
- shredded mozzarella
- arugula
- dill
- olive oil
- milk
- salt and pepper
Substitutions
- You can use dairy-free alternatives if you want to make this easy meal dairy-free. Simply use your favorite vegan milk and vegan cheese instead of the regular.
- Make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken.
How To Make Cauliflower Rice That Doesn’t Suck
Before you start making this cauliflower rice recipe you’ll need to have cauliflower rice.
You can do store-bought, but making your own rice from cauliflower is super easy: simply use a food processor – pulse the cauliflower florets 2-3 times, make sure to not overprocess. Your “rice” can get too small and mushy if you do. You want bigger chunks for the same texture that rice has, not flakes.
Another option that requires minimal equipment, but some time is grating your cauliflower manually as if you live in the 20th century. Luckily, my food processor also has a grater attachment, so sometimes I do that and the cauliflower rice is ready in 15 seconds.
How To Make Pesto Chicken Cauliflower Rice | Step By Step
Before you start cooking, it’s good to have all of your ingredients ready for the ride: wash and chop tomato, arugula, dill, peel and mince the garlic, shred the mozzarella cheese, and shred or chop the cooked chicken. This preparation will take you around 5-10 minutes.
Step 1: Saute the tomato with olive oil for around 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the cauliflower rice and garlic for another minute.
Stir in the chicken, tomato paste and pesto, add salt and cover the pan to cook for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the milk and half of the shredded cheese. Cover for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the rest of the cheese and the rest of the garlic. Then add the dill and arugula and cook for 1-2 more final minutes.
Serve immediately!
Here’s the recipe if you’d like to print it out.
Yield: 2
15-Minute Pesto Chicken Cauliflower Rice Recipe | Low Carb Dinner Idea
Pesto chicken cauliflower rice: Learn how to make cauliflower rice with this easy healthy cauliflower rice recipe! This quick low carb dinner idea is ready in around 15 minutes, perfect weeknight meal filled with simple wholesome ingredients! Easy and delicious dinner recipe!
Prep Time7 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded chicken
- 2 ½ cups cauliflower rice
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella or other cheese
- 1 cup arugula
- 3 tbsp thinly chopped dill
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp red pesto
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional: parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the cauliflower rice using your food processor or a grater. I used ½ cauliflower head and it made about 2 ½ cups of cauliflower rice. You can also use store-bought rice.
- Add the chopped tomato to a pan with a tbsp of olive oil and saute at medium-high for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower rice and add 1 garlic clove, then stir in the chicken, tomato paste, pesto, some salt cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the milk and ½ of the shredded cheese. Cover again for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the rest of the cheese and the other garlic clove. Stir in the dill and arugula and cook for 2 more final minutes.
- Serve immediately, optionally with some parmesan cheese and black pepper on top!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 488Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 501mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 35g
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