Low-Carb Pesto Caprese Chicken Casserole
Lauren Lester- Ready in 1h
- 3.2 g net carbs
- 496 kcal
- Serves 8
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Think keto and casseroles can’t go together? Think again! This low-carb friendly casserole has layers of tender chicken, cheesy mozzarella and parmesan, tangy pesto, spinach, and roasted cherry tomatoes! Doesn’t that sound amazing?
This is a super easy recipe that will please even the pickiest of eaters, even the ones who don’t normally eat keto. How could you go wrong with cheese and chicken? And when I say easy I mean really easy.
All you have to do is layer the chicken cutlets into a large casserole dish, top with pesto, spinach, and mozzarella then top with another layer in the same order. After that you’ll add the cherry tomatoes to the sides and sprinkle with some parmesan and bake until bubbly. For a complete meal I would serve this with a green salad and an Italian vinaigrette.
Step-by-step
Preheat your oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional), or 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted). Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Layer half of the cutlets into the bottom of a large casserole dish. Top with half of the pesto.
Add half of the spinach, and half of the mozzarella. Repeat with another layer.
Top the casserole with the parmesan cheese and add the cherry tomatoes to the sides.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is golden and bubbly. If you’d like you can place the casserole under the broiler for 3-4 minutes to crisp up the cheese at the end.
Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve. To store, let it cool down and keep refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Recipe
Low-Carb Pesto Caprese Chicken Casserole
★★★★★4.6This low-carb & keto friendly casserole is made with delicious layers of tender chicken, cheesy mozzarella and ...
- Hands on
- 10m
- Overall
- 1h
- Servings
- 8
- 3.2 g
- Net carbs
- 52.8 g
- Protein
- 28.9 g
- Fat
- 496
- kcal
Ingredients makes 8 servings
Note
Using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts will decrease the protein and increase the fat content per serving. If using skinless and boneless chicken thighs: 47 g protein, and 31 g fat.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional), or 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted). Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Layer half of the cutlets into the bottom of a large casserole dish. Top with half of the pesto.
Add half of the spinach, and half of the mozzarella. Repeat with another layer.
Top the casserole with the parmesan cheese and add the cherry tomatoes to the sides.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is golden and bubbly. If you’d like you can place the casserole under the broiler for 3-4 minutes to crisp up the cheese at the end.
Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve. To store, let it cool down and keep refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition per serving
Carbs 3%Protein 44%Fat 53% of calories
- Net carbs
- 3.2 g
- Total carbs
- 4.6 g
- Fiber
- 1.3 g
- Sugars
- 1.6 g
- Protein
- 52.8 g
- Fat
- 28.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 8.7 g
- Calories
- 496 kcal
- Sodium
- 985 mg · 42.8% RDA
- Magnesium
- 84 mg · 21.1% RDA
- Potassium
- 854 mg · 42.7% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
| Per serving | Net carbs | Protein | Fat | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, breast (without skin, raw) | 0 g | 38.3 g | 4.5 g | 204 |
| Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Pepper, black, spices | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Basil & Macadamia Pesto (KetoDiet blog) | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 15.5 g | 143 |
| Spinach, fresh | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0 g | 2 |
| Tomatoes, cherry, fresh, all varieties | 0.7 g | 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 6 |
| Mozzarella cheese, fresh (for salads) | 1.3 g | 11.2 g | 7.3 g | 117 |
| Parmesan cheese | 0.2 g | 2 g | 1.5 g | 22 |
| Basil, fresh | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Total | 3.2 g | 52.8 g | 28.9 g | 496 |
- Gluten free
- Egg free
- Pork free
- Avocado free
- Coconut free
- Fish free
- Shellfish free
- Beef free
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Comments & ratings (35)
So delicious. I have always made my own pesto and my husband loves it so I used that (I add a little bit of peas to mine to make it sweet). It was so great thank you!
Thank you Jennie, that sounds delicious. I'm glad you enjoyed!
May I omit the spinach or use an alternative?
Absolutely! You could use any other greens such as collards, chard or kale. Ot use sliced zucchini or eggplant. Any veggies will work. Just beware that if you use broccoli, the florets may burn.
Can I make this the day before and then reheat it in the oven the next day? If so, what temp and time do you recommend.
Hi Jessica, yes you can reheat it in the oven. I reheat mine at about 150C (300F) for about 10 minutes.
I’m new to Keto and want to package each serving separately after baking for convenience and portion control. The pan showed 5 breasts, how do you make 8 servings from that?
(No coffee=can’t think!)
No coffee = can't think - so true!! 😊 That's a very good point! I think you'll have to cut them or use smaller chicken breasts so they add up to 3 lbs meat.
Hi,
Should this be the considered a meal or should we pair with a side dish?
If yes, any side dishes suggestions?
Thank you 😊
Personally for me this would not be enough veggies so I'd serve it with a side dish. This would go well with some of these options:
Low-Carb Cauliflower Rice 3 Ways (Lemon & Herb or Spanish cauli-rice)
Classic Tricolore Salad (half serving)
Authentic Greek Salad
I hope this helps!
I made this is the slow cooker tonight & its delish! (with a few modifications). Followed the recipe, omitting the final parmesan. Added 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the crockpot as I was worried it would burn, (however it might not need it as there is a lot of liquid once it is cooked which may be why the final dish is so juicy). Cooked on low for 5 hours. 15 mins before serving, added about 2 handfuls of baby spianch to cover the chicken, sprinkled shredded mozzarella on top & covered it till the cheese melted. Will make it again! 👌
Thanks so much for the slow cooker tips! I'm glad you enjoyed 😊
What is the calorie amount?
Check the table - listed as "kcal" 😊
Sure wish the printable version of the recipe had an option to leave out pictures. The recipes turn out to be about five pages with pics. Once we’ve done the recipe once by looking at it on line, we don’t need pictures again.
I'm not sure why you see images? The "print recipe" option at the top of the page does not include them. I just tried it and only got 2 pages and no images.
You can tell your printer which pages to print in the column below the # of pages. If you want only #1 & #6, place the numbers in the pages box.
Thank you Linda! We improved the print option and most recipes now fit on one page 😊
Mine was really watery, not sure what I did wrong.
I can't wait to try this recipe- AND the pesto recipe. Buying ingredients tonight!
Thank you for typing in your "updates" to the recipe based on user input. That is super helpful!!
Another great recipe, it was delicious!
Does this freeze well?
Yes, this kind of casserole should freeze well.
The "make your own pesto" link only leads to this very same page. It doesn't lead to a pesto recipe. I tried several times & wind up back on this Parmesan chicken recipe.
Thank you Sharon - fixed!
Wow, I haven't had a good meal like this in a long time. It was juicy, light, clean and satisfying. I will be making this meal many more times. And yes 425 will leave the cheese a lil crisp but soft at the same time 🤤
Do you have a pesto recipe you recommend for this dish. Eager to make it. Thanks
Hi Wendi, I never buy pesto - I always make my own (see the link in the list of ingredients). It's super easy! 😊
why is there not a printable version??????
There is - you just need to click on "print recipe".
Made this tonight for dinner and everyone loved it. So quick n easy yet oh so tasty! Can't wait until basil is back on season so can use fresh homemade pesto!
Only thing is we found oven was too hot at 220c and it way overcooked the cheese mix on top. Next time will preheat oven to 220c then reduce to maybe 180c for the cooking time.
Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Thank you for the tips Matt! There is nothing quite like homemade pesto 😊
I agree, the temperature was a bit too high. I also ended up burning the cheese on top, but ate it anyway because burned cheese is still edible as long as it's not black ;) The dish itself was terrific and everyone loved it.
Thank you for your feedback - I'll add this as a note in the recipe!
Update: The issue was in the conversion as the 220 C referred to conventional oven while 200 C is for fan assisted. Mystery solved! 😊