Taco Casserole with Cauliflower Crust (GF)

This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by replacing the ground chicken with more beans or chickpeas, ground tofu...

To cut down on prep time for this recipe you can "rice" your cauliflower the day before and store in the fridge in an air tight container. This only takes me about 10 minutes to do using my mini Black & Decker Glass Bowl chopper. I love this chopper because its compact and fits perfectly in my kitchen cabinet. I'm not ready to invest in a standard sized food processor. I just don't think I would use it. Yes, with my mini one it takes me 4 or 5 batches to finish an entire cauliflower but this chopper is fast so gets the job done in no time. 

Before putting the ingredients together for the crust I recommend squeezing out any liquid out of the cauliflower rice. 

Recipe makes 8 servings

Prep Time (including "ricing" cauliflower and baking cauliflower crust): 50 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
WW 2 points
My Fitness Plan - Cal: 249, Fat: 10g, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 33g

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 lbs of ground chicken breast

1 onion diced

2 peppers chopped

1 cup diced tomatoes, no sugar, no oil added

1 pkg of taco seasoning

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed

1 head of cauliflower, processed into rice, approximately 6 cups

3 eggs, beaten

100 gms Black Diamond Marble light cheese

Jalapenos (optional)

1. In a mixing bowl add the grated, or processed cauliflower rice, 3 beaten eggs, and 50gm of the cheese. Season also with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix this well until it is well combined and then pour into a prepared 9x13 dish. Press into the pan with a spatula. Set aside for now. Preheat oven to 400. 

2. In a pot on the stove add the olive oil, chopped onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat just until the onion starts to get a bit translucent. Add the ground chicken. Mix this often until its evenly cooked. 
3. Put the cauliflower crust into the oven to bake for approximately 10mins or until the top starts to brown slightly. Remove from oven and let it sit. 

4. Add the taco seasoning, chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the ground chicken. Stir well. Add in the cup of diced tomatoes, chopped peppers and the black beans. Continue stirring to ensure everything cooks evenly. 

5. Using a slatted spoon start adding the mixture to the cauliflower crust. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for another 20mins. 

6. Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes before slicing into it. I served mine with a simple salad and a few corn tortilla chips.