If you’re one of my readers who immediately scrolls to the bottom of the page to get the day’s recipe and nutritional information, you may be turned off by the calorie count on this recipe.
Don’t fret. Yes, rutabaga or “swede” or “swiss turnip” is a vegetable that is higher in calories and starch than many other vegetables that you typically see on this blog (zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, beet, etc.)
However, remember – we’re eating a vegetable, not processed pasta (which is even higher in calories, carbohydrates and has a higher glycemic index.)
I guess what I’m trying to say is that, not all meals need to be under a certain caloric amount. Not all calories and carbs are treated equally and hey, sometimes your body just needs a hearty, delicious, healthy meal.
Actually, while it’s true that your body turns the carbohydrates from rutabagas into sugar, those carbs account for just a small fraction of the rutabaga’s total weight – water and dietary fiber combine for over 90% of its weight, and the remainder is rich in nutrients (yay for smart eating!)
Today, if your body’s yearning for something filling and substantial, you’ve come to the right blog.
And, at the end of the day, spiralized vegetables > pasta. Can I get an amen?
Rutabaga is the tastiest of the turnip varieties, I think. It’s a pain-in-the-butt to peel and spiralize, but it’s worth your time. It’s filling, it’s flavorful and, most importantly, it stands up to multiple cooking methods (boiling, sauteeing, baking.)
I like to bake my noodles, because it avoids using extra amounts of oil in the cooking process. Just a little spritz of cooking spray, some seasonings and in 15-20 minutes, you’ve got a healthy bowl of noodles.
Now, this chicken parmesan is my “ultimate parm” recipe. By using almond meal instead of processed breadcrumbs, you get extra nutrients and flavor. Plus, a bag of almond meal lasts much longer than a bag of bread.
If you’re dairy-free, you can add a creamy cashew sauce with nutritional yeast atop the chicken parmesan. If you’re nut-free, you can try using coconut flour instead of almond meal (just use the same seasonings when you prepare the breading mixture in the recipe.)
Who doesn’t love chicken parm? I mean, if you’re vegetarian, you probably don’t – but hey, that’s what eggplant parm is for!
I hope you love this recipe and if you’re trying to keep your daily calorie counts down, substitute in turnip noodles, zucchini noodles or carrot noodles – they all work really well here as well.
See? Fun for everyone!
Have you tried rutabaga noodles yet? What’s your favorite way to enjoy them?
Now you can watch a cooking video of this recipe:
Nutritional Information & Recipes
Gluten-Free Chicken Parmesan with Rutabaga Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3 ¼ pound boneless chicken breasts
- 1 large rutabaga peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
- olive oil cooking spray
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 ¼ ” thick slices of mozzarella cheese
- For the sauce:
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup diced onions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 basil leaves roughly chopped
- For the breadcrumbs:
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place all of the ingredients for the breadcrumbs, except for the cheese, into a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour the breadcrumbs into a shallow baking dish and stir in the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- Beat the egg in a medium mixing bowl and set aside next to the breadcrumbs. Dredge the chicken in the beaten egg then dip in the breadcrumb-Parmesan mixture. Dip on both sides and pat breadcrumbs into any crevices on the chicken breast. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets and put into the oven for 15 minutes (if a thick breast, you may have to cook for 15-20 minutes- just slice open to make sure it’s barely pink in the middle, not raw at all.)
- Lay out the rutabaga noodles in the other baking sheet, coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until al dente. Set aside.
- While the chicken and rutabaga cooks, place a large skillet over medium heat and pour in olive oil. Once oil heats, add in onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add in the diced tomatoes, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Crush the tomatoes with the back of a spatula or a potato masher. Lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Once done cooking, stir in basil. Set aside half of the sauce and keep the rest in the skillet on the stovetop, but turn off the heat.
- After the chicken is done, remove from the oven and pour on the reserved tomato basil sauce, top with a mozzarella slice and place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Once you place the chicken back into the oven to melt the cheese, turn the heat back up under the skillet with leftover sauce. Once sauce heats up, add in the rutabaga noodles, and toss to combine until sauce coats the noodles. Place the cooked rutabaga noodles on three plates.
- Top the rutabaga noodles with the baked chicken parmesan and enjoy.
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