Chick'n Parmesan
If you want to make me feel SUPER old, ask me how long I've been a vegetarian. That'll do it because that vegetarian thing is old enough to legally drink. And then some.
23 years.
HOLY HELL.
It has gone by faster than I can blink.
In those 23 years, a lot has changed. It used to be a challenge to find something to eat in certain circumstances. At restaurants I would have ot order something not on the menu ("Pasta Alfredo without the chicken," for example). At get-togethers with family and friends, I just avoided eating because not everyone understood that "vegetarian" includes not bacon. Not even a little bit.
Now, however, vegetarianism is a piece of cake because at least I'm not a Paleo person, or gluten-free, or any of the other specialty food needs that are far more common than they once were. The world seems to view not eating meat with a yawn and a "so what?" now.
THANK GOODNESS.
It is positively delightful to walk into a restaurant and have lots of choices these days. It's even more delightful to find options at the grocery store like this:
Veggie Patch sent those to me to try and I decided to do something a little off the beaten path with them. I took a typically meat-centric recipe and flipped it into a vegetarian recipe.
Chick'n Parmesan.
IT IS SO FREAKIN GOOD.
Ahem.
Sorry about the caps lock. Sometimes it's just needed.
You can substitute back to real chicken with this recipe, if you want. You'll just be looking at something a bit different than this:
Veggie products are pretty consistently low in calories and fat. That is how it's possible for me to eat absolute crap some days without blowing up bigger than a house. Balance! It's good!
And so is this.
Chick'n Parmesan (Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan)
1 package Veggie Patch Chick'n Cutlets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (I used a food processor)
1 small zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices mozzarella cheese
grated parmesan cheese
Sauce
1. Place the olive oil in a large skillet and then lightly sauté the bell pepper over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, zucchini, and garlic. Continue to sauté until the vegetables are soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir and heat until everything is warm.
Magic Oven Action
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the chick'n cutlets in a oven-safe glass pan. I used a 9x13" glass baking dish, but a smaller one would work.
3. The chick'n cutlets are precooked, so there is no need to cook them. We'll warm them up, though, along with the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chick'n. Dont' worry if you lose sight of the chick'n. You'll be able to find it when you need it.
4. Place a slice of mozzarella in the general direction of the chick'n cutlets so that you end up with a piece of chick'n topped with sauce and cheese.
5. Sprinkle parmesan over the top of the entire dish. I used about 1/4 cup, but you can use more or less depending on your mood and preferences and whatever.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.
Serve over spaghetti or make an amazing Chick'n Parmesan Sandwich, if you would like.
Note: Veggie Patch sent me samples of the Chick'n Cutlets, but that's about it as far as disclosure stuff goes. Shhhh! Don't tell them that I've been buying them for a while and already knew we liked them when I said I would love to try them!
Recipe
Reader Comments (3)
With all that cheesy, tomatoey goodness, I bet my menfolk wouldn't notice they weren't eating real chicken. Hmmm....
Needed inspiration for dinner tonight so I tried this out. Pretty simple and tasty. Couldn't find the exact cutlets but got close enough.
you make me seriously consider vegetarianism. this sounds great and i'm terrified to cook chicken for fear of it being under done or poisoning me from being on a cutting board or some such insanity. plus the things they do to animals before they get to the grocery store hurts my heart. everything vegetarian you have feed me was great. except that stupid fake turkey thing. that was wrong. but other than that, i think i might even like vegetarian living.
did the veggie patch people give you a coupon to share?