Dairy-Free Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Casserole for Full GAPS

This dairy-free chicken and cauliflower rice casserole uses plain cashew ricotta to coat a filling of shredded chicken, bacon, mushrooms and cauliflower. Thyme seasons the vegetables, and chopped green onions go on after baking. There is no sour cream, butter or cheddar in this version.

Start with the chicken already cooked and the cashew ricotta finished. Once those are ready, you can move through the skillet steps and transfer the filling to the oven without stopping to make another component.

The cashew ingredient that makes it creamy

Use the finished plain cashew ricotta for the measured ½ cup. It is a thick blend of prepared cashews, fresh water, apple cider vinegar and sea salt. Stir it before measuring, especially if it has been chilled.

Cashew milk is much thinner and is not the ingredient used here. Cashew yogurt is a different, fermented preparation. The plain ricotta supplies body without adding garlic, nutritional yeast or a separate herb mixture to the casserole.

Where this fits on GAPS

This is a Full GAPS recipe once you have introduced and tolerate its ingredients. It contains cashews and is not an Intro recipe. Dairy-free does not make a nut-based dish suitable for every stage or every person.

Make the ricotta with its two-hour cashew soak before starting the casserole. Cashews have a shorter soaking rule than many other nuts: GAPS specifies 1–3 hours, with a maximum of 6 hours. Follow that component’s complete directions rather than soaking the nuts overnight.

Use unsmoked, salt-only home-cured bacon. Choose pieces with enough fat to cook the vegetables. This version uses the rendered bacon fat in the skillet and a little for greasing the dish.

Prepare the filling ingredients

• Cooked chicken: Weigh 1½ pounds after cooking, then shred it into bite-size pieces. Keep it refrigerated until you use it.
• Cauliflower: Cut one large head into roughly 2-inch pieces. Pulse in batches until it resembles coarse rice, keeping a little irregular texture.
• Onion and mushrooms: Chop the large yellow onion and button mushrooms before starting the bacon. They need time in the skillet to release moisture and begin browning.
• Cashew ricotta: Have the finished, measured portion ready so it can mix evenly through the hot filling.
• Green onions: Keep these for the end, after the casserole comes out of the oven.

How to make the dairy-free casserole

1. Heat the oven and rice the cauliflower. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor in batches, using about 7–8 one-second pulses per batch. Stop at coarse, rice-size pieces, before they become pasty.
2. Cook the bacon. Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon. Keep the fat in the skillet, setting aside just enough to lightly grease an 11-by-7-inch baking dish.
3. Cook the onion and mushrooms. Add them to the skillet fat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and their edges are beginning to turn golden.
4. Add the thyme and salt. Push the vegetables aside to make a space in the center. Add the thyme and measured salt there and stir for about 45 seconds, until fragrant. Mix them through the vegetables.
5. Cook the cauliflower. Add the riced cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Coat the filling. Stir in the already cooked chicken, reserved bacon and plain cashew ricotta until evenly combined. Taste and add a little more sea salt if needed.
7. Bake. Lightly grease the 11-by-7-inch dish with the reserved bacon fat. Spread the filling to an even depth. Bake for about 20 minutes, until hot through the center and beginning to color on top. Check that the center reaches 165°F (74°C).
8. Finish and serve. Scatter the chopped green onions over the hot casserole and serve.

What the finished filling should look like

The cashew ricotta should coat the chicken and cauliflower rather than collect in one thick pocket. Fold from the bottom of the skillet until it is distributed. The cauliflower pieces and chicken shreds should still be recognizable.

Give the mushrooms their full skillet step before adding the cauliflower. Their released liquid needs time to cook away as the edges turn golden. That helps the finished casserole stay creamy rather than watery.

This version does not have a melted-cheese topping. Look for a hot, cohesive filling with a little color on the exposed pieces, and use the thermometer to check the center. Surface color alone is not a reliable temperature check.

Equipment and timing

A food processor makes the cauliflower prep easier. My Ninja BN801 has a processor bowl and chopping blade for this job. Work below the maximum fill line, stop the blade completely before opening and remove it carefully before emptying the bowl. Another suitable processor works too.

You will also need a large skillet, a slotted spoon, an 11-by-7-inch baking dish, a scale for the cooked chicken, measuring cups and spoons, a mixing spoon and an instant-read thermometer.

Allow about 45 minutes for the casserole itself, starting with cooked chicken and finished ricotta. Making the ricotta, curing the bacon and cooking the chicken are separate preparations. Give yourself additional time for any chopping or shredding you still need to do.

Serving and leftovers

Serve hot as a main dish. If you want something alongside it, choose vegetables you have already introduced and tolerate.

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow, covered containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Keep the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below and use the casserole within 3–4 days. If a component was prepared earlier, follow its shorter remaining storage time. Reheat a portion to 165°F (74°C) throughout.

Questions before you start

Can I use raw chicken?

No. Start with cooked, shredded chicken and weigh it after cooking. The skillet and oven steps heat the assembled filling; their timing is not written for raw chicken.

What if my bacon is very lean?

Choose fattier home-cured bacon for this version so it supplies enough drippings for the vegetables and a light coating for the dish. The butter option in the dairy casserole does not belong in this dairy-free recipe.

Can I pour in cashew milk instead?

Use the linked thick ricotta. Cashew milk changes the liquid and consistency of the filling, so it is not a direct swap for the measured ½ cup.

Can I double it?

Choose 2× in the card for 16 servings. Use two 11-by-7-inch dishes to keep a similar filling depth and cook in skillet batches if needed. Check the center of each casserole; a fuller oven may need more time. The amount of finished ricotta doubles, but its separate soaking time does not.

Choose the casserole that fits your ingredients

If you tolerate dairy and want sour cream and a cheddar topping, the dairy chicken and cauliflower rice casserole has its own complete recipe. Keep the ingredients and directions of the version you choose together.

The planned Dinner Cookbook will bring more GAPS dinner ideas together. Check the WFLI shop for current releases.