Y'all, my gluten free Cajun crab artichoke and potato casserole is hit-the-spot comfort food at its south Louisiana finest. Layers of fresh crab, marinated artichokes and melt-in-your mouth potatoes form the base. Then, a few other taste enhancers, including red peppers, portabello mushrooms, and two cheeses, take the humble cast iron skillet dish to unforgettable yum-delicious baked perfection. Yep and yay...
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This Gluten Free Cajun Crab, Artichoke, and Potato Casserole Took on A Life of It's Own, Y'all...
Do you ever start out in the kitchen, thinking that you'll make one recipe you know you'll love. And then you end up making something totally different, and you have no idea how you even came up with the on-the-fly recipe?
I'm not going to lie, y'all. This Cajun crab artichoke and potato casserole was supposed to be a whole other recipe. But, my carefully thought out recipe didn't quite work out as planned throughout the kitchen execution process.
I thought that I was on the right track with the recipe for a minute there. But, when things took a sharp, fast turn in the straight other direction, I thought it best to just keep rolling with what I had. To see where it took me, and what I could learn from it.
Well, I'm sooooo glad I kept going, y'all!! Because what transpired in the end turned out to be way, way better than I could have ever imagined!! This gluten free Cajun crab, artichoke, and potato casserole is everything I didn't even know that I wanted (and needed) in a skillet comfort food casserole.
This Gluten Free Cajun Crab, Artichoke, and Potato Casserole is Hug Yourself Comfort Food...Yep....
The layers of yum-deliciousness in this Cajun crab, artichoke, and potato casserole come from the quick, yet oh soooo precise multi-tasking prep time.
First, I roasted the marinated artichokes, red bell peppers, portabello mushrooms, and garlic on a cookie sheet. Then, I microwaved the potatoes so that they would be nice and soft when I incorporated them into the casserole. You can also steam or bake them, if you have the extra time.
Then, I made the simple homemade seasoned bread crumbs using Udi's gluten free English muffins. They're my current pre-made gluten free grocery store item obsession right now. And well, the toasted and crumbled English muffins came out to jazzed up deliciousness with the addition of a few spices, SP&C, onion and celery.
An egg, a few handfuls of cheese, and one gluten free cream of mushroom soup can later, I had all of the makings of this over-the-taste-top dish. Oh, and I reserved a tablespoon or so of the fresh crab to put on top, for extra crab flavor and a small layer of crustacean crispiness. After all of the ingredients were incorporated, I carefully transferred them into my favorite 10-inch cast iron skillet, and baked the casserole til it was hot and bubbly.
I honestly didn't know what to expect. This is a brand new recipe for me, and I knew that I was either going to love it - or not love it enough for it to ever see the light of the Internet day. Yep.
Well, y'all, I love, love, love this gluten free casserole. And so does Mark. In fact, we couldn't stop eating it until it was all gone!! We went back for seconds right away. And then we went back for thirds about an hour later, too!!
We just couldn't help ourselves, y'all. It's not every day that I develop a brand spanking new Cajun casserole that's got the perfect amount of crab, seasoning, veggies, carbs, and cheese. So, it was a south Louisiana special occasion in our house.
And, I'm pretty confident that if you try this gluten free Cajun crab, artichoke, and potato casserole, it just might be a special occasion food event in your house, too. Share with those who'll never tell another soul if you go back for seconds, and then thirds...And see y'all on the yum side...
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes washed and peeled
- 2 portabello mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 cup drained marinated artichoke hearts
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- ⅓ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup gluten free bread crumbs
- salt black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh or dried parsley
- 1 egg
- 1 can gluten free cream of mushroom soup
- ½ teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 ½ cups Pepper jack cheese
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces lump crab meat
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Steam or microwave the potatoes until soft.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- Carefully remove the portabello mushroom stems. Then, use a spoon to scrape the gills out of the underside of each mushroom cap.
- Place the cleaned portabello mushroom caps underside down on the baking sheet.
- Slice the garlic into thin strips. Place on cookie sheet.
- Add the marinated mushroom halves to cookie sheet.
- Cut the red bell pepper into strips, then into chunks. Place the chunks on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Remove baking sheet and set aside.
- While the vegetables are roasting, pour the gluten free bread crumbs, onion, celery, SP&C, paprika, and parsley into a food processor or blender.
- Pulse until well-combined, about 30 seconds.
- Lightly grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and set aside.
- Pour the bread crumb mixture and the cooked potatoes into a large bowl.
- Slice and dice the cooled portabello mushroom caps and the marinated artichoke hearts.
- Add the diced mushroom caps, artichoke hearts, garlic, and red bell pepper to the large bowl with the bread crumbs.
- Add the egg, and incorporate well into the mixture.
- Add the cream of mushroom soup, Tabasco, Pepper jack, and Parmesan to the bowl. Mix until well-incorporated.
- Use your hands to incorporate about 6 ounces of the lump crab meat into the mixture.
- Pour the casserole ingredients into the skillet.
- Place the remaining 2 ounces of crab meat in the middle of the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Notes