If you’re new to vegetarianism, cooking meatless meals can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily, there are some great meat substitutes available that can make cooking vegetarian meals easy-peasy.

This vegetarian dish utilizes Chick’n patties from Gardein and is perfect for any time of the year. If you use a frozen chicken substitute, it is also a great recipe to make in advance. Chicken Parmesan is a popular dish made with chicken and tomato sauce. This version has that same great taste but uses faux meat Chick’n instead. In this latest installment of “Co-op Cooks,” Laurie walks us through how it’s made!

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I know you might be curious, “Laurie, why is this a vegetarian meal? You’ve been posting vegan recipes…”

This is a recipe that’s super easy to do vegetarian or vegan. Gardein products are always vegan and the sauce that I used is also vegan. While I do a lot of vegan cooking and eat vegan quite often, I am vegetarian, and I decided to use real cheese in this recipe. Here’s what I used:

• Gardein Crispy Chick’n Patties
• Field Day Organic Italian Herb Pasta Sauce
• Cabot Mozzarella Whole Milk Shredded Cheese

What Are Gardein Chick’n Patties?

If you love Italian food and want to enjoy it while following a vegetarian or vegan diet, you might be wondering what to do with Gardein products. Gardein Chick’n patties are guaranteed vegan and cook up crispy on the outside, but still juicy in the center. They are made from wheat, soy, and other natural ingredients, making them an excellent choice for those looking to enjoy meat-free versions of popular dishes.

On To Preparing This Vegetarian Meal

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I put a layer of aluminum foil on my baking sheet and did a quick spritz of an olive oil cooking spray to help with clean up before placing my frozen patties on it. I baked my patties for 14 minutes, flipping them over at the 7-minute mark.
2. I then spooned some of my pasta sauce onto them
3. Add a bunch of shredded cheese. I put them back in the oven for 5 more minutes to melt the cheese.

You can use any red sauce for this recipe, if using something you already have in your refrigerator I’d recommend warming it up first. I chose mozzarella cheese in this recipe but you can easily swap it out for the vegan option of your choice (I personally recommend Violife brand for how well it melts).

Spaghetti is always a classic side dish to add to a Chick’n Parmesan meal. I personally opted to do steamed broccoli, but you do you!

And Did I Like The Chick’n Parmesan?

I did! I LOVE using Gardein products as a meatless swap in classic recipes. And as a bonus, in case you forget to bookmark this recipe, it’s also printed on the back of the Crispy Chick’n Patties package!

Have questions or comments? Drop me a line at laurie@potsdamcoop.com/.

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