Valentine Cast

I love casseroles. No. I don’t think you understand. I looooooooooove casseroles. I love them so much I would marry them if it was legal. I’m lobbying for it so fingers crossed.

But the main problem with casseroles and my weight loss plan is that a normal casserole’s calorie content would equal two meals for me so I’ve been avoiding them with sadness.

It took me six months to realize, I should Google healthy casseroles. What is wrong with me!  So I went on a quest. It took one minute. Success! \

I modified the original recipe a bit as you can do with this. Casseroles are very forgiving in substitution which makes them wonderful yet again. I listed the recipe exactly as I prepared. Feel free to be creative. Let me know your favorite modifications!

Chicken Veggie Casserole

Minutes to Prepare: 15

Minutes to cook: 20 (15 if you break it up into separate containers)

Number of Servings: 6

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340

Fat: 12.4

Sodium: 736

Carbohydrates: 38

Protein: 24

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon margarine
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon dry parmesan cheese
• 7 oz whole wheat penne pasta
• 2 tablespooon oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves of garlic if you use fresh)
• 4 1/2 ounce can of mushrooms
• 12 oz good quality canned chicken (Canned works great for casseroles, I’ve found. If you use fresh, chop it.)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Tony’s Chachere’s Spicy seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)*
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)*
• whipped cream cheese**
• 3 slices pepperjack cheese *
• 3 stalks green onions chopped
• nonstick cooking spray

*If you aren’t a fan of spicy things, omit or lower the amount of cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes and replace the pepperjack with a different kind of cheese. Also because I used three small containers, you might need more pepperjack cheese to cover the top.

**If needed.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Start preparing the sauce by melting the margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Once the butter foams up (it won’t take long), add the flower. Stir immediately and continuously for 1 minute.
4. Add milk and parmesan cheese and continue to stir until it starts to bubble.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.
6. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the pasta according to package directions. Add a handful of salt and a tablespoon of oil to the water. Drain.
7. In a large saucepan, add a tablespoon of oil and heat to medium heat.
8. Add in garlic and onions and saute for 1 minute.
9. Add in peppers and saute for another minute.
10. Add in canned mushrooms and canned chicken. Stir until mixture is heated up.
11. Turn down to low heat.
12. Add pepper, italian seasoning, Tony’s seasoning, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes to white sauce while stirring continuously.
13. If the mixture is too thin, use whipped cream to thicken it. I ended up using 1 tablespoon 1/3 less fat Italian seasoned whipped cream cheese.
14. When all spices are incorporated, pour sauce into chicken mixture stir well.
15. Add in pasta until all pasta is covered.
16. Spray a 9 x 13 oven proof casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray (I used three small crocks.) Pour pasta into dish.
17. Bake for 20 min (lower time for smaller containers), adding the cheese during the last few minutes until melted.
18. Add green onion on top of cheese