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Recipe Exploration: Chicken and Veggie Casserole
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
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Start preparing the sauce by melting the margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the butter foams up (it won’t take long), add the flower. Stir immediately and continuously for 1 minute.
- Add milk and parmesan cheese and continue to stir until it starts to bubble.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.
- 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.
- In a large saucepan, add a tablespoon of oil and heat to medium heat.
- Add in garlic and onions and saute for 1 minute.
- Add in peppers and saute for another minute.
- Add in canned mushrooms and canned chicken. Stir until mixture is heated up.
- Turn down to low heat.
- Add pepper, italian seasoning, Tony’s seasoning, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes to white sauce while stirring continuously.
- 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.
- When all spices are incorporated, pour sauce into chicken mixture stir well.
- Add in pasta until all pasta is covered.
- Spray a 9 x 13 oven proof casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray (I used three small crocks.) Pour pasta into dish.
- Bake for 20 min (lower time for smaller containers), adding the cheese during the last few minutes until melted.
- Add green onion on top of cheese
Recipe Exploration: Mexican Chicken Casserole
Name: Mexican Chicken Casserole
By: Renee Valentine
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
- 4 oz can of chopped green chiles
- 1 package of taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 15 oz can of black beans
- 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 8 ounces boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
Directions:
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms until soft.
- Combine mushrooms, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese, green chiles, taco seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, black beans, salsa, rice, and chicken. Place in a greased 9X13 casserole dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of casserole and bake until melted.
Notes:
Recipe Exploration: Spicy Sausage Casserole
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 60 minues
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 2 lb fresh, ground spicy pork sausage
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice (I used instant with no problem)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (can also use crushed tomatoes)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large skillet, brown sausage and drain grease.
- Stir in rice, onion, garlic and peppers. Cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour into 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Or, at this step, you can cover and freeze it.
Notes:
* If you don’t want it too spicy, you can either cut back on the cayenne pepper or you can get less spicy sausage