Category: Vegetables

Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole

Post author By Sharon
Post date November 19, 2012
No Comments on Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole

Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole

Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole. This is a spin off of a recipe from my mother-in-law that used Minute Rice, frozen broccoli and Cheez Whiz. I’m more into fresh foods, the less processed the better, so I healthy-tized it. But it’s still creamy and cheesy and really great. Hope you’ll try it and love it too!

Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 cup rice
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
1 soup can low fat milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
salt & pepper

Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil, add rice, lower heat to a simmer and steam with lid on for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and continue to cook until the rice and broccoli are tender, approximately another 10 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of cheese. Spread into a buttered casserole dish and sprinkle reserved cheese on top. Bake at 350°F oven for 30 minutes.

This low fat broccoli rice casserole can be vegetarian friendly if you use 2 cans cream of mushroom soup and omit the cream of chicken soup. When I was a vegetarian, this was something I used to make frequently for dinner.

Give this Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole a try this Thanksgiving.

Don’t forget to check out the other posts in my blog. This week I’m featuring my favorite Thanksgiving dishes with you.

Low Fat Broccoli Rice Casserole

Sharon Springfield

Tags broccoli, casserole, Rice

Casseroles Vegetables

Yellow Squash Casserole

6 – 8 Yellow Squash, sliced
1 small onion, diced finely
12 Ritz Crackers
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Parboil squash and onion in salted water until tender; drain well. Place into buttered casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs and cheese. Mix milk, eggs, melted butter and salt & pepper; pour over the squash. Bake for 1 hour at 325º. When casserole is almost done, put additional cheese and cracker crumbs on top, bake until cheese is melted.

Side Dishes Vegetables Vegetarian

Zucchini – Yellow Squash Casserole

Post author By Sharon
Post date October 9, 2011
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2 zucchini squash – sliced 1/2″ thick and quartered
2 yellow squash – sliced 1/2″ thick and quartered
1/4 onion, diced
salt and pepper
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
6 oz pimento cheese spread
1 egg
1 6 oz. box stuffing mix
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat 2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside.
Place squash and onion in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup water, a dash of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain off water, reserving 1/2 cup.
In a bowl, whisk together the soup, reserved water, cheese and egg. Stir in the stuffing mix and the drained squash. Spread evenly in 2 qt casserole dish. Top with Panko bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Casseroles Main Dish Vegetables Vegetarian

Ratatouille

1 1/2 cups eggplants, peeled and diced

1/2 cup onions, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, stewed

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 (7 3/4 oz.) can mushrooms

dash pepper

Place eggplant, onion, garlic and oil in a 2 quart casserole. Cook in microwave oven 5 minutes. Cut peppers into 1/2 strips. Mix peppers and zucchini with eggplant mixture. Add seasonings to tomatoes. Mix with vegetables. Cook in microwave oven 8-10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

*You can use vegetable soup in place of tomatoes and cut corn off the cob and add to the casserole.

4 Servings

Casseroles Main Dish Potatoes Seafood

Potato Surimi Casserole

1 package au gratin potatoes

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 eggs, large

1 (8 oz.) can corn, creamed

1/2 pound Surimi seafood, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 scallion tops, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 450ºF. Prepare potatoes in 8x8x2″ baking dish. Follow package directions for milk and butter. Bake for only 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in bowl, combine eggs, corn, surimi, flour, scallions, salt, nutmeg and cayenne. Pour over potatoes. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake until set, 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 6 squares.

6 Servings

Ham Italian Main Dish Pasta Spinach

Pasta Florentine

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

12 oz sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 oz ham (Black Forest if possible), julienned

1/4 cup chopped parsley

8 oz pasta (your favorite shape), cooked according to package directions

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped

Heat extra virgin olive oil and garlic in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Once garlic starts to sizzle, add mushrooms. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Add heavy cream and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Allow to slightly reduce, for about 10 minutes. Add ham, peas and parsley and cook 4 minutes. Return cooked, drained pasta to pot and add sauce. Cook until sauce simmers and coats the pasta. Remove pot from heat and stir in grated Parmesan. Toss gently to combine. Transfer to large serving platter. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Chef’s Tip: Use a small amount of salt. The parmesan cheese naturally contains salt.

4 Servings

Tags Florentine, Pasta, spinach

Breakfast Potatoes

Hash brown Strata

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups frozen loose-pack diced hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers

1 cup cut broccoli florets

1/3 cup finely chopped turkey bacon or turkey ham (about 2 ounces)

1/3 cup evaporated fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 8-ounce cartons refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange hash brown potatoes and broccoli in bottom of baking dish; top with turkey bacon or ham. Set aside.

Stir milk gradually into flour in a medium bowl. Stir in egg product, half of the cheese, the snipped or dried basil, and black pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with fresh basil sprigs.

Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Casseroles Italian Main Dish Vegetables Vegetarian

Eggplant Parmesean – Light Version

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 25, 2011
No Comments on Eggplant Parmesean – Light Version

Use whole-wheat panko in this recipe; the regular type became soggy in a test.

Eggplant:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

2 cups whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 (1-pound) eggplants, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Cooking spray

Filling:

1/2 cup torn fresh basil

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (16-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Remaining ingredients:

1 (24-ounce) jar premium pasta sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.

To make eggplant, combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes.

To make filling, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through egg). To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with about 3/4 cup pasta sauce; spread half of ricotta mixture over sauce, and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup pasta sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Remove foil; top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts; cool 10 minutes.

10 Servings

Casseroles Italian Main Dish Vegetables Vegetarian

Eggplant Parmesan

4 eggplants, sliced 1/2″ thick

dash salt

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups spaghetti sauce

2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle salt on slices of eggplant. Let sit for 30 minutes, blot moisture from eggplant slices. Dip each slice of eggplant in egg then in bread crumbs. Fry in a small amount of oil until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Put one cup of sauce on bottom of 13×9″ baking dish. Layer eggplant slices, top with sauce then cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until cheese is bubbly.

8 Servings

Main Dish Pasta Vegetables Vegetarian

Creamy Veggies with Spaghetti

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 24, 2011
No Comments on Creamy Veggies with Spaghetti

1/2 lb broccoli florets

1 cup sliced zucchini

1 cup sliced fresh mushroom

1 cup thinly sliced carrot

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces spaghetti

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon thyme

2 cups milk

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In large skillet, sauté broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, and carrots in oil until crisp-tender. Set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

In another saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in butter for 30 seconds. Stir in flour, bullion and thyme. Slowly add milk, bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in cheeses. Add vegetables; heat through. Drain spaghetti; toss with vegetable mixture.

4 Servings