Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake

This is an easy casserole to throw together at the end of the day, especially if you use Uncle Ben's Ready Rice and keep chopped, cooked chicken in the freezer. Two pouches is about 4 cups. You will want to cook them in the microwave first. I bake and chop chicken breasts ahead of time and keep it in the freezer for dishes like this.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake

2 plain baked chicken breasts, chopped (4-5 oz each)
4 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cups frozen corn
15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
4 oz can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup fat free salsa
1 3/4 cups fat free cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except 3/4 cup of cheese. Mix thoroughly, making sure yogurt and cheese are distributed throughout the bowl. Transfer to a 9x13" casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Using an oil mister, spray the top layer of cheese to aid in melting. (I used a 10-pump spray in my WW oil sprayer.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until heated through.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into 6 slices.

Tex Mex Summer Squash Casserole

I found this recipe while looking for a vegetarian casserole for my "Meatless Monday." Since I had a couple of large zucchini from the farmer's market waiting to be used up, I decided to give it a go. I cut the original recipe in half and modified the serving size to fit the needs of our two-person family. If you are feeding more than 4 people or you have big appetites, you'll want to double the recipe. In the interest of full disclosure, I used 2% cheese when I made this because I needed to use some up before it went bad. If you use fat free cheddar instead, the only non-power food to worry about is the flour, which isn't enough to bother counting unless you eat the whole casserole. ;)

It turned out delicious, with the green chiles adding more flavor than heat; just the way I like it! Another good addition might be some drained & rinsed black beans to up the fiber & protein a bit. It was fairly filling as written though.

Tex Mex Summer Squash Casserole

Adapted from EatingWell.com

1 1/4 lbs zucchini or summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 oz can green chiles
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sharp cheddar cheese, divided (fat free)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mild salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine squash, onion, chiles, salt, and 1/2 cup cheese. Sprinkle flour over top and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to 8x8" casserole dish coated with cooking spray and cover with foil. Bake 35-45 minutes or until squash is done and casserole is bubbling. Spoon salsa over top, cover with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, until golden and heated through, about 20-30 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Spaghetti Pizza

I love pasta, in case you couldn't tell. ;) I found the original version of this recipe on the Weight Watchers website, where it was a featured "makeover." I made it over even further, to make it even more WW-friendly. I also pared it down because with only two of us in this house, we don't need 8 or 10 servings of anything.

Spaghetti Pizza

6 oz whole wheat spaghetti
2 egg whites
1/3 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 oz fat free mozzarella
16 oz bottled fat free, sugar free pasta sauce (I used Whole Foods 365 Fat Free Pasta Sauce)
1 oz pepperoni, finely julienned*

Break spaghetti into 2-inch pieces and cook until al dente. Drain, rinse, and allow to cool. Meanwhile, beat egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Stir in milk, seasonings, and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Pour spaghetti mixture into bottom of 8x8" glass baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, spread pasta sauce over spaghetti and top with remaining cheese. Spread pepperoni evenly over top. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20-25 more minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

Note: I reduced the cooking times slightly because I reduced the overall amount of the recipe. Your mileage may vary depending on your oven (mine is pretty hot). The original baking times were 15 minutes for the spaghetti "crust" and 30 minutes for the overall product.

Baked Spaghetti

This is a modification of a recipe I got out of a church cookbook, pared down for two. I decided to try it with the fat free cheese, and drizzle some olive oil on top to help it melt. That really helped -- made the cheese just as stringy as it would have been if it was regular cheese. It's a delicious and very filling recipe.

Baked Spaghetti

4 oz whole wheat spaghetti, cooked & drained
2 cups homemade meat sauce, warmed
3 oz Kraft Fat Free Mozzarella cheese
4 tsp olive oil

In a 1 1/2-qt casserole lightly coated with cooking spray, spread pasta in even layer. Spread warmed sauce over pasta. Sprinkle cheese over sauce, and drizzle olive oil on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starts to brown. Makes 2 servings.

Note: If you don't have any homemade meat sauce made up and stored, you can also make the sauce while the pasta is cooking. Just brown 8 oz lean ground beef (at least 93% lean) with 1/4 cup of chopped onion, stir in 1 cup marinara sauce, and heat throughout.