Chicken Tetrazzini

This is not my picture, it is from the website. I forgot to take a picture when I made it, but when I make the second batch, I will be sure to get a picture of what it actually looks like.

Source
www.CookingLight.com

Recipe
1 tablespoon butter
Cooking spray
1 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry sherry
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 (1-ounce) slice white bread

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt butter in large stockpot coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute.

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Add 1 3/4 cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add the pasta and chicken, and stir until blended. Divide the pasta mixture between 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes coated with cooking spray.

Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.

To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes.

Serves 12 (6 servings per casserole)

My Revisions
Instead of the sherry, I used white cooking wine.
Instead of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, I used fat free cream cheese.
Instead of vermicelli, I used whole wheat thin spaghetti.
Instead of white bread, I used wheat bread.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories : 380
Fat : 12.2g
Protein : 33g
Carbohydrate : 32.7g
Fiber : 2g
Cholesterol : 66mg
Iron : 2.8mg
Sodium : 964mg
Calcium : 319mg

Outcome
This came out wonderful. I loved how creamy and full of mushrooms this was. But more than anything, I love that it made two casseroles, so I can have another meal to pop in the freezer next week sometime when I don't feel like cooking. My husband liked it as well and said he would definitely eat it again. He also said he didn't even notice that they were wheat noodles. Success!

Weekday Beef Stroganoff

Source
Ultimate Crockpot Collection

Recipe
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 jar sliced mushrooms
1 pack onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushrooms soup (do not add water)
1/3 cup white wine
1 package (8 ounces) egg noodles

Cut beef into 1 inch cubes. Put beef, mushrooms, soup mix, mushroom soup, and wine into crock pot and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Serves 4

My Revisions
I wanted to make this recipe healthier than it was already written, so I made a few revisions.
First, I used top sirloin and trimmed off all the fat. I only used one pound instead of two and it was more than enough when it was done.
Instead of a jar of mushrooms, I used a pound of fresh mushrooms.
I used low sodium onion soup mix.
I used Campbell's healthy request low sodium cream of mushroom soup.
I cooked it on low for 6 hours.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
The cookbook I used for this recipe does not provide the nutrition information, but here are the nutrition facts for the way I made it.
Calories : 500
Fat : 6g
Protein : 47g
Carbohydrates : 56g
Fiber : 6g
Cholesterol : 59mg
Sodium : 805mg
Sugar : 5g

Outcome
This meal was very good. I love beef stroganoff and this was just as good as the regular home made dish. The first time I made it, it was in the crock pot for 11 hours and it completely burned. So I recommend keeping on eye on this while you cook it the first time to see how long it needs in your crock pot. The second time I made it, I watched it, and after 6 hours on low it was ready. I just put it on keep warm for the last 2 hours until we were ready to eat. It came out perfect and creamy. My husband and my son both loved it and said they definitely wanted it again.

Rotini and Cheese

Source
www.CookingLight.com

Recipe
2 bacon slices
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cups hot cooked rotini (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Increase heat to medium-high. Add butter and oil to drippings in pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add flour, and sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in mustard. Gradually add 1 cup milk, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Add cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

2. Place pan over low heat. Stir in bacon, pasta, and peas; cook for 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, tossing to coat.

Serves 4

My Revisions
Instead of bacon, I used lean ground turkey. This added a few more calories, but lots of extra protein.
Instead of regular cheddar cheese, I used Kraft fat free cheddar cheese.
I used whole wheat rotini.
I did not have any frozen peas, so I just made it without them, and served a green salad on the side for some extra veggies.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
This is the nutrition information for the recipe as written.
Calories : 470
Fat : 19.9g
Protein : 18.4g
Carbohydrate : 54.8g
Fiber : 3.7g
Cholesterol : 40mg
Sodium : 667mg

This is the nutrition information for the way I made it with my revisions.
Calories : 503
Fat : 12g
Protein : 51g
Carbohyhdrates : 50g
Fiber : 7g
Cholesterol : 87mg
Sodium : 419mg
Sugar : 7g

Outcome
This turned out very good. It is kind of a take on cheeseburger macaroni, but with all the calories savings from the turkey and fat free cheese. This was very simple to make, it only took about 20 minutes. My husband liked it even though he swears he hates wheat pasta. My son ate all of his portion too. Good reviews all around!