Creamy, Cheesy Potato Leek Casserole & Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

Serves 5 (I should say this serves 6, but no freaking way. It's so good, you will definitely want a bigger serving.)

1 large potato, thinly sliced
1 leeks, thinly sliced and chopped
1/2 large carrot, grated
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon butter & oil
Olive oil cooking spray

Sauce:
2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup light whipping cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or jack cheese
1/4 cup panko
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400*.

2. Place sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water until ready to use. This will prevent them from browning.

3. Place all vegetables (except potatoes) in a large bowl. Add one tablespoon olive oil, and toss to coat. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Saute vegetables until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and whipping cream. Mix into vegetable mixture thoroughly.

5. Spray non-stick cooking spray onto casserole dish. Add potatoes to the bottom of the dish (overlapping is ok). Top with vegetable mixture, cheeses, panko and sprinkle with dried oregano.

6. Bake, covered, for 40-50 minutes, until hot and bubbly and potatoes are tender when pierced with fork. Finish by placing the casserole under the broiler to brown the top, about 5 minutes.

Served with Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing
1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dill, chopped
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Process until smooth. Yields 6 servings, about 1 1/2 tablespoons dressing per serving. (Leftover dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.)

Results: I'm not going to lie to you...this was not an easy casserole to make. You aren't going to come home after a busy day and say "I'm really in the mood to stand in the kitchen for a couple of hours!" There was a TON of chopping. But, trust me when I tell you this is un-freaking-believably good. I did all the prep earlier in the day, so all I needed to do at dinner-time was pop it in the oven.

With a name like "Creamy, Cheesy Potato Leek Casserole", you know the original was full of fat (FLAVOR!) and richness (FLAVOR!) I changed the ingredients to make them lower fat, and I don't feel like we missed anything. DELICIOUS! This is a definite keeper, and a perfect recipe for serving to dinner guests, even vegetarian ones!

The salad dressing was good too. It was a little watery (maybe I'll leave the water out next time), but the flavors were light and perfect with this casserole. Chris and I both LOVED this meal.

Dressing recipe from Weight Watchers. Casserole recipe from FOODjimoto. I need to spend some time checking out that blog...looks like some amazing recipes there!