Cheeseburger Casserole

Serves 6

cooking spray
2 large uncooked Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled, drained and cooled
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup low-fat evaporated milk
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
8 baked low-fat tortilla chips, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. (No way all this was fitting into a 9-inch dish. I used a bigger one...maybe 11x13?)

2. Thinly slice potatoes; layer in prepared baking dish. Bake potatoes until slightly crisp, about 10 minutes; remove baking dish from oven and set aside.

3. While potatoes are baking, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add garlic, onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes; remove to a plate, cover to keep warm and set aside. Add turkey to skillet; cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add cooked vegetables, cumin, salt and pepper to turkey and stir to combine; spread mixture over
potatoes in baking dish.

4. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine cheese, evaporated milk and crushed red pepper flakes; cover and microwave on high power until cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon melted cheese over turkey and sprinkle with tortilla chips. Bake for 35 minutes; remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces.

Results: This was great! Me, Chris & Henry all gobbled this down (and I went back for seconds!) Steven wouldn't even pretend that he noticed it sitting in front of him. I wouldn't change anything. Well, that's not true...I changed the cheese. The original recipe called for using Velveeta cheese, and I substituted regular cheese for that. I will say that it could use a bit more cheese, but we all (minus Voldemort) really liked it.

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Serves 4

1/2 lb ground turkey breast
2 tsp garlic herb seasoning, or Italian seasoning (I just used random spices)
cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
small red onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
6 oz canned tomato paste
1/2 cup(s) fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp dried oregano
6 oz uncooked whole-wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup(s) basil, fresh, chopped
Parmesan cheese

1. Combine turkey breast and spices (I used thyme, parsley, garlic powder, etc.); mix
well to combine. Shape mixture into meatballs (about 1 tablespoons each).

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil. Add onion, mushrooms (and any other veggies you want) and saute for about 8 minutes, until veggies are soft. Transfer veggies to a sauce pan. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth and oregano; mix well. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. Coat the skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and sauté until browned on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions without oil.

Serve sprinkled with chopped basil and Parmesan cheese. (And garlic cheese bread for anyone not trying to lose weight!)

Results: It's spaghetti. How bad can it be? I really liked this sauce (it was thick and chunky), but Chris wanted it to be more "saucy". The turkey meatballs, however, were entirely flavorless. These really need to be spiced up. Surprisingly, I don't think whole-wheat pasta is that bad, so it you want to add a little more health to your diet, consider trying it.