OH. MY. My world was just rocked by a casserole.
Get ready for some serious GOODNESS!!!!
This recipe comes from Sandy's Kitchen, and let me tell ya... when it comes to delicious healthy recipes, Sandy is the best! If you are on the 5 & 1 plan her recipes are a lifesaver!
If you are looking for a healthy comfort food recipe, if you are craving Mexican food, if you like food at all: this is for you. Seriously AH-MAY-ZING. I cannot believe this isn't a "cheat"! It's something even those in your life who aren't worried about eating healthy will love... so good. SO GOOD.
Okay, moving on from my raving about the deliciousness that is this dish... here's how you get this goodness in ya:
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1.25 pounds 93% lean ground beef
2/3 cup shredded 2% reduced fat Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup 2% plain Fage Greek yogurt
1/2 cup red enchilada sauce
3 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 tsp chili powder
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Combine 1/2 c. red enchilada sauce, 1/2 c. 2% plain Fage Greek yogurt, 3 T. reduced fat cream cheese, 1/2 t. chili powder together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
-Taking your cream cheese out of the fridge while you are cooking your spaghetti squash ahead of time will help make it easier to mix, but don't panic if your mixture is a little lumpy, the cream cheese will melt when you mix everything together later.
*Plain greek yogurt is a great healthy substitution for sour cream in ANY recipe. These little substitutions are key to cutting back on fats and sugars to turn comfort foods into meals that you don't have to regret eating!
3) Cook ground beef, chopped green peppers, and a can of Rotel tomatoes in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook until green pepper is tender and beef is no longer pink. Drain fat and fluids from the meat mixture.
-Adding the green peppers while the ground beef is cooking helps to soften them up!
-The original recipe on Sandy's Kitchen calls for just 1/4 c. green pepper. For those who are on the 5 & 1 plan right now, you should try to stay at 1/4 c. . I'll admit... I caved and added in an extra 1/4 c., but if you're going to add extra of something to this recipe - the peppers are definitely the way to go!
4) Add the enchilada sauce mixture and your 4 1/2 c. cooked spaghetti squash (see last post for how to cook spaghetti squash)
5) Pour the mixture into a 9 x 9 casserole dish. Top with 2/3 cup shredded 2% reduced fat Mexican style cheese.
*Caution about cheese: I love cheese. I am the cheese QUEEN. Cheese was literally my first word after "mama" and "dada", THAT is how much I love it. Now... cheese is great and a delicious source of protein, but it is a very dense protein so make sure it is not your main source - try to limit it to a couple times a week!
-I used a 9 x 13 dish because it was all I had and it worked just fine - so don't panic if you don't have a 9 x 9, just work with what you've got!
6) Bake for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.
ENJOY!!!
Here's the nutrition breakdown (for those of you on the 5&1 meal plan, this does count as a lean and green):
Here's the nutrition breakdown (for those of you on the 5&1 meal plan, this does count as a lean and green):
