Casserole.
Doesn’t the name evoke all kinds of creamy, comforting goodness? To
me, it does. Cozy and warm and usually not all that good for you.
Which is where casseroles and I get into a fight. I want the coziness,
but not the badness.
Ahhh, the struggle.
One of our favorites is a dish that we make with green beans, rice, chicken, cheese, and those dreaded cream of whatever soups. It was a once in a while thing because of those silly soups. And the guilt and overall yuck I felt after I ate it totally defeated the cozy, comforting vibe it was supposed to deliver.
I banished said casserole from our menu. It was ripped, with gusto, from the make again pile. It was a sad day.
But then, I found its cousin….and I got pretty excited. You all know I just loooooooooooove to “PWH” (pin while hungry), so when I saw this mouthwatering picture, I couldn’t get to my kitchen fast enough to make it! And then, I was super pumped to tell Mark what we were having.
The best part is that I didn’t tell him that I modified it. I wanted to see if he could figure it out. Such a sneak, right? I know, I know. I’m giggling as I replay the conversation. Whatever---it’s the little things.
One of our favorites is a dish that we make with green beans, rice, chicken, cheese, and those dreaded cream of whatever soups. It was a once in a while thing because of those silly soups. And the guilt and overall yuck I felt after I ate it totally defeated the cozy, comforting vibe it was supposed to deliver.
I banished said casserole from our menu. It was ripped, with gusto, from the make again pile. It was a sad day.
But then, I found its cousin….and I got pretty excited. You all know I just loooooooooooove to “PWH” (pin while hungry), so when I saw this mouthwatering picture, I couldn’t get to my kitchen fast enough to make it! And then, I was super pumped to tell Mark what we were having.
The best part is that I didn’t tell him that I modified it. I wanted to see if he could figure it out. Such a sneak, right? I know, I know. I’m giggling as I replay the conversation. Whatever---it’s the little things.
What You’ll Need
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4-5 green onions, diced
1 (14-oz) pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken, cubed (we used chicken we had grilled the night before)
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1½ cups milk
2½ cups cooked brown rice (I used instant)
1 (5.3-oz) fat free plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup light mayonnaise (I used far less than this; basically a heaping tablespoon of the Olive Oil mayo)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
(*To make it more like the “old” version, I added a small jar of diced pimentos, a can of chopped water chestnuts and about 1 cup of green beans)
(*To make it more like the “old” version, I added a small jar of diced pimentos, a can of chopped water chestnuts and about 1 cup of green beans)
What You’ll Do:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a skillet, heat oil. Add green onions and mushrooms. Cook until tender.
Add chicken. Sprinkle with flour. Cook
for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, bring to a boil and
cook for 3 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.
Add brown rice. Fold in Greek yogurt, mayo and salt and pepper. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
Top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese melts and it's bubbly around the edges.
I
served this up in over-sized soup mugs…I was going all out on the cozy
aspect. I held mine in my hands as I inhaled it’s delicious scent and
fed myself forkfuls of warmth and happiness. Bonus, Mark didn’t detect
that it was different,
though I made two minor observations….(1) It needed a smidgen more
mayo; I think the extras I tossed in made it a little drier and (2) I
think next time I’ll mix the cheese in rather than put it on top. It’s
such a small amount, it didn’t really do
much on the top.
This made amazing leftovers—hard to believe we practiced restraint and didn’t inhale it all when it came out of the oven—for lunch the next day, too. I’m happy to say that this yummy dish, now cleaned up, is back in the Make Again pile and will be back in the rotation. Every now and again, cozy and comforting dinners are the only thing that’ll do the trick. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
This made amazing leftovers—hard to believe we practiced restraint and didn’t inhale it all when it came out of the oven—for lunch the next day, too. I’m happy to say that this yummy dish, now cleaned up, is back in the Make Again pile and will be back in the rotation. Every now and again, cozy and comforting dinners are the only thing that’ll do the trick. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
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