My family, including my teenage grandchildren, enjoy casseroles and I enjoy making them. When I fix a casserole I make extra for lunch the next day. Often the ingredients depend on what is on my pantry shelves and leftovers in the refrigerator. I usually make sauce from scratch to control salt, but sometimes I use canned soup.
When I checked the ingredients on hand I found a package of chicken breasts, some baby broccoli, leftover
green beans, a small jar of roasted red peppers, and a can of broccoli-cheese soup. Baby broccoli is not as strong as regular broccoli and my teenage grandchildren will eat it.
The recipe on the label called for canned chicken. I used fresh, added the green beans for extra vitamins, and the roasted red peppers for color. For added flavor, I topped the casserole with Italian bread crumbs, which my grandson loves. Since there was salt in the bread crumbs and soup I did not add more. To lower the fat content of the casserole I used skim milk and reduced fat cheese.
The casserole smelled delicious when it was baking and it tasted delicious, too. You could substitute sliced fresh mushrooms for the green beans. Mexican cheese blend may be substituted for the Cheddar and, instead of roasted red peppers, you may add chopped green chiles. Serve the casserole with a green salad and crusty wheat bread.
Ingredients
10 3/4 ounce can of broccoli-cheese soup
1/2 cup skim milk
1 pound package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 1/2 cups baby broccoli flowerettes
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1/3 cup roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped
1 cup reduced fat Cheddar cheese (more if you wish)
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 cup Italian style Panko bread crumbs
Method
Spoon soup into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in milk. Cut chicken into one-inch cubes. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into skillet and saute chicken over medium heat until it starts to brown. Add chicken to soup mixture. Place baby broccoli and green beans in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high until crisp-tender. Add broccoli, green beans, and red peppers to soup mixture. Turn into a prepared 8" x 11" oven-proof dish. Stir two tablespoons of olive oil with bread crumbs and sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil if bread crumbs brown too quickly. Makes six generous servings.
