Casseroles have long been a convenience food for moms. They are easy to assemble, can use up leftovers, are a comfort food, and are a frugal way to stretch your food budget. Best of all, you don’t need a special recipe or cookbook to make them! What often isn’t so great about casseroles, is the fat content. You can overcome that in a few easy, simple, & frugal ways.
Look at your balance. To help keep calorie and fat content low, use more grain & vegetables and less protein. A little protein can go a long way in a casserole. If you decide to make a chicken casserole, instead of using ½ breast for each family member, consider cutting one or two breast halves into thin strips, shredding, or chopping into small chunks. Think of the protein as an accompaniment instead of a main ingredient.
Reduce the fat on sauces. This is fairly easy to do. If you are making a cream sauce, use fat free milk as a base. If you are using broth, use fat free broth (very easy to make at home) or you can use a low calorie alcohol, such as wine (the alcohol cooks out completely). If you prefer to use canned cream soups as a base for your sauce be sure to use the fat free versions. Enjoy a good casserole with cheese sauce, you can eliminate most of the cheese and use nutritional yeast as a substitute. (Nutritional yeast can be found in most healthfood & bulk food stores with ease).
Spice it up! Don’t rely on heavy sauces to offer a delicious kick to your casseroles. Use spices to give your casseroles that unbelievable flavor that will have them drooling before the casserole comes out of the oven! Typically, casseroles don’t have leftovers in our home, and it has been whispered it is because they smell so good & taste even better, that no one wants to get up from the table until they have snagged the last bit!
Watch your toppings! Those wonderful toppings can add a lot of fat and calories to a casserole. Try cutting back on the amount you place on top, little by little. I generally don’t use any topping at all, now!
These are my thoughts.