Posted on: Wednesday, November 24, 2004
RECIPE DOCTOR
Family's holiday favorite easy to lighten up
By Elaine Magee
Q. My mom used to make this recipe, and everyone — even the kids — just loved it. Can you make this a little bit healthier so I can surprise everyone with it this holiday season?
A. This dish must be the broccoli rendition of the also-famous holiday side dish — green-bean casserole. It calls for a can of cream of mushroom soup, a cup of mayo, chopped onion, cheddar cheese and three packages of frozen broccoli. I just used the low-fat cream of mushroom soup, 1/3 cup of light mayo plus 2/3 cup of fat-free sour cream, doubled the chopped onion, and switched to reduced-fat sharp cheddar instead of regular. I deleted the salt in the original recipe, because it already contains plenty of ingredients with sodium like canned soup, cheese and mayonnaise.
Original recipe contains 387 calories, 34.5 g fat, 10.3 g saturated fat, and 73 mg cholesterol per serving.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk condensed soup, light mayonnaise, fat-free sour cream, egg and chopped onion until well blended.
In a large bowl, break up the frozen broccoli into pieces (cut the larger florets in half). Spread mushroom soup mixture, shredded cheese and black pepper over the top of broccoli, and mix everything together well.
Spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle paprika evenly over the top and bake, uncovered, until broccoli is tender and sauce is bubbly (about 45 to 50 minutes). Serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings
• Per serving: 190 calories, 13 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 9.5 g fat (4 g saturated fat, 1.5 g monounsaturated fat, 0.4 g polyunsaturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 403 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 45 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids 0 g. Omega-6 fatty acids 0.4 g. Weight Watchers points: 4. Elaine Magee is author of "Tell Me What to Eat if I Have Diabetes," "The Flax Cookbook," "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Acid Reflux." Readers may reach her through www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.
BROCCOLI-CHEESE CASSEROLE
