Marie's Taco Casserole

24 corn tortillas

½ lb burger, browned

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans tomato soup

2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup

1 T chili powder

1 c reduced fat Mexican blend cheese

Mix soups, chili powder together and spread a bit on the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Then stir in the burger and the beans to the soup mixture.  Tear up the corn tortillas.  Place a layer of tortillas, then soup mixture, then tortillas, then soup, etc. End with the soup mixture as the top layer.  Then sprinkle with cheese.  Top with a sprayed piece of foil.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings. 

If you want to make this a meatless meal, just add another can of drained, rinsed beans for the burger and use cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup!

Burger Stew

1 lb burger, browned with chopped onion and salt and pepper

3 cans petite diced tomatoes

 4 sliced carrots

4 ribs celery, sliced

2 medium potatoes, diced

¼ c rice

2 t basil

1 t salt

1 t pepper

Combine in a large pot.  Simmer together for at least an hour or until vegetables are completely tender.  You can add other seasonings if desired. Makes 6 – 8 servings.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna - the lite version

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

9 whole grain lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 8 oz pkg diced ham

1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

3 pkg alfredo sauce mix (made according to package directions except use skim milk and no butter)

1 c grated mozzarella cheese

Layer 1/3 sauce in a well sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Then 3 noodles, then chicken, then sauce, then 3 noodles, then broccoli, then ½ of cheese, then noodles, then sauce, then ham, then rest of cheese.  Pour 1 cup water around the inside edges of the pan. Cover with a sprayed piece of foil  Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Makes 8 – 10 servings.

Chicken Caesar Casserole

2 -3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 c green or red bell peppers, diced

1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/3 c fat free Caesar salad dressing

¼ c reduced fat Parmesan cheese

1 lb whole grain pasta, cooked until al dente

½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients except the mozzarella.  Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

2 boxes wild rice “rice a roni” type mix (made according to pkg directions but omit the butter and oil)

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 c chopped celery

1 bag frozen vegetables (we prefer broccoli and cauliflower mix)

1 c fat free plain yogurt

2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken or celery soup.

Combine all ingredients. Pour into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 325 covered for 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken Black Bean Burgers

3/4 lb ground chicken breast (can use lean ground turkey or diet lean hamburger)
2 cans drained black beans
1 can diced green chilies
1 c dried bread crumbs
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
2 egg whites
1/2 c shredded low fat cheese
1/2 t salt

Puree beans and chilies and spices in your blender.  Stir in bread crumbs, chicken, egg whites and cheese.  Form into patties and bake at 350 on a well sprayed cookie sheet for 20 minutes.  Makes 10 patties.

A great sauce that we used for this was:
3/4 c olive oil mayo or fat free plain yogurt
1 T chili powder
dash cumin
1 T ketchup

These froze really well for a quick lunch too and my kids LOVED these - my 3 year old daughter liked them better than regular hamburger patties and I completely agree with her!

SlowCooker Southwestern Bean Stew with Dumplings

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1 10 oz package frozen corn
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped, optional
1/2 c water
2 4 oz cans diced green chilies
1 T chili powder
1 15 oz pumpkin
1 t cumin

Mix together and place in a large sprayed slow cooker.  Cook on low for 4 hours, then turn to high 2 hours before serving.

One hour before serving, stir together the following:
2/3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
2 t baking powder
2 egg whites
1/4 c fat free milk
1 t canola oil

Batter will be lumpy.  Drop it by the spoonful onto the stew in crockpot.  Cover with lid and allow to cook on high for one hour.

Makes 8 servings.