Pizza/Pasta Casserole

This is a recipe I made out of left-over ingredients in my fridge and pantry.  I'm already thinking of ways to change it and make it better for next time. Since we had so many pizza toppings left over, I decided to try turning them into a casserole! It would be easy to incorporate all of your favorite pizza toppings and make this your own! If the points are too high for you, you could use less cheese or leave out the pepperoni and make it a vegetarian casserole by adding green pepper, mushrooms and spinach.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups of Barilla Plus Rotini Pasta (Aldi now makes their own brand of plus pasta!)
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar (6 servings) of marinara sauce
26 slices of pepperoni (I used regular, but you could use turkey pepperoni to make it even lower in points)
dried oregano or italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta on stove top until almost soft; leave slightly al dente. Drain pasta and pour it into a greased baking dish.  Pour pasta sauce over top.  Slice 16 of the pepperoni slices into small squares; add to casserole dish.  Add one cup of the cheese.  Stir well.  Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese evenly over top and arrange the last 10 pepperoni on top.  Sprinkle with desired amount of oregano or italian seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese melted.

If you cut into 8 servings, each serving is 6 weight watcher points
If you cut into 6 servings, each serving is 8 weight watcher points

Feta-Stuffed Zucchini

I just tried these for the first time, and they are AMAZING!!! It was so yummy, I forgot I was eating a vegetable! If you like zucchini, you should definitely give these a try!

Ingredients:
2 zucchini (about 7 inches long, halved lengthwise)
1 tablespoon Brummel & Brown or other low-fat butter spread
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg white
1 1/2 tablespoon flour
2 ounces feta, crumbled
Paprika

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish. With a small knife, cut around the zucchini, leaving a rim. Cross hatch the center, then scoop out with a grapefruit knife or the tip of a small spoon.

In a small skillet, melt the butter until shimmery. Add the zucchini scoopings, shallot and garlic and saute until soft.

In a small bowl, beat the egg white lightly. Stir in the flour, feta and cooked zucchini. Stuff the zucchini boats. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 25 minutes 30 minutes, then brown slightly under the broiler.

The entire batch is only 5 weight watcher points! :-)

Mexican Beans and Rice

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups hot cooked rice (microwavable for speed or parboiled)
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen sweet corn
• 1 15-ounce can less sodium black beans or pinto beans
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a medium skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté onions and jalapeno peppers until softened. Sprinkle cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add rice, crushed tomatoes, sweet corn and black beans, and simmer for 10 minutes. Top with 2% shredded cheddar and serve as a side or a vegetarian main dish.

Recipe makes 6 serving.  Each serving is 5 weight watcher points.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This was something new I decided to try.  It's great topped with low-fat cheese and sour cream!

Ingredients:
2 cans white beans (undrained)
1 small can chicken broth
1 jar picante sauce
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken with a fork.

This makes 8 one-cup servings at 4 weight watchers points per cup.

Personal Thin-Crust Pizzas

Sorry it's been a while since I posted a recipe! I have some pictures in my camera of recipes just waiting to be posted, but I've been really busy lately.  For Mother's Day this year we went to my Mother-in-law's house and made homemade pizzas! It was fun and delicious! I thought I'd post the basic recipe, but the variations are endless! You can add just about anything you want! The pizza pictured above is just pepperoni and cheese, but the ones we made on Sunday were topped with tons of veggies!

Ingredients:
Flat Out Wraps (available at most grocery stores in the bread aisle or near the deli. We used the Aldi Fit and Active version of the Flat Out Wraps. These are in the refrigerated section near the deli meats and cheese)
1 Jar of Marinara or Pizza Sauce
1 Bag Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1 Package Pepperoni
Italian Seasoning (to taste)

Directions:
Place wrap on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Spread with desired amount of sauce and toppings. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Watch closely to avoid burning.

Weight Watcher Points:
1 Flat Out Wrap - 1 point
1/2 cup Marinara Sauce - 1 point (varies by brand)
8 Slices of Pepperoni -2 points
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese - 4 points
8 black olives sliced - 1 point

Zero point toppings:
Onions
Green Pepper
Mushrooms
Spinach
Diced Garlic
Sliced Tomatoes

Barbecue Sloppy Joes

I don't really care for traditional sloppy joes, but I love this barbecue beef sandwich! It was easy to make and very filling! I paired the sandwiches with Lays Baked Barbecue Chips and served on 1 pt hamburger buns.

Ingredients:
1 lb 93/7 lean ground beef
1/4 cup Kraft Masterpiece barbecue sauce
2 TBS unpacked brown sugar
1 TBS vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)

Directions:
Brown ground beef. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 15-20 minutes)

Makes 8 servings (about 1/4 cup) Each serving is 3 weight watchers points.  Add additional points for buns and chips.