South of the Border Casserole

Or, in our case, I just call it Mexican casserole since we’re not American.  Anyway, this is a new recipe I made this week and it was so good!  And I know it doesn’t look like it, but it is a low-fat, healthy recipe.  I also made it even healthier by using ground chicken instead of ground beef, and I used high-fibre Catelli Smart pasta.  I also only put 1 cup of sour cream and added about 1/2 pkg. of light cream cheese, which made the sauce a bit creamier. 

Kieran liked it too:

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 pound 95% lean ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced sweet green pepper
2 seeded, fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
1 cup of salsa
2 cups nonfat sour cream
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces uncooked penne

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Instructions:

Add the olive oil to a 5 quart nonstick saucepan and place over medium-high heat.

Add the ground beef, breaking it up with the edge of a spatula, until it has lost its pink color. Drain any fat from the pan.

Add the onions and green pepper, cooking until softened. Stir in the jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, sour cream, chili powder and salt.

Cook the pasta, and combine with the meat mixture in a casserole dish.  Top with cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.  Garnish with chopped green onions.