Healthy, Delicious Way to Use that Turkey

If you're like me, you are still pretty stuffed from Thanksgiving and you want to keep things light (at least until the next holiday, which is just around the bend). You probably also have a bunch of turkey meat left over. What to do, what to do...

My sister turned me onto this great, low-fat (and happens to be low-carb too) roasted chili bake that is perfect, both as an excuse to use up your turkey and for eating healthy. I improvised on the original recipe and sauteed a half of a large onion (diced) with 1 cup of diced bell peppers in a pan with a touch of water and a 1/2 packet of taco seasoning. After it cooked, I added 6 ounces of diced, already-cooked turkey meat to the mix.

I then got a square casserole dish and sprayed it with olive oil spray. I lined the bottom with six, whole roasted green chilies - I bought a 27-oz can which contains about 15 of them. Just slice on side of each chile so that they'll lay flat and pat dry with a paper towel before putting into the dish. Next, I added a layer of the onion/bell pepper/turkey mixture.

I then added a layer of 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese. I used 1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup of cheese (I did all the measuring to keep track of calories/points/etc.).

After the cheese, I added a layer of chopped cilantro and scallions (green onions). Now, starting from the beginning, add another layer (green chilies, onion/bell pepper/turkey mix, cheese, cilantro/scallions). To bind the whole thing together, pour 1/2 cup of Eggbeaters over the whole thing, making sure to get the edges so that the egg seeps down to the bottom.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes total. I covered mine with foil for the first 20 minutes, and then removed for the remaining 20 minutes. The result was a delicious, very healthy Mexican casserole.

Just to give you an idea of how healthy this is, the entire casserole has 18 points if you are a Weight Watchers member or are familiar with the points system. So each of the 6 servings (one serving, above) has THREE POINTS. I'm not on WW but am familiar with the points system, which is a lot easier than counting calories. In any case, enjoy!

If you don't have leftover turkey, you can just omit it all together and have this be completely vegetarian. Or, add whatever protein you've got around, even tofu.