Cheesy Potato Casserole

How to Lighten Up Family Favorites

By: Jodie Shield, RD

Cheesy Potato Casserole – Original Recipe (Makes 8 servings) One of my dearest friends, Marianne Oswald from Tinley Park, IL, brought this cheesy-easy side dish to my house for a family get-together.  Needless to say, my kids went wild over it! So much so, it’s become a popular request at our house.  But the dietitian in me had to find a way to lighten it up.  This potato casserole is so versatile - you can serve it with a holiday ham or back yard barbecue. Ingredients 1 (2 lb) package frozen hash browns, thawed 1 stick butter, melted 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 (8 oz) bag shredded cheddar cheese ½ pint sour cream ½ teaspoon salt ½ onion, chopped 2 cups crushed cornflakes Directions Combine ¼ cup melted butter and cornflakes. Set aside.  Mix potatoes remaining butter, soup, cheese, sour cream, salt and onion; pour into 9 X 13” pan.  Sprinkle with cornflake mixture over the top. Bake uncovered 1 ½ hours at 325 degrees.

Calories 493	Dietary Fiber 2 g	Fat 37 g
Protein 11.5 g	Sodium 765 mg	Saturated Fat 20 g
Carbohydrate 32 g		Cholesterol 76 mg

  Tips to Lighten up Marianne’s Family Recipe:

1. Reduce the butter and use an unsalted brand.
2. Use reduced-fat cream of chicken soup such as Campbell’s Healthy Request.
3. Try low-fat shredded cheddar cheese  (Kraft offers a tasty option)
4. Use fat-free sour cream
5. Omit the salt – you get plenty from the hash browns.

These small changes make a big nutrition difference!  The recipe still tastes fantastic but has one-third fewer calories and half the fat, saturated fat, and sodium.

Calories 346	Dietary Fiber 2 g	Fat 19 g
Protein 11 g	Sodium 370 mg	Saturated Fat 10 g
Carbohydrate 35.5 g		Cholesterol 30 mg

  If you have a family favorite recipe you would like analyzed and revised, please send it to Jodie@healthyeatingforfamilies.com.

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