TASTE
Smoky chipotle sauce puts zip in casseroles
| • | A world of olive oil |
Associated Press
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What's more welcoming for diners and easier for cooks than a hearty casserole, bubbling hot from the oven, wreathed in tasty aromas?
Here are a couple of recipes to set mouths watering with their rich smells coming from the kitchen, to say nothing of the flavor they deliver.
The chipotle pepper sauce is important for creating the smoky flavor: Tabasco makes a brand of it. If you can't find it, look for canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and use the adobo instead.
SMOKY VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine couscous, broth, 2 teaspoons chipotle pepper sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 2-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling over high heat. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, red and green peppers and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper sauce.
Combine couscous, vegetable mixture, chickpeas, artichoke hearts and shredded cheese in 2-quart shallow casserole dish. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: about 295 cal., 13.26 g pro., 46.12 g carbo., 7.06 total fat (1.82 g saturated), 9.90 mg chol., 736.96 mg sodium, 8.77 g fiber.
Here's a version of lasagna that makes use of polenta instead of pasta — and prepared polenta, at that, so you don't even need to make it. (The prepared polenta can be found in the deli case of many grocery stores, in plastic tubes like overgrown sausages.)
SPICY POLENTA LASAGNA
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook crumbled sausage until well browned on all sides in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove sausage to bowl. In drippings remaining in skillet, cook onion until softened over medium heat. Add to bowl with sausage. Stir in tomatoes and their liquid and hot pepper sauce.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Cook polenta slices, half at a time, until browned on both sides. Repeat with remaining butter and polenta slices.
Spoon half of sausage mixture into a 9-by-9-inch baking dish. Top with half of polenta slices, and half of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Repeat layer again, ending with parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is hot and bubbly.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: about 436 cal., 19.63 g pro., 20.42 g carbo., 31.27 g total fat (14.44 g saturated), 77.58 mg chol., 1,152 mg sodium, 2.21 g fiber.
