Roy’s Light Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

4 servings 5 Better Balance Bites/Blue Points

Calories 392 Fat 7.3g Sat. Fat 1.8g Protein 48.6g Carbs 37.3g Fiber 3.8g Sugars 5.4g

Ingredients

· Cooking spray

· 4 slices center-cut bacon, cut into small pieces

· 1 small onion, diced

· 1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables (I used peas and carrots) (see notes)

· 1 Tbsp minced garlic, about 3 cloves

· 2 tsp dried chives, or 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh

· 1 tsp dried thyme

· 1 tsp onion powder

· 1 tsp garlic powder

· 1 tsp paprika

· 1 tsp salt

· 1/2 tsp pepper

· 1 (10.5 oz) can 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup (see notes)

· 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, room temperature

· 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cubed into bite-sized pieces

· 1 cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese, divided

· 15 ounces frozen shredded hash brown, fully thawed (see notes)

· 1 egg, lightly beaten, room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish or 9” baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the chives, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

3. Add the bacon to a small skillet, then place it over medium-high heat. Cook until crisp, then remove the bacon bits to a paper-towel-lined plate.

4. Wipe most of the bacon grease from the skillet, then return it to the heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the frozen vegetables and cook just to heat through, another 3-4 minutes. Stir the garlic into the veggie mix and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream soup, yogurt, and half of the spice blend (about 1 rounded Tbsp). Stir in the chicken, the cooked veggies, half the bacon, and 1/2 cup cheese to combine, then pour it into the prepared casserole dish.

6. To the same bowl, add the hash browns, the remaining spice mix, and egg. Stir to combine well, then spread evenly on top of the chicken in the casserole dish.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and top with the remaining bacon and cheese, and spray with cooking spray to aid melting of the cheese. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

8. Allow it to rest a few minutes before serving.

Notes

· You do not need to thaw the frozen vegetables first, but you can.

· If you’d prefer to use fresh vegetables, cook them until just tender before adding the garlic.

· You can use other flavors of cream soup if you would like.

· Many packages of hash brown potatoes come in 30 oz bags, so you would need about half the bag. I always weigh them, but you can measure it out as 5 cups.

· Make sure you measure the shredded hash browns frozen because the measurement will change if they are thawed.

· If you’d like more color on the hashbrowns, you switch to the broiler for the last few minutes of the first bake to get your desired color.

· You can likewise broil to brown the cheese a bit but keep your eyes on it.

· This can be prepared ahead of time. Simply cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days until ready to cook. Add another 5 minutes or so to the time of the first bake.