Lower-Fat Mirliton Casserole

Category: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Ready in 1 hour

Ingredients

2 ts Ground pasilla chiles

1 ts Onion powder

1/2 lb Feta cheese; crumbled

1 ts Ground cumin

1 ts Dried tarragon leaves

1/2 ts Black pepper

2 c Green bell peppers; chopped

2 ts Salt

1/4 c Cornmeal

2 Bay Leaves

4 Mirlitons; (also called

1 ts Garlic powder

1/2 ts Ground allspice

1/2 ts White pepper

4 Fresh jalapeno chiles;

1 tb olive oil

1/2 ts Cayenne pepper

1 ts Ground ginger

2 ts Paprika

1/2 lb Soft farmers cheese;

2 c Onions; chopped

1 1/2 lb Extra lean ground turkey

1 ts Ground dried ancho chile


Directions

I HALVED THE RECIPE FIRST. Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Boil the mirlitons until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Cut them in half, remove the seeds, and dice them into 1/2" cubes. Mix the ground turkey with 2 tbsp of the seasoning mix. Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat the oilve oil in a heavy 5 qt pot over high heat just until the oil begins to smoke, about 4 minutes. Add the seasoned turkey and cook, stirring to break up the lumps, until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, mirlitons, and remaining seasoning mix. Cook, stirring occasionally and enjoying the great fragrance, for 20 minutes, then stir in the feta cheese and cornmeal. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, then transfer the mixture to a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Layer the top of the dish evenly with the jalapeno peppers and sprinkle with the farmers cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Serve hot. NOTES : Risas Notes: To make this even lower in fat (I just changed from ground beef to extra lean ground turkey), cook the turkey meat in some chicken broth instead of oil, or cook it in less oil and then take it out and let it sit on paper towels to remove more of the fat. I also cut the olive oil from 2 tbsp to 1 tbsp. If you want you can try using some lower fat cheeses too, ones that melt well. * I also used a serrano along with the jalapenos. Recipe by: Adapted from Fiery Foods That I Love by Paul Prudhomme Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST by RST G <synapse7@home.com> on Jul 12, 1999,

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