Family Dinners with Weight Watchers: Part X

Here we go…
Another installment of Family Dinners with Weight Watchers: Part X
A friendly battle of the Weight Watcher recipes between my Mother and I.

Basically we take turns preparing and serving Weight Watchers recipes to one another and our family in an effort to step outside of the box (we all get in food ruts on this journey), eat healthy, and to eat as a family at least once a week despite a bevy of INSANE schedules and life in general.

Sometimes it’s a huge success
And sometimes it’s a total flop…
Tonight was my turn and on the menu was Chicken and Penne Casserole with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese. You can find this recipe right on the Weight Watcher Website if you use e-tools or view it below – as I always post the recipes for those who don’t use the Weight Watcher site.

I followed the recipe as directed only I added some fresh garlic, red crush pepper flakes and extra mushrooms for more flavor and bulk without adding extra PointsPlus™ .

It was fairly easy to prepare – although I would recommend grilling your chicken ahead of time to allow extra time for it to cool – something I learned the hard way.

Taste wise – Anything with goat cheese (feta) rocks in my book – the added texture and saltiness was SUPERB!! And despite some bad reviews I had read prior to making this dish, I found it to be quite delicious. Maybe it was the added garlic and/or red crushed pepper flakes – maybe it was the crispy grilled chicken – maybe it was the unique combination of ingredients? Either way this dish was a hit and the serving size and PointsPlus™ value are awesome.

SUPER DUPER YUM!!!

I would serve this dish again and Brian even thinks it would make a nice cold pasta dish/salad as well? I will have to try some cold leftovers before weighing in my opinion on that…

*On a side note: I usually double the recipes because of the size of my family and the fact that I have to feed three men – but this dish was quite substantial and I easily would have had enough food had I not doubled it.*

So yes… another success!
Thank you Weight Watchers!

Blessed Be…
♥Cyn♥

Chicken and Penne Casserole with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Course: main meals
PointsPlus™ Value: 8
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 58 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

A dish for everyone who loves chicken.

Ingredients
8 oz uncooked pasta, penne variety
2 tsp olive oil
3 cup(s) cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion(s), chopped
2 medium tomato(es), chopped
1 cup(s) roasted chicken breast, cubed (chopped)
1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
1/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 oz hard-type goat cheese, low-fat, crumbled
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Transfer to a large bowl.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the pasta in the bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, beans, egg substitute, and broth. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Top with the goat cheese.
Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the topping is browned and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Yields 1 cup per serving.