Tag Archives: dinner

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole, a dish your whole family will enjoy.

Italian rice balls, otherwise known as Arancini are one of my favorite appetizers, but I usually stay far away because they are deep fried and loaded with fat. If you’ve never tried them, they are balls of rice stuffed with chopped meat, peas and cheese, then breaded and fried, what’s not to love?

This lightened up casserole is the genius of my friend Julia from Julia’s Healthy Italian. I “skinnified” her recipe a bit to cut the points down, but she takes all the credit for the creativity of turning an otherwise very heavy meal and making it lighter. The servings are large and very satisfying. A simple green salad on the side is all you need to complete this.

This is probably a good weekend recipe to make since it requires some prepping, Julia usually makes double and freezes the second casserole to use later on. I halved her original, but it makes sense to make two for the same amount of work it takes to make one.

To make this quicker you can make the rice ahead of time as well as the sauce. I used my filetto di pomodoro recipe, but you can use your favorite sauce. I recommend either using the 93% lean turkey, I found the 99% lean turkey was too dry and the points remain the same.

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole
Gina’s Skinny Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 8 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 367.2 • Fat: 9.5 g • Carb: 46.8 g • Fiber: 2.0 g • Protein: 20.9 g

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked long grain rice
4 cups water
1 (2.5 oz) sweet Italian sausage link, casing removed
10 oz (.65 lbs) 93% lean ground turkey (1/2 package)
1/4 cup onion, minced
salt and fresh pepper
5 oz frozen peas
16 oz homemade tomato sauce
1/3 cup egg beaters or egg whites
1/2 cup pecorino romano
cooking spray
4 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs, divided
1 1/4 cup shredded part skim mozzarella

Directions:

Cook rice in water according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, sauté sausage meat; cook until brown breaking up into pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add turkey and onions and cook until browned, breaking up as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add peas and 8 oz tomato sauce and simmer on low, covered, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl combine rice, pecorino romano, eggs, and 3-4 oz tomato sauce and mix well. Rice should be a bit sticky.

Spray a 9 x 12 casserole dish with cooking spray, making sure to spray sides too. Add 2 tbsp breadcrumbs to the dish and roll around to coat the bottom and sides.

Take half of the rice mixture (a little more if needed) and cover the bottom of the dish and up the sides; press to form the bottom layer.

Add the meat and peas.

Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Top with remaining rice and press until even. Top with remaining 4 oz of sauce, remaining 2 tbsp breadcrumbs, and remaining mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes. Cut into 8 pieces.

Skillet Cajun Spiced Tilapia with Tomatoes

Cajun spices, tomatoes, onions and peppers give any white fish extra pizazz and a little kick. Super easy and quick!

I try to incorporate fish in my diet at least twice a week, to keep it exciting I like to prepare it in different ways. This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight meal, you can use any white fish such as sole or flounder. Serve this with brown rice or quinoa to soak up the delicious sauce.

Note: This recipe was re-posted from the archives for Lent, for your convenience I have labeled all my Lent-friendly Recipes.

Skillet Cajun Spiced Tilapia with Tomatoes
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 servings • Serving Size: 1 fillet • Old Points: 4 pts/7pts with Brown Rice • Points+: 5 pts Calories: 205.8 • Fat: 3.8 g • Protein: 33.2 g • Carb: 10.2 g • Fiber: 2.0 g • Sugar: 0.6 g
Sodium: 341 mg

Zuzu’s Notes: The original Skinnytaste recipe called for flounder, but we found that it tasted much better using Tilapia, but as you can see from the recipe any white fish should work.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
4 (6 oz) pieces tilapia fillets (or any white fish such as flounder)
3/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp Cajun spice seasoning

Directions:

In a deep skillet, cook onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes until soft. Add tomatoes, peppers and spices, stir and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Lay fish fillets in the sauce, cover and cook on medium-low until fish flakes easily, approx 12-15. To serve, place fish on plate and spoon sauce on top. Serve immediately.