Creamy Turkey Rice Soup

This soup is quite amazing. It makes great use of your left over turkey too. My husband loved it so much that he ate three bowls in one sitting! It is thick and rich. It will thicken more upon standing, so if you reheat it, you may add some water to achieve desired consistency.

Serves 12 ( about 1 c. = 4 points +)

• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery rib
• ¼ c. light butter
• ½ c. flour
• 8 c. fat free chicken broth
• 1 c. uncooked Jasmine or white rice, cooked according to package directions
• 2 c. turkey breast, cooked and cubed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 c. (2%) evaporated milk

Place onion, carrot and celery in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

Heat butter in a large nonstick pot or Dutch oven. Add vegetables and cook until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually whisk in chicken broth.

Cook and stir until starting to thicken. Add turkey, cooked rice, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened. Stir in evaporated milk and heat through.

Vegetarian Antipasto Penne

Great for a meatless meal! You can serve this dish hot or cold!

serves 8 ( about 1-1/4 c. = 7 points +)

• 1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 oz. chopped black olives
• 1/2 c. refrigerated pesto sauce
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 can ( 15 oz) artichoke hearts, not packed in oil, drained
• 8 oz. uncooked penne pasta
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 oz. part-skim mozzarella, diced

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, combine red pepper, olives, tomatoes and artichoke hearts in a large bowl. Add drained pasta, pesto, Parmesan and mozzarella. Toss to coat.

Butternut Squash, Onion and Gorgonzola Gratin

This dish goes very nicely with roasted chicken.

serves 6 ( 5 points +)

• 5 c. cubed, peeled butternut squash
• 1 slice white bread
• 3 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 c. thinly sliced onion
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 c. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray baking sheet. Place squash on baking sheet, cover with another piece of foil and bake 10-20 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, place bread in a food processor and pulse until crumbs form. Toss with 2 tsp. olive oil; set aside.
Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook onion until tender.
Combine onion and squash in a bowl. Season with sage, salt and pepper. Place squash mixture in an 11 x 7 inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with Gorgonzola, then bread crumb mixture. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Italian Vegetable Soup

Just got back from a trip to Italy! After all of the heavy eating we did, including pastries and gelato every day, I wanted to make something light for lunch this week. This soup was easy, light and tasted great.

serves 12 ( 1 c. = 1 point +)

• 4 c. vegetable broth
• 1 c. water
• 1 T. crushed garlic
• 2 c. fresh broccoli florets
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 c. chopped cabbage
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 can ( 15 oz) green beans, drained
• 1 can ( 28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 tsp. parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients, except Parmesan cheese in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. ( about 30 minutes). Top each serving with 1 tsp. Parmesan cheese.

Individual Italian Shepherd's Pies Topped with Butternut Squash

I think you will find this version of Shepherd's Pie much more satisfying and interesting! These little cups are only 4 points each. The recipe makes 12, so think of serving these for a little party or they make great left overs for lunch the next day. I served this with a green salad and some hot, crusty French bread.

Serves 12 ( 4 points +)

• 2-1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
• 2 T. butter
• 1-4 c. - 1/2 c. fat-free chicken broth
• 5 T. Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
• 19.5 oz. ( 5 links) Jenny O hot turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 c, fat-free beef broth
• 1 ( 28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• oregano, salt, pepper and basil to taste
• 1 can ( 14.75 oz) cut green beans, drained

Preheat oven to 425 and spray 12 ( 8 oz) ramekins with nonstick spray. Place ramekins on a large baking sheet.

In a large saucepan, cook squash in boiling water until tender. Drain. Return squash to pan and add butter, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and chicken broth starting with 1/4 c. using up to 1/2 c. for desired consistency. Mash.

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until no longer pink. Remove from pan and drain.

Spray pan with nonstick spray, Add 1 tsp oil. Cook onion until tender. ADd garlic and cook 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened ( about 5 minutes). Stir in green beans. Return sausage to pan and heat through.
Spoon sausage mixture evenly into ramekins. Top with mashed squash.

Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 T. Parmesan cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.