Early on after weight loss surgery, soft and creamy foods are better tolerated. Bariatric patients can enjoy this creamy chicken casserole with apples and butternut squash while they’re on a soft diet.
I usually advise ground meat throughout the soft food periods, especially turkey and chicken. These recipes can make advantage of these soft proteins in a variety of ways. Lean proteins that are low in calories include turkey and chicken.
At this point, a lot of my patients can handle soft fruits and vegetables. Cooked apples and tender butternut squash are ingredients in this recipe. Because they don’t overpower the chicken, these dishes allow you to get enough protein in your diet.
Gravies and sauces are beneficial both during and after the soft period. In many cases, dry food intolerances result from weight loss surgery. Low-fat cream soup and low-fat milk are used in this delicious chicken casserole. You could use some broth and a milk substitute if you can’t stomach dairy products (though I didn’t try the recipe with this).
SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING THE CREAMY CASSEROLE:
- Because ground chicken is so lean, it can easily brown or stick in a sauté pan. Reduce the heat or use olive oil spray if this occurs.
- Cream soups can have a lot of calories and fat. Pick a low-fat product such as Healthy Request from Campbell’s.
- Use broth or a substitute to milk if you are intolerant to dairy.
- You can use fresh butternut squash instead of frozen ones, but you’ll need to prepare it beforehand because this recipe won’t allow it to cook all the way through.
- If you’d want, you can remove the breadcrumbs, but they should be acceptable.
Read Also: Pulled Pork Recipe
Creamy chicken casserole topped with apples and butternut squash
Ingredients
- One pound of chicken, ground
- One can of cream of chicken soup (low-fat)
- ½ cup nonfat milk
- One peeled and chopped apple
- One cup of frozen butternut squash
- ½ cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs made with whole wheat
Instructions
- Set oven temperature to 350°F.
- Cook the ground chicken in a sauté pan until it is thoroughly done.
- Add milk and cream of chicken soup to the ground chicken and stir to blend.
- Put the chicken on medium heat and let the sauce boil.
- Add the butternut squash and apple chopped.
- Cook until apples are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the tender chicken to a baking tray.
- Cover the casserole with ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add a quarter of a cup of whole wheat panko breadcrumbs on top.
- Bake the cheese for ten minutes, or until it melts.
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