Healthier version of traditional casserole

meat&pasta casserole in a heathier variation - but taste as good as original version :)

Traditional food not always have to be a huge calories bomb. I easy steps you can change each of your favourite traditional dishes into healthier variation, with the same wonderful taste. 

I am presenting it on an example of casserole, but you can relate this to any other kind of dish.

1. Meat

minced meat pre-fried on a pan

Choose that which is less in percentage of fat. That which is less than 10% will be ok. Choose wisely also type of meat which you use, especially when it is minced. Try to find the purest option (normally poultry is less in calories and fat than pork).

Pre-fry meat on a pan. Do not use any oil, it is unnecessary if you have a decent tefal frying pan. The idea of prey-frying is about making meat half-cooked, so you won't need some additional oil, because all the preparing process should take no more than 3 minutes.

2. The more veggies, the better

paprika - great source of vitamin C and it suits for almost every dish

Use whatever vegetables you want - from paprika til broccoli. Vegetables are full in vitamins&minerals, will give your casserole volume and there are really low in calories.

3. Pasta

Choose whole grain pasta. It will make you fell fed longer. Use only a half of standard portion of pasta, and fill the other part with veggies. Your body would thank you for that. 

Or mix whole grain pasta with some low carb pasta. Why only half? You need some carbs as well as proteins. So cutting out all the carbs, in my option, is not necessary.

4. Souse

Heinz chopped and canned tomatoes

Instead of using a ready souse, use chopped tomatoes. It would be perfect to use fresh one and chopped them yourself, but you can also use those from the can. 

ready to prepare tamato souse

You will only have to spiced it and you will get great home made souse. And you are adding another portion of vegetables to your dish! :)

5. Cheese

cheddar cheese

No casserole without cheese, huh? If you want to use a cheese you have to options - either use a low fat cheese (but check if it is not full in artificial additives) or use a smaller amount of normal cheese but with a very distinctive taste (like cheedar, parmesan and other). 
Cheese should be only an icing on the cake, not the dish itself ;)

6. Quantity trick

one portion pan and normal size pan

Even if you are already able to make a healthier version of the dish, that doesn't mean that you have to eat a whole oven pan of it! 
Each additional calorie, even from the good source, is an additional calorie - without exception!

That is why you may consider preparing your dishes in different sizes dishes. I have plenty of frying pans in different sizes. The best bought was this cute one-person oven pans. It fits perfectly for only one serving and - by using that - I am sure that I will eat only what I suppose it!

7. Roast everything

Put a ready casserole to the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. Roasting doesn't require additional oil and it is one of the heatlhiest meal preparing method. 

Eating healthy should be fun, tasty and colourful. Eating healthy do not need boring dishes, tasteless soups and rumbling stomach. As long as you will keep it positive, your body and mind will follow :)