Light and Cheesy Vegetable Gratin

Winter doesn’t want to let go here, so something creamy and cheesy fits the bill. This is a lot lighter than mac and cheese or potatoes gratin, but still warm and filling. The beauty of this is that you can change out the veggies with whatever you have like broccoli instead of cabbage.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

2 Tablespoons light margarine

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups low fat milk

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup fat free shredded mozzarella

½ cup shredded gruyere or Swiss cheese

For the vegetable mixture:

Cooking spray

2 teaspoons canola oil

3 slices ready cook turkey bacon, chopped

1/3 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup chopped cabbage

1 (16 ounce) package frozen cauliflower florets

5 ounces spinach (I used ½ of a 10 ounce package of frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat and then stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes and then slowly whisk in the milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes, whisking constantly and then turn the heat to low.

Whisk in the mozzarella and Swiss, adding just a bit at a time and stirring until each bit is melted before adding another. When all of the cheese is melted, remove from the heat and set aside while you prepare the vegetable mixture.

Vegetable mixture: Spray a large, deep skillet or wok with cooking spray and add the canola oil over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion begins to get soft. Add in the garlic and cook for a minute. Toss in the chopped turkey bacon and then add in the cauliflower, spinach, cabbage and mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, for about 7-12 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft and the mixture is fragrant.

Stir the sauce into the vegetable mixture and pour into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the sides are bubbling and the top is slightly golden.