Editor's note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by the book coauthored by the two, Almost Meatless, due out in spring 2009.
I love a retro casserole--minus the cream of mushroom soup, of course. Old-fashioned covered dish recipes are often surprisingly light on the meat. They hearken back to a time when economy ruled the home kitchen--a time we are seeing again--and casseroles could successfully stretch a little bit of meat to feed a crowd.
One of my favorite of such dishes is Chicken Divan--usually, pieces of chicken combined with broccoli in a cheesy sauce layered onto buttered toast and then baked. Here, I use a broccoli-heavy Divan-inspired filling in savory hand pies. You could replace the chicken with more broccoli or cauliflower for a vegetarian version of this freezer-friendly dish.
Advertisement will not be printed.