Healthy Spring Casserole Recipes

Whole-wheat noodles, low-fat cheeses and light pasta sauce make this beef and pasta casserole healthy but still deliciously satisfying.

Pick your favorite table-worthy baking dish for this healthy French toast recipe--the breakfast casserole goes straight from the oven to the table. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Our stuffed shells are filled with spinach, sautéed onions and part-skim ricotta and topped with prepared marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. The shells hold and reheat well, which makes them great for entertaining.

This healthful and comforting vegetarian casserole is perfect on a cool night--or any time of year when you want to remember clear, brisk October evenings. Make It a Meal: Enjoy with a glass of Zinfandel and for dessert, Ida's Mandelbrot dipped in a fresh-brewed cup of coffee.

This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

The mashed potato-covered shepherd's pie was originally created to use up the leftovers from a festive roast. This version blends peas, leeks and carrots with diced turkey, all in a creamy herb sauce. The dish is a perfect way to create a second meal with the holiday turkey but if you like, use leftover roast chicken, duck or goose.

Plan ahead to make extra pork chops (see associated recipe, below) for this easy, cheesy casserole.

No gloppy canned soup in this healthy green bean casserole recipe. Simply give cilantro, parsley or chives (or a mix of all three) a whirl in the food processor to make the pesto-like sauce that ties the casserole together.

Think portion control with these individual lasagna roll-ups. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day.

These easy, cheesy potatoes cook in a foil packet perfect for throwing over the coals of a campfire for a delicious, healthy side dish while camping.

This healthy creamed spinach gratin calls for frozen spinach so it's a quick and easy side dish that's sure to become a dinnertime staple.

This yummy lasagna-inspired casserole has cheese, vegetables, eggs and marinara sauce but uses sturdy whole-grain bread instead of noodles, which makes it even easier to make. Its hearty look hides the fact that it's made with all low-fat, healthful ingredients. Of course, it makes a great brunch entree as well--don't let the name fool you.

This breakfast strata recipe, loaded with onions, leeks and asparagus, is a great way to serve eggs to a crowd for brunch. This healthy breakfast casserole is lightened up by using less bread, low-fat milk and more vegetables. The egg mixture and vegetables can be made ahead, but plan to put the strata in the oven to bake about 1 hour before you want to serve it.

Bread pudding, an economical dish designed to use up stale bread, is most often associated with dessert. It's equally comforting turned savory, enriched with cheese and studded with vegetables.

Requiring 45 minutes from start to finish, this casserole classic is one of the longer recipes in this book; however, it takes only about 10 minutes to assemble. While it bakes, you can put together a salad, or simply enjoy a glass of wine. If you want to make it vegetarian, substitute soy “sausage” for the Italian sausage and vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Lentil soup is the base for this sausage and spinach casserole. Make it a meal: Serve with a simple green salad tossed with red-wine vinaigrette.

Cinnamon and a hint of cloves bring out the flavor of the lamb. Serve with crusty bread.

Chicken sausage comes in a variety of flavors these days. The flavor you pick will have a big impact, so make sure you pick one you like. We tried and liked sweet Italian, apple and Chardonnay sausage and sun-dried tomato and spinach sausage in this recipe.

Rich and cheesy, this pasta dish is sure to please the whole family.

Looking for another way to use summer-fresh tomatoes? Layer them with high-fiber artichokes for a quick and satisfying side dish. Make it a meal: Serve alongside grilled chicken and steamed new potatoes.

Fresh artichokes and potatoes combine in this tasty gratin. Serve with Pan-Roasted Chicken & Gravy and Brussels Sprouts with Walnut-Lemon Vinaigrette.

These saucy curried chicken thighs makes a great dish for a big easy family supper. There's plenty of curry sauce, so serve with brown rice or whole-wheat egg noodles. We call for boneless, skinless chicken thighs here, but we've also tried it with bone-in thighs and it worked wonderfully.

Slow-roasting the tomatoes gives the tomato sauce for this lasagna recipe an intense depth of flavor--which is then enhanced by the umami in onions, Parmesan and spinach. The lasagna noodles are layered into the lasagna uncooked; the moisture from the fresh spinach cooks them perfectly as the lasagna bakes in the oven.

Two methods are included here for this subtly flavored risotto. For the conventional method, chicken broth is added a little at a time and the rice is stirred between additions. The microwave technique does not need constant stirring. It also uses less chicken stock because there is less evaporation during cooking.