Vegetable skillet supper a hearty comfort food

Nothing like a good ole hearty, healthy skillet supper; my wonderful, ready sources at the Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services provided the recipe for one of the best.

Hubby and I recently went up across the Red River for one of his routine health exams, so I wasted no time in bouncing over to the adjacent nutrition center to see what was new in the recipe department.

The very next night I was needing a dinner idea, so I cooked one of those new infusions—Hearty Vegetable Skillet, made with ground beef (we always substitute ground turkey), whole-wheat noodles, and mixed fresh veggies (whatever was on hand. I had corn, okra, green beans, carrots, and green peas.) The recipe also suggests you can use frozen veggies or even one (15-ounce) can of low-sodium mixed vegetables, but I always try to utilize fresh wherever I can.

I like this recipe because it relies on ingredients I likely always would have around. Besides what I’ve already mentioned it calls for low-sodium cream-of-celery soup, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Cheddar cheese.

Here in Texas we’ve had a bit of a cold snap lately, with folks temporarily bringing out their hoodies and firing up their space heaters while we wait for springlike temps to return. A Hearty Vegetable Skillet dinner would be a great accompaniment to cooler evenings, which we need to cherish before summer heat blazes down.

Hearty Vegetable Skillet

1 pound ground turkey

1 (10 3/4-ounce can) low-sodium, fat-free cream-of-celery soup

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat noodles, cooked (1 cup dry)

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

If vegetables are fresh, steam them for a few minutes until they are tender. In a skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground turkey until it is well-browned. Drain meat. Leave in skillet. Stir in the soup, water, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetables. Heat to a simmer. Stir in the noodles and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 6 1-cup servings.