Chili and Cheddar Bow Tie Casserole

If you don't have farfalle, substitute ziti, rigatoni, or even macaroni.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2  cup  diced Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces)
• 1  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 2 1/4  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 2  cups  (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 8  cups  hot cooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) or other short pasta
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Remove 1 teaspoon adobo sauce and 1 chile from canned chiles; mince the chile. Place remaining sauce and chiles in a zip-top plastic bag; freeze for another use.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and bacon; sauté 4 minutes. Add onions; sauté 1 minute. Stir in the adobo sauce, minced chile, flour, chili powder, salt, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Gradually add milk; cook until thick and bubbly (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups cheese and cilantro, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to pan; toss well.

Spoon the pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until browned.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

369 (30% from fat)

Fat:

12.4g (sat 7.4g,mono 1.6g,poly 1g)

Protein:

23.2g

Carbohydrate:

43g

Fiber:

3.1g

Cholesterol:

44mg

Iron:

1.6mg

Sodium:

758mg

Calcium:

472mg