Ok, this is not a sexy, pretty dish. I tried and tried and this was the most beautiful picture I could take. It doesn’t plate pretty or look nice in the pan.

What it does do, is taste fabulous and fill your family full of nutritious veggies. I’ll take the trade-off.

If there were more fat, it might brown up nicely, but it doesn’t need to. The multi-grain saltines stay nice and crunchy and work very well without any extra oil. Turnips might not be the veggie of the moment, but I think there is a lot of people missing out.

I love that this reheats well too. My husband and I ate it for breakfast this morning, and the kids begged for some when they saw it. Guess that’s a good sign!

NUTS and BOLTS

• 2 Stalks Celery, Sliced 1/4”
• 1 Large Onion Chopped Coarsely
• 2 Carrots, Sliced Thin
• 3 Large Turnips, Sliced Thin
• 3 Red Potatoes, Peeled And Sliced Thin
• 1 Large Green Pepper, Diced
• 1 Large Red Pepper, Diced
• 1/8 tsp. each: Black Pepper, Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Seasoned Salt
• 2/3 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice
• Sprinkling Of Parmesan Cheese
• 1 can 98% Fat Free, Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup
• 1/2 cup Crushed Wheat Saltines

WHAT YOU DO WITH IT ALL

First, place a large stockpot 2/3 full of water over medium heat. Add your seasonings to the water and bring to a boil.

Slice the carrots, potatoes (skin on) and turnips thinly on a mandolin (about 1/8″ thick). Chop up your other vegetables, keeping the dice fairly small so they can distribute well amongst the sliced items.

Boil celery, onions and carrots first in the seasoned water for 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables to your pot and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain off liquid.

Arrange the par-boiled vegetables evenly in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spread grated cheese over vegetables. I then sprinkled some grated parmesan over the other cheese, but I think perhaps next time I will combine the parmesan with the crushed crackers to go on top.

Spoon undiluted soup over cheese and spread with a spatula like frosting, covering evenly – the layer will be fairly thin. Dust crushed crackers over soup.You want to have the cracker layer thin enough to all stick to the soup. Any extra will not cook into the casserole and will slide off when you scoop out your servings – I made that mistake the first time!

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. You can broil for a couple minutes at the end if you want more brown on the top. Serves 8 people as a side dish, or 4-6 as a main.

MONKEY METER

The eldest really liked this the first time I made it, but insisted this time that she wouldn’t. Made her try it, and she ate what we gave her, but decided not to have any more.  3 of 5

The twinkies LOVED it. Ate large bowlfuls the first night, even when it was too hot. When I pulled it out for my breakfast, they dropped their pigs in blankets and begged for mine. I think it was a winner. 5 of 5

The grown-ups are big fans of this dish. It tastes so much more decadent than it is. Makes us all crave vegetables! 5 of 5