Yum, yum, yum, yum. Both my husband and I were not that excited about eating this beforehand. I thought it sounded good when planning the meals, but on the day of actually cooking it, I was just disinterested. We ate this with Zesty Italian chicken, which also didn't seem that exciting at the time. I almost decided to just pick up fast food, but then stayed strong and decided against it. As soon as I took this dish out of the oven, my opinion changed. It really is so colorful, just like the name, and just looking at it sparked my appetite. It was gooooooooooooood! The zesty Italian chicken was amazing, too, and I'm very glad that I decided to cook dinner this night instead of running out to get something. We will definitely be making this dish a lot in our house from now on. At first I thought it would not be enough cheese and almost added more, but it was perfect as is. What a great way to get my two year old (and my husband and I) to eat a variety of vegetables and to love them.I got this recipe from another one of my mom's cookbooks, as most of my recipes are. I love looking through all her cookbooks when I visit. It's from Taste of Home's Mom's Best Meals.
Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
*2 packages (16 oz. each) frozen California blend vegetables (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower)
*8 oz. 2% Velveeta, cubed
*6 Tablespoons low-fat margarine, divided
*1/2 cup wheat Ritz crackers, crushed (about 13 crackers)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare the vegetables according to the package directions. I use the microwave directions. Drain. Place half of the vegetables in an ungreased 11" x 7" x 2" baking dish.
In a small saucepan, combine cheese and 4 Tablespoons of the margarine. Stir over low heat until melted. Pour half over the vegetables. Repeat layers.
Melt the remaining margarine in a small microwavable bowl. Toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of casserole. Bake uncovered at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until the crackers are golden brown.
