Clean Eatin' Scalloped Potatoes

mmmm...I can still remember when my mom would dish up ooey gooey scalloped potatoes. So creamy and cheesy.
As I flipped through my latest Clean Eating Magazine, I was so excited to see they had a "cleanified" version of the classic recipe.

This version omits the half a stick of butter, heavy milk, and white flour. It still has the yummy cheese, just in a smaller quantity.
You save: 285 calories, 16g fat, 10g saturated fat, and 628mg sodium
Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 t white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
2 C low-fat milk or skim
3 oz low-fat (2%) Monterrey Jack or white cheddar cheese, grated
2 1/2 lb Russet, Red, or Yukon Gold potatoes (I used Red and Yukon Gold), sliced thin as possible...I used my food processor to get the slices right. Leave the skin on for the extra nutrients.
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
2 T whole wheat bread crumbs (Panko is a Japanese brand you can find at HyVee)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat oil in large skillet or medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/4 tsp sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, thyme (be generous) and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes or until onions are coated with flour. Add milk and increase heat to medium-high. When liquid begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and cook until mixture has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. Add three-quarters of Monterrey Jack and remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and stir until melted, about 1 minutes. Remove from heat.

Note: if milks burns slightly on bottom of pan, try not to scrap up as stirring. It should remain stuck to bottom and you wont have to worry about it.

Arrange potatoes in an even layer in greased baking dish. (should be several potatoes thick).
Cover with half of onion and milk mixture. Repeat with remaining potatoes and onion mixture.
Make sure all corners of dish get covered. If a spot looks dry add a tablespoon of milk.
In small bowl, combine remaining Monterrey Jack, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Bake potatoes in center of oven for 70-85 minutes or until potatoes are tender when a fork is pierced through. When finished baking, remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese-bread crumb mixture. Preheat broiler to high and return baking dish to oven and broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes....careful not to burn! Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

I may have gone a little heavier on the cheese :) Also, I prepared my dish the day before and refrigerated it covered. The only step I did not do was top it with the bread-cheese mix.
20 minutes before dinner the next night I topped the cooked dish with my cheese-bread mix and warmed it in the 350F oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
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