It's a wiener

Hot Dog Casserole....giddyup!

I have been looking forward to this ever since I found this recipe. I love hotdogs. I love pasta. I love cheese. It's great to find a good healthy recipe using all of these items. The husband has been pretty skeptical about this recipe since I first mentioned it. He said that he has never had hot dogs in a dish. He has only had your typical and (although delicious) somewhat boring hot dog on a bun. I asked him if he ever had beans and weenies as a kid and he says no. NO? How can you not have had beans and weenies as a kid? Our children will have plenty of beans and weenies, with fat free hot dogs of course ;)

Hot Dog Casserole (12 servings at 4 points a serving)

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked whole-wheat macaroni
2 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz fat free hot dogs (I used Oscar Myers)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion(s)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp ketchup
3 cups Kraft 2% Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:

Boil a large pot of water for macaroni. Salt water and under cook macaroni. In a separate pan, add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive and the hot dogs, and brown on both sides (4 minutes total). Remove the dogs with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and the butter. When the butter melts, cook onions 4 to 5 minutes, then add flour and cook another minute. Add chicken broth and cook off completely, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble, then season the sauce with salt and pepper, and stir in the mustard and ketchup. Lower heat and add 2 cups of the cheese. Stir to melt (about 1 minute). Feel free to adjust the mustard, ketchup, salt, and pepper to your taste.

Drain pasta well. Combine pasta and hot dogs with sauce and coat evenly, then pour the mixture into a large casserole and top with remaining cheese. Melt and brown cheese under broiler, 2 minutes. Serve.

I thought this was a really easy and really great dish. And The husband had a good first experience with hot dogs being in a dish. I will definitely be making this again soon.