Broccoli and brown rice bake.

low-fat broccoli and brown rice bake

(serves 4)

2 cups total of any of the following: cooked wild, white or brown rice; farro or barley; orzo pasta
1 head of broccoli, tender stems and florets chopped into roughly 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I use Jane's Crazy Mixed-up Salt)
1/2 cup part-skim or low-fat ricotta cheese (or use whole-milk ricotta)
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or use full-fat)
1 egg
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2/3 cup shreddedcheese of your choice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350°; spray a 1.5-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large lidded sauté pan, warm a generous tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onion and stir to coat with oil; reduce heat to medium and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chopped broccoli stems and florets (if the pan seems to need a bit more oil, go ahead and add some), raise the heat to medium-high and stir-fry the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes, until it just begins to brown slightly. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and quickly cover; steam the broccoli until it's just tender, about 2 minutes. Taste the vegetables and add seasoned salt (I like Jane's) and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, yogurt and egg until well-combined. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice or orzo, cooked vegetables and basil. Add ricotta mixture and 1/2 of the cheese, and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish; top with remaining cheese, then cover the pan with a piece of foil that you've spritzed with a little baking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 20 more minutes, until the cheese begins to brown in spots.