Skip to main content Share
& Save

Paula Deen Cuts the Fat, 250 Favorite Recipes All Lightened Up, Exclusive: Southern Potatoes Gratiné

By

Here’s a crazy fun fact I think you’ll enjoy. Did you know that Velveeta is actually lower in calories and fat per serving than Cheddar cheese? Well, my goodness, did that surprise me. And I took full advantage of that knowledge by using it here in my gratiné. It’s so smooth and melty, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to use it in one of my veggie casseroles.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes), scrubbed
  • 1 cup chopped scallions (white and light green parts)
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 ounces Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
  2. Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters, then cut crosswise into 1⁄4-inch pieces.
  3. In a 12 by 8-inch broiler-proof baking dish, toss the potatoes and the scallions together. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, chicken broth, flour, and Cajun seasoning and add some salt, if you think it needs it. Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
  4. Position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat. Preheat the broiler to high.
  5. Remove the foil from the baking dish and top the potatoes with the Velveeta and paprika. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

 Serves 8

 

More about Paula Deen Cuts the Fat, 250 Recipes All Lightened Up

Paula Deen has lost over 40 pounds and has maintained her weight loss for over two years by swapping out ingredients to reduce fat and calories. Paula’s key to weight loss is moderation and accountability, and one day a week she still enjoys good old southern cooking with biscuits and all. One does not have to give up taste when reducing calories, and these recipes are a testament to that. Paula shares 250 of her favorite recipes lightened up. This brand-new, New York Times best-selling cookbook presents lightened up versions of fifty of her classic southern recipes and presents new recipes that cut the calories but not the delicious taste.

The New-York Times Best-Selling cookbook, Paula Deen Cuts the Fat, 250 Favorite Recipes All Lightened Up, is now available now at AmazonBarnes & NobleTarget, and your local bookstores!

Paula Deen - As a young girl growing up in Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen never dreamed she would become an American icon. As a young mother, Paula was living the American dream — married to her high school sweetheart and raising two adorable boys — when tragedy struck. Her parents died, her marriage failed and she began a prolonged battle with agoraphobia. With her boys in their teens and her family near homelessness, Paula took her last $200, reached deep inside her soul and started The Bag Lady, a home-based catering company that marked the start of Deen's professional cooking career. With sons Jamie and Bobby delivering lunch-and-love-in-a-bag, beginning in June 1989, Paula turned her life around by sharing what she knew best, traditional Southern cooking.

Comments