Kathy Manweiler: Stretching the food $$: Taco casserole is a low-cost, low-cal, low-effort dish

IN THIS struggling economy, many of us are finding ways to stretch our food budgets further.

When I lost my job about six weeks ago, I had to take a hard look at how much I was spending on groceries and make some cutbacks. But I was determined to keep eating healthy meals, so I needed to create some new recipes that were nutritious, filling and inexpensive.

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite new creations - taco casserole. I still use extra-lean ground beef, which is more costly than other choices, but I make it stretch by using just half a pound of beef in this recipe and adding some beans to pump up the protein. To pinch pennies, I bought store brands of rice, tomatoes and salsa for this casserole, and they work very nicely here.

Sprinkling a little reduced-fat cheese over the top really adds to this casserole's flavor. If you want to save even more money, you can soak and cook your own beans at home instead of using the canned variety, and you can shred the cheese yourself.

A 1 1/2-cup serving of my taco casserole contains just 279 calories, 3.3 fat grams and 23 grams of protein.

KATHY'S TACO CASSEROLE

1/2 pound 96-percent-lean ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 (15.5 oz.) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

6 cups cooked white rice

1 cup salsa

1 cup chopped onion

3/4-cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, made with 2 percent milk

Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef over medium heat until meat is browned and crumbly. Add the taco seasoning, beans, tomatoes and onion to the saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes to combine flavors. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the meat and bean mixture with the rice and salsa. Mix well and transfer mixture to the baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until casserole is heated through. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheese over the casserole. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot. Makes 8 1 1/2-cup servings.

Per 1 1/2-cup serving: 279 calories, 3.3 fat grams, 48 carb grams, 3.6 fiber grams, 610 mg sodium, 8 mg cholesterol, 23 protein grams.

Do you have a favorite food or popular recipe that you'd like to see made healthier? Send your ideas and recipes, along with a daytime phone number, to Kathy Manweiler at dontsaydiet@gmail.com, or mail to: Don't Say Diet, P.O. Box 780865, Wichita, KS 67278.