Beef and Vegetable Pot Pie

I knew I would make this recipe from the first moment I saw it. I found it in my now second-favorite cookbook: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook by Cooking Light. This is perfect for a cold day when you want something hearty, bready, and healthy.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 pound ground sirloin
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (8 oz) package pre-sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
cooking spray
1 (11 oz) can refrigerated soft breadstick dough

More or less, these are the ingredients I used. You'll notice a lack of mushrooms and red wine because the former I hate and the latter I didn't have.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Brown beef (if you want, use 1 1/2 teaspoons oil). Drain.

(Yum.)

3. Either remove beef or use a second pan. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan and add zucchini and next 6 ingredients. Sauté until tender.

4. Return beef to pan and stir in wine and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes.

5. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

6. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

7. Spoon beef mixture into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Separate breadstick dough into strips. Arrange strips in a lattice fashion over beef mixture.

(Note I totally missed the over-under idea in the middle.)

8. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until browned.

Voilá!

Yield: 6 servings

Calories: 313

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