This is flavorful and as good as you’ll find at any restaurant…I think even better ! It’s what a gourmet burger should be. The sautéed spinach and cheese are heaven. Eat yours without any toppings or add some Dijon or a slice of lettuce and tomato.

Spinach Burgers

8 servings
310 calories per serving

10 oz. baby spinach
2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Salt and pepper to taste
8 small Portugese rolls
Pam

Preheat grill. Spray a skillet with Pam and heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minutes. Add spinach and 1 T Worcestershire and cook until spinach is wilted down. Remove from skillet and chop (I find kitchen shears work great here) the cool to room temperature or cooler. Mix beef, cooked spinach, salt, pepper and 1 T Worcestershire. Make 8 burgers and grill to desired doneness.

These are sooooo easy to put together. Serve warm from the oven and you’ll have the family waiting in line for the sweet goodness of these perfect sweet rolls.

Apricot Sweet Rolls

8 servings
160 calories per serving

1 can low fat refrigerated dinner rolls or biscuits
1/3 c apricot – pineapple preserves (or any flavor preserves that you like)
2 t sugar
¼ t cinnamon
¼ c sliced almonds
Pam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan or a deep dish pie plate with Pam. Separate dough into individual rolls and place in pan – I do a circle around the edge with 8 rolls and 2 in the center. Starting ¼ inch in from the edges cut a deep X into the top of each roll then open slightly by pulling the dough toward the edges. Fill each with 2 t of the preserves. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle with almonds and bake ½ hour or until golden. Serve warm.

This is your classic French dip with a twist – you add some sauteed peppers and onions to make an already good sandwich just GREAT ! You will find yourself making this one again and again !

French Dip Sandwich

4 servings
278 calories per serving

1 jar au jus gravy
32 slices thin sliced deli roast beef (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
4 small Club rolls
1 small onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
Pam

Saute onion and pepper in a pan sprayed with Pam. Add a tablespoon of water at a time if needed to keep moist. Cook until veggies are tender, about 7 minutes. In a skillet heat the gravy and add the roast beef to heat it through. Place meat on rolls and top with peppers and onions. Serve with dipping sauce.

The Morningstar Farms sausage links are made out of all veggies – the consistency is not quite there, but the sausage flavor is AWESOME. When placed on a nice big roll and smothered in peppers and onions, you don’t even realize that you are not eating real sausage ! This is a great way to still have one of your favorites but have a guilt free version.

'Sausage' and Pepper Sandwich

1 serving
375 calories per serving

4 bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water

1 link Morningstar sausage heated according to package instructions
1 small club roll

Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.

Place sausage on roll and top with peppers and onions.

These are just AMAZING ! Serve as an appetizer, a lunch, even a dinner with a salad next to them. The sundried tomato flavor mixed with the flavor of the cheese and the mushrooms is just outstanding. The prep is quick and easy and these are just amazing !

Mini Mushroom Pizza

4 servings
170 calories per serving

4 Arnold Sandwich Thins roll (only 100 calories each !)
4 chopped sundried tomatoes (give them ounces or tablespoons worth)
1 T oil from the sundried tomatoes
1 c fat free ricotta cheese
8 oz. mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 c baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic power
Red pepper flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast rolls in toaster. Heat oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms until soft, about 7 minutes. Add salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic powder. Pulse tomatoes in a food processor or chop very finely and stir into ricotta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the cheese mix on the rolls and add spinach leaves. Finally add mushroom mix to the top and bake 5-7 minutes.

This is a hearty sandwich – lots of meat, a great cheese and a nice filling roll. If you pack it for lunch, just pack the dressing separate and drizzle on last second.

Italian Combo

1 serving
378 calories per serving

1 club roll (club rolls are small sub/hero rolls)
4 thin slices deli ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
15 slices turkey pepperoni
1 slice low fat provolone cheese
Chopped lettuce or a leaf of romaine lettuce
2 thin tomato slices
1 T fat free balsamic vinaigrette

Put all ingredients on roll and drizzle dressing over the top.

This is a great take on a bacon and egg sandwich – the addition of the mustard and mayo give it a great extra zing and the watercress adds a great dimension not usually found in a sandwich like this.

Open Faced Egg and Bacon Sandwich

1 serving
297 calories per serving

Bottom half of a hoagie roll
1 t whole grain mustard
1 t light mayonnaise
2 slices bacon, cooked
1 egg, cooked over easy in a skillet sprayed with Pam
1 handful watercress, stems removed
Coarse salt
Pepper

Spread roll with mustard and mayo and then layer with bacon, watercress and egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve open faced.