Kentucky Hot Brown

Oh, how I have loved having all the fresh tomatoes this summer!  There are a few things I crave when I know a fresh tomato is in the house; one is a BLT on sour dough bread.  I took care of that craving a couple weeks ago.  Another yummy dish is a Kentucky Hot Brown.  If you’ve never had one, think of it as a BLT with turkey slices and cheese sauce added.  It is heavenly!  As you can imagine, however, it is a little on the fattening side. 

~Enter Cooking Light…

They have a lightened up version of this yummy Kentucky favorite, and it’s just as good as the more fattening version.  Okay, even if you don’t have fresh tomatoes lying around, go buy a tomato somewhere and make this for supper!  I had roasted a turkey breast a couple weeks ago and stored slices in the freezer marked, “Turkey Breast slices for Hot Browns.”  So, this recipe was in the back of my head for a few weeks! 

Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard  

Remaining ingredients:
12 (1-ounce) slices white bread, toasted
3 cups shredded cooked turkey (about 6 ounces)
12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
5 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. To prepare sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. Cook the mixture 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheddar, Worcestershire, and mustard; stir with a whisk until smooth. Keep warm.
3. Arrange toast on a large baking sheet. Arrange turkey evenly over toast. Drizzle sauce evenly over turkey; top each toast slice with 1 tomato slice. Sprinkle evenly with bacon and Parmesan. Broil for 7 minutes or until thoroughly heated and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

If you need a couple recipe suggestions for fresh tomatoes, here’s a recipe using Cherry Tomatoes. This ravioli is so delicious! Of course you can’t beat a good ol’ Tomato Sandwich on white bread, spread with mayo and Cheddar cheese slice!
What is your favorite way to eat fresh tomatoes?