HG's Hot-Stuff Bacon Cheese Fries

Do we really need to persuade you to try this recipe? It's French fries topped with gooey cheese, savory bacon, and more. JUST CHEW IT.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. ranch dressing/dip seasoning mix
One 2-lb. or half of a 4-lb. butternut squash (20 oz. once peeled and sliced)
1/8 tsp. coarse salt
1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-blend cheese
2 tbsp. precooked real crumbled bacon (like the kind by Oscar Mayer)
2 tbsp. jarred jalapeño slices, drained
2 tbsp. chopped scallions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix sour cream with ranch mix. Cover and refrigerate.

Peel squash, and slice off the ends. Cut in half widthwise, just above the round section. Cut the round piece in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.

Cut squash into French-fry-shaped spears. Thoroughly pat dry. Lay spears on the sheets, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 minutes.

Flip spears and bake until mostly tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 15 minutes.

Closely arrange spears on the center of each sheet. Top with cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake until cheese has melted, 1 - 2 minutes.

Top with jalapeño slices and scallions. Serve with sour cream mixture for dipping!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Chili's Texas Cheese Fries

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and that definitely includes this dish's calorie count! The stats below are for HALF of a HALF ORDER. When at Chili's, one might assume that a half-order starter split between two people can't be that unreasonable. But it IS unreasonable, WILDLY so. Still, the call of hot cheese fries topped with crispy bacon and served with a side of ranch dressing is hard to ignore. So we downsized the stats by dressing up our very own guilt-free butternut squash fries with reduced-fat cheese and no-guilt bacon crumbles. Add an HG-approved ranch dip, and there's no reason to even THINK about ordering the Chili's version! Problem solved...