Dinner tonight! Philly cheesesteak lettuce cups

Philly cheesesteak for less than 200 calories? You bet! Lisa Lillien -- a.k.a. “Hungry Girl” -- came up with this wonderfully simple, low-cal adaptation, which can be found in her book “Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories.” Lillien wrote, “We’re kicking unwanted calories and carbs to the curb here by serving up our cheesesteak in lettuce cups instead of on a giant doughy roll. Who’s smart? WE ARE!” The recipe was featured with a profile Food writer Rene Lynch did on Lillien in 2009.

For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery. Food editor Russ Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.

ALSO:

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

134 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

You can find Noelle Carter on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. Email Noelle at [email protected].

Philly cheesesteak lettuce cups
Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 1

3 ounces raw lean beefsteak fillet

Nonstick spray

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup thinly sliced onions

1 slice fat-free American cheese

2 leaves romaine, butter or green leaf lettuce

1. Slice the fillet crosswise into thin strips about one-eighth inch thick. Set aside. Tip: Freezing the beef slightly will make it easier to cut.

2. Spray a medium pan with nonstick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat to a small bowl and set aside.

3. Re-spritz the pan with nonstick spray. Cook the fillet strips over medium-high heat until browned on each side, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

4. Break the cheese slice into small strips, place on top of the meat -- still in the pan -- and continue to cook until the cheese has melted slightly, less than 1 minute.

5. Remove from heat and mix the cheesy beef strips in with the mushrooms and onions. Serve in the lettuce “cups.”

Each serving: 174 calories; 24 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 40 mg. cholesterol; 307 mg. sodium.