ISO: Healthy Yummy Tuna Noodle Casserole

[Jeanne G]

I've been craving Tuna Noodle Casserole lately but don't have a "low" fat or reduced fat recipe that is good. I searched on CL & the BB & epicurious. Not much luck, although epricurious had two listed, one actually was a reduced fat version....but the reviews were not all that great.

Can anyone recommend a good recipe that they make? It doesn't need to be super traditional, although I would want to put peas http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif into it, but I'm thinking also mushrooms, etc. And a fun pasta like bowtie or something.

TIA for any help!!

[RUSTYSMOM]

HI Jeanne. Since your quest for Tuna Noodle Caserole inspired me to pull my favorite recipe for this out the least I can do is share it. It is painfully easy.. I hoep you will enjoy it as much as my family does.

1 can cambells light cream of mushroom soup
1/2c skim milk 1 can Tuna - drained
1 c frozen brocolli box pasta parm cheese

1. Mix soup, milk, tuna & brocolli
2. add cooked pasta
3. place in casserole and spinkle w parmesean cheese and paprika
4. bake in oven at 350
5. place under broiler 2-3 minutes

Enjoy!

[Susan]

Check out this previous thread for more recipes: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/000668.html

[Mamasue]

This is my daughters favorite mainly because its all I ate when I was pregnant with her....ate it just about every day. She is now 24 years old and still asks for it. I have adapted it to microwave. You can use low fat soup, milk and baked chips (I would rather real chips http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif).

1 can of cream of mushroom soup
3/4 can of milk
1 can of solid white tuna packed in water
1 small can of peas
1 cup of elbow pasta
potato chips

Mix soup, milk, tuna and peas in casserole. Cook pasta till al dente and add to casserole. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until bubbley. Serve over potato chips. Yummmmmm http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 10-28-2000).]

[Jeanne G]

THANK YOU ! THANK YOU ! THANK YOU !

These all look quite easy and quite good!!Thank you Rustysmom, Susan and MrsReber. And Susan, I checked out your thread! I am bummed it didn't come up when I searched Tuna Noodle Casserole. There were good recipes on that one too!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif And your cheese swirled one sounds good, and Sara is my favorite on Food TV. She strikes me as "real" and I enjoy watching her. Have you made that recipe? If it's good, please share.

And thanks again!! I'll be making tuna casserole next week. Yum! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Jeanne G (edited 10-28-2000).]

[Susan]

Here's the "Swirl" one! It's delicious! My SIL has substituted chicken for tuna and raved about it too! Enjoy!

~~Susan~~

CHEESE-SWIRLED TUNA CASSEROLE WITH GREEN PEAS AND MINT

Recipe Adapted from Jean Anderson’s The American Century Cookbook

Tuna Mixture:
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
3 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (6-ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sour-cream
1/3 cup minced, canned pimientos, drained

Cheese Swirl Biscuits:
2 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 vegetable shortening
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar or American cheese

Green Peas and Mint:
1 box frozen peas
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried mint

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter 11/2 to 2-quart casserole and set aside. Tuna Mixture: Stir-fry onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, until lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Blend in flour and salt, then broth. Add milk and heat, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in tuna, sour-cream, pimiento and lemon juice; set off heat, but keep warm. Cheese Swirl Biscuits: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Add shortening and cut in with pastry blender until texture of coarse meal. Add milk and fork briskly to make soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12 by 8 by 1/4-inch rectangle. Scatter cheese evenly on top, then jelly-roll style, starting from short end, to form roll 8 inches long. With floured sharp knife, slice 1-inch thick. Spoon tuna mixture into casserole. Space biscuits evenly on top, arranging so spiral designs show. Bake, uncovered, until biscuits puff and brown slightly – about 20 minutes. In a saucepan with 1/2 cup boiling water add frozen peas, follow directions on the back of package. Drain. In a glass bowl, toss peas, with butter and dried mint.


Show # CL9455

[JulieAnn]

Jeanne, just a couple of other ideas for you. I don't use an exact recipe, but I took a couple of ideas from a local cooking show. Making your basic sauce out of cream of just about anything soup, a little
Worcestershire sauce, veggies, cheese, and capers. My husband and I LOVE the capers. I also really enjoy using fresh tuna or salmon in the casserole.

[helene]

Tuna Casserole

1 can or 2 of water-packed tuna, drained
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 can (10oz) reduced-fat cream of mushroom or celery
1 cup shredded, reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese or low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 cup 1% milk
salt & pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, combine soup and milk. Heat over medium heat until smooth. Add cheese and continue to cook until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in pepper and salt.

Pour in a oven dish. Mix in the tuna, celery, onions, red pepper and mix well. Bake at 350F uncovered, for 30 min. Serve over macaroni, rice, any other pasta.

Hélène

[Stephanie]

Here's a tuna casserole I've been making for years. Everyone that tries it seems to like it--even my very picky husband!

Tuna Spinach Casserole

3 cans tuna drained
2 10 oz packages frozen chopped spinach (I usually don't drain this)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pint lowfat sour cream
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1 pkg (12 oz I think) egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the egg noodles and drain.
2. Combine the soups, sour cream, milk,tuna, and salt and pepper. Add the spinach.
3. Add the noodles to the creamy mixture and mix well.
4. Pour into 9 x 13 pan that's been coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

[Jeanne G]

WOW

Thanks to everyone AGAIN!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I love all the variations...mint, spinach, capers, bell peppers, broccoli,potato chips, etc!!! I had no idea there were so many options out there! Now I don't know which to make first. But I'll sure have fun making them!

And Susan, what a great idea of chicken. I never thought of that. But when I find a favorite one, I'll have to make it sometimes w/o tuna, because my boyfriend doesn't like canned tuna.



[This message has been edited by Jeanne G (edited 10-29-2000).]

[Jeanne G]

Just thought I'd thank everyone again since....I made this and ate it for lunch yesterday and today. It turned out very good!! I couldn't decide on ONE recipe, so I combined almost every one of them: I used bow tie pasta, spinach, pimentos, dill weed, peas, mushrooms, the light cream of celery & mushroom soups, light sour cream and milk & topped it with parmesan and breadcrumbs!! YUMMY!! I would have thrown in broccoli & green onions too if I had them. And I want to try the cheese swirls next time!!

Thanks again everybody!!

[emilycat]

JEANNE G,

Your "concoction" (although I'm sure it tasted better than that suggests http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif )sounds wonderful! I'm going to send my mom a link to this thread; she LOVES tuna casseroles, and I know she's love to have all this input... thanks everyone!

[Grace]

I'm going to butt in here and ask if anyone has a tuna noodle casserole that's made without any canned soup? I have a BIG aversion to recipes made with cream of mushroom or the like. YUCK. Sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone, it's just gross to me. But I LOVE tuna noodle casserole (at least I did when I was a kid - haven't had it since then - won't make the one my mom did since it has cream of something soup in it...), and I kept watching this thread hoping someone would post a version without it - it never showed up! So I'll ask for one specifically....hoping someone can help! TIA.

Grace

[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 11-03-2000).]

[sushibones]

Grace--

Here is a recipe I saved from a 1997 Eating Well issue. I have never made it, so can't say if it tastes as interesting as it sounds. It seems pretty exotic for tuna casserole, but there is no canned soup. There is low-fat mayo, but if that didn't appeal, you could probably substitute yogurt or low-fat sour cream. I'd also be concerned about how toasty those pine nuts are going to be after cooking for 20 min in a 425 oven. Seems too long if you have already pretoasted them. Also, if I were making this, I might add a little spicy mustard to jazz up the sauce. Oh well, here is the original recipe without my speculations.


Tuna Noodle Casserole

1/3 cup pine nuts
6 sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
6 oz dried wide egg noodles
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 stalk celery, quartered
1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 9-oz can white tuna in water, drained and flaked
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 Tbls finely chopped fresh parsley or basil
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread pine nuts in a shallow pan and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned; set aside.
3. Increase oven temperature to 425. Lightly oil a 3-qt baking dish or coat it with nonstick spray.
4. In a small bowl, soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
5. Cook noodles in boiling salted water until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse reserved tomatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic until finely chopped.
7. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring accasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to a boil, stirring, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in mayonnaise, tuna, cheese, and parsley (or basil). Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
8. Gently mix reserved noodles into tuna mixture and spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved pine nuts. (The casserole will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)
9. Bake casserole for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

6 servings

265 calories per serving: 21 grams protein; 11 grams fat (2.6 grams saturated fat); 33 grams carbohydrate; 385 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fiber

[This message has been edited by sushibones (edited 11-03-2000).]

[Susan]

Grace~
See my post above for CHEESE-SWIRLED TUNA CASSEROLE. It doesn't have soup in it.

~~Susan~~

[Grace]

Oh thank you, oh thank you!!! This one looks really good - exactly what I was looking for, except for I'll probably leave the pine nuts out all together - they don't do much for me. But I am definitely going to try this one!! Thanks again...

Grace

[sushibones]

Grace

I'm glad you like the recipe. Let us know how it turns out. It may inspire me to try it myself.