RECIPE DOCTOR
Try a different version of tuna casserole

By Elaine Magee
Knight Ridder News Service

Q. I end up making tuna casserole a few times a month because I tend to have all the ingredients in my kitchen and everyone really likes it. I'm tired of using the same old recipe with the cream of mushroom soup. Do you have a different, lighter, recipe we can try?

A. Tuna casserole wasn't something my mother made when I was growing up but it is a nice easy dinner to make at the last minute.

I had to search a few recipe Web sites to come up with a "different" recipe for tuna casserole, one that involves layers of vegetables, cheese and a mayo-based sauce. Then I proceeded to change it, adding chopped celery, switching to green onions and using petite peas instead of zucchini. I switched to light mayonnaise and use a lot less, replacing the lost mayo with some fat-free sour cream. I also used reduced fat sharp cheddar and water-packed albacore tuna instead of regular cheddar and oil-packed tuna.

Chopped tomatoes top off this casserole for a nice, fresh finish.

(Editor's note: Recent news about the mercury content of albacore or white tuna suggests that children and pregnant or lactating women should limit their intake. Water-packed chunk light tuna is recommended instead.)

It's still tuna casserole, but it's a nice change from the usual soup recipe.

Contemporary Tuna Casserole

• 6 cups cooked egg noodles or fettuccine (about 9 ounces fresh)
• 2 (6-ounce) cans solid white tuna canned in water, drained and broken into small chunks with fork
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup petite peas
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided use
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish or similar with canola cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, toss together the cooked noodles, tuna, celery, green onion, and peas. Stir in the sour cream, mustard, light mayonnaise, and half of the cheese. Season with salt and thyme.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes (until hot and bubbly). Sprinkle tomatoes over the top before dishing it up.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 396 calories, 24 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat, 1.6 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat), 83 mg cholesterol, 3.5 g fiber, 545 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 25 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids, 0.3 g. Omega-6 fatty acids, 1.4 g. Weight Watchers, 8 points.

The original recipe had 621 calories, 39 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, and 103 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook". Write to her through www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses cannot be provided.