Tuna Noodle Casserole

I was not introduced to tuna noodle casserole until my sophmore year of college. I had just moved in to a house with six other females and found myself struggling with cooking for myself after being accustomed to campus living. One of my roommates gave me some quick and easy recipes to start with and thus began my quest to get better at cooking. One of the recipes was for tuna noodle casserole. Cheap and quick, I would boil some noodles, add a can of tuna, some cream of mushroom soup, and voila! Dinner in 20 minutes! Nothing fancy but it worked at the time and I loved it. Oh the life of a college student.

I have come a long way since then and find myself eagerly looking for new challenges in the kitchen. I explore cookbooks and websites in search of new recipes to try and ponder ways to make them healthier. Since I knew Brandon loves tuna noodle casserole, I was on a quest to find a unique recipe. I found a new twist on traditional tuna noodle casserole on my tried and true favorite recipe site; CookingLight.com. It was phenomenal! Without the use of cream of mushroom soup, the sauce was still rich, thick, and creamy! Not a lot of conversation went on as we happily savored every bite with lots of mmm’s and yums.
A small warning; the Dijon mustard was potent, so if you do not care for Dijon I might suggest using a little less. I also used whole wheat egg noddles for some extra added fiber. The portions are generous and I served it with warm, homemade garlic bread. The perfect ending to a relaxing day. Comfort food at it’s finest and healthiest! mmmm

Tuna Noodle Casserole:

CookingLight
Makes 6, 1 1/3c. servings

8oz whole wheat wide egg noodles
2 T olive oil
1/2c. chopped yellow onion
1/3c. chopped carrot
2 T flour
2 3/4c. 1% milk
1/2c. softened cream cheese
2 T Dijon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 (5oz) cans albacore tuna

Directions:
Preheat broiler. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain.

Heat a skillet, add oil to pan; add onion and carrot, cook 6 mins.

Sprinkle in flour, cook ~1 min, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk, cook ~5 mins, stirring constantly with a whisk until slightly thick. Stir in cream cheese, mustard, salt, pepper, and tuna, cook ~2 mins, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in noodles, peas, and 1/4c. parmesan cheese. Spoon into a 9 x 9″ dish coated with cooking spray and top with remainder of cheese (I saved a little for topping once served). Broil 3 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Nutrition per serving:
422 calories, 16.5g fat (7g saturated fat, 6.3g mono, 1.8g poly), 27.4g protein, 40.6g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 88mg cholesterol, 2.4 mg iron, 756mg sodium, 293 mg calcium
Omega 3 fatty acids should be a regular part of a balanced diet. Recent research suggests consuming two servings of fatty fish to meet your omega 3 quota a week. Albacore tuna, as used in this recipe, is a great source of omega 3′s! Some other great sources include Wild Alaskan Salmon, pollock, catfish, and shrimp.