Tuna Noodle Casserole
4 slices good-quality, firm whole wheat bread
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery ribs, strings removed and chopped
½ teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
12-16 ounces fresh shitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced
8 ounces uncooked, medium-wide, no-yolk egg noodles
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups lower-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 cup 1-percent milk
½ cup nonfat sour cream
½ cup 1-percent cottage cheese
3 cans (6 ounces each) chunk light or white water-packed tuna, well-drained, or 2 pouches (7 ounces each) light or white tuna
1 cup frozen baby peas
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or baking pan with nonstick spray.
Coarsely chop bread slices, add to a food processor and process into crumbs. Remove and set aside.
At this point, you can use the processor for the garlic, onions and celery as well as the mushrooms if your processor can slice.
Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a large non-stick skillet and place over medium to medium-high heat. When hot, add onion, garlic, celery, celery salt and pepper and sauté until vegetables begin to soften. Add mushrooms and sauté until they throw off most of their liquid, about 7 to 8 minutes.
While the vegetables cook, bring a pot two-thirds filled with cold water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon table salt and noodles and cook according to package directions; drain well, do not rinse.
While noodles cook, add remaining 3 teaspoons olive oil to a 6-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. When hot, add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, or until just starting to color. Whisk in broth, milk, sour cream and cottage cheese until combined. Stir in vegetables and accumulated liquid, tuna and peas. Stir in drained noodles. Remove from heat.
Spoon noodle mixture into prepared casserole, smooth out the top, sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly and the breadcrumbs start to brown. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack; let it sit for 5 minutes and serve.
Serves eight.
Nutrition values per serving: 360 calories (15.3 percent from fat), 6.1 g fat (1.9 g saturated), 45.4 g carbohydrates, 4.7 g fiber, 28.8 g protein, 26 mg cholesterol, 656 mg sodium.
SaltSense: The sodium from the canned tuna contributes over 30 percent of the sodium to this casserole. Using no-salt canned tuna reduces the sodium per serving to 479 milligrams.