The New Tuna Noodle Casserole

As I may have mentioned, I've been on a healthy eating kick. Luckily for you, that doesn't mean compromising taste. You know me!!!

How excited was I to discover that tuna noodle casserole is - dare I say - more delicious with a tomato base?!?!?! I know, I couldn't believe it either! Here is the breakdown:

Ingredients:
1 can of tuna (2 oz.)
1 can of tomato sauce (8 0z.)
1/2 cup green beans, freshly steamed
1/2 cup corn, canned or fresh
1/2 red onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Shredded parmesan cheese for topping, optional
Salt to taste
Dash of olive oil

1 cup whole grain pasta of your choice
(I recommend pasta shells)

Equipment:
Frying Pan
Sauce Pan
Colander
9 inch pie dish or casserole dish

This is super easy!

BOIL pasta according to directions, drain, set aside. Be sure it's al dente - or you'll have mushy casserole on your hands.

FRY the diced red onion in a smidgen of olive oil over medium-high heat. The purpose of the frying pan is not to cook or color our veggies, but to steam away the excess water keeping our casserole flavorlicious. Set aside in pie dish and spread evenly. Throw in the green beans and corn into the same pan and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Watch for whisps of steam to rise. The salt will draw the water out and enhance the sweetness of the fresh vegetables. When that stops - about 5 min later - transfer the veggies to the pie dish. The reason why we do the green beans and corn separately is because they have significantly higher moisture content than the onions. It would be steamed soggy city if we tried to do it all at once - as they say, three's a crowd.

DRAIN the canned tuna and throw it in the pan for 30 seconds. If you don't want to torture your cats or family with the smell of tuna wafting down your halls, you can skip this step. Personally, I don't mind it, but it's no biggie if you forgo it. Crumble tuna across the veggies.

POUR the canned tomato sauce across your veggie tuna mix, but save about 2 Tbsp or so. Salt to taste*

SPRINKLE dried herbs over the dish. Mix the remaining tomato sauce with the pasta and spoon over pie dish - the tomato sauce will help keep the pasta from drying out. Top with parmesan cheese.

COVER the dish lightly with foil and bake at 325°F for 30 min. Remove the foil and finish in the broiler in mere minutes - DO NOT WALK AWAY UNLESS YOU WANT CHARRED CASSEROLE!!!

*A word of caution about salting. There are two very important purchases that affect the salt content of this dish. First is your tuna - some tunas packed in olive oil overseas are also salted. Genova brand tuna is extremely salty. I would stick to solid white albacore packed in water. Second is your canned tomato sauce. Hunts has a sauce that comes pre-seasoned. It's actually pretty tasty, but it is pre-salted as well. If you want to have total control over your sodium, I recommend sticking with the all natural line.

I've made this dish despite it being summer... like... at least 5 times in the last month. It's so tasty and good for you. Enjoy!