Homey Tuna Noodle Casserole
A tuna noodle casserole is the ultimate comfort food, in my book. But the downside of the homey, traditional casserole is its fat and calories. With cream of mushroom soup, half-and-half, tuna packed in oil, butter--it’s loaded.
This reduced-fat version still has the flavor of those tuna noodle casseroles from childhood, but skips the soup and uses nonfat milk and nonfat half-and-half. The nonfat half-and-half, which can be used like regular half-and-half in most recipes, can be found in the dairy case at well-stocked supermarkets.
I like to use a small amount of butter for brushing the casserole, adding a bit in the cream sauce and toasting the bread crumbs. With all the fat that has been cut, a little butter is worth it.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-inch round baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.
Spray a saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion and celery and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour until blended. Gradually blend in a little milk and stir until the mixture looks smooth. Stir in the remaining milk and half-and-half. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce begins to simmer and thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the peas. Season with the salt and pepper.
Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until they are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain.
Spread 1/3 of the drained noodles evenly across the baking dish. Arrange 1/2 of the drained tuna over the noodles, then pour 1/3 of the sauce over the top, spreading to the edges. Repeat the layers. Top with the remaining noodles and sauce.
Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the bread crumbs and stir until the bread crumbs begin to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole.
Bake until the casserole is hot through the center, 30 to 35 minutes.
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