Crispy-on-the-Top Tuna and Green Pea Casserole

First I should explain that last night’s dinner was not from a cookbook so I didn’t blog it.   We wanted to have salmon.  I bake the salmon with Penzeys Trinidad spice on it.  Trinidad makes any fish taste really good.  The Trinidad spice from Penzeys is why I am now mentioning it.  With that we had the amazing Costco sweet potato fries and a spinach salad.  I base the salad on one I found on Epicurious.  It also appeared in Bon Appétit in December 1995 It was called spinach salad with pear and Avocado.  I had everything but the cheese.  But, I had the left over blue cheese dip from the super bowl party.  I added a little skim milk and instant dressing which I used instead of the dressing for the recipe.  The pear and avocado in the salad was really great. 

So on to tonight we are back to the Rocco Dispirito cookbook.  My memory of tuna casserole was from the cafeteria at Mundell Elementary school.  It had crushed potato chips on top. 

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

6 oz whole wheat rotini

¾ C reduced-fat sour cream

¾ C 2% Greek yogurt, I had fat free

3 T Dijon mustard

5 oz. shredded 50% reduced-fat cheddar cheese 

18 oz. canned albacore tuna, packed in water, drained

1 ½ C frozen peas

Salt and pepper (I did not add salt and it was plenty salty)

¼ C whole wheat panko bread crumbs

Directions:    

1.      Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray an 8 x8 baking dish with cooking spray.  One of these days I am going to find an 8x8, until then I use my 9x9’s.

2.      Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to package direction, drain. 

3.      In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, yogurt, mustard, and cheese together.  Add the cooked noodles, tuna and peas.  Stir until the pasta is coated with the sauce.  Season with pepper. 

4.      Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the panko over the top. 

5.      Bake about 10 minutes.  If you make it earlier and refrigerate, I would bake it longer.

Jim served a Grand Ardeche chardonnay by Louis Latour, 2009.  I told him that I like Viansa chardonnay better.  He pointed out that this was $13 and the Viansa is about $30 for the lowest one.  I still like it better, but it beats box wine.  He wants you to know that this was "pretty darn good."

Jim like the casserole.  I thought the sour cream overwelmed the whole dish.  However for a diet dish if you are on a diet and dying for a creamy pasta dish without destroying your diet, this is it.