Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole - 8 points

6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each

Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups nonfat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 12 ounces canned chunk light tuna drained (see Note)
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Position rack in upper third of oven and preheat broiler.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Add milk and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in tuna, peas and 1/2 cup Parmesan until evenly incorporated. Then, stir in the noodles (the pan will be very full). Remove from the heat.
4. Sprinkle the casserole with breadcrumbs and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Broil until bubbly and lightly browned on top, 3 to 4 minutes.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3, spoon into an 8-inch-square glass baking dish, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese (Step 4) and bake, covered, at 350°F for 50 minutes. Uncover and cook until browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes more.

• Note: Chunk light tuna, which comes from the smaller skipjack or yellowfin, has less mercury than canned white albacore tuna. The FDA/EPA advises that women who are or might become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children consume no more than 6 ounces of albacore a week; up to 12 ounces of canned light tuna is considered safe.
• Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh crumbs. For dry breadcrumbs, spread the fresh crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until crispy, about 15 minutes. One slice of fresh bread makes about 1/3 cup dry crumbs. Or use prepared coarse dry breadcrumbs. We like Ian's brand labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets.

Nutrition

Per serving: 406 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 53 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 32 g protein; 5 g fiber; 684 mg sodium; 593 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (30% daily value), Potassium (17% dv), Iron, Vitamin A & Vitamin C (15% dv), good source of omega-3s.
3 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1/2 nonfat milk, 3 lean meat

Tortilla Bake - 8 pts

Want burritos but no rolling? This recipe is really fast and easy. In the picture I used 8 inch (ish) whole wheat flour tortillas and stacked it higher then normal, but you can do it with three larger tortillas if you wish.

1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 jar your favorite salsa (green Herdez)
1 cup coarsely mashed kidney beans
1/4 chopped fresh coriander
1/4 cup Tex mexy pre-shredded cheese
four 10 inch tortillas

Place 1 tortilla on a cookie sheet and pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Saute your onion, red pepper, and ground beef (or turkey) together until the meat is cooked and the veggies are soft and yummy. Sprinkle in the cumin and chili powder, stirring. Take it off the heat.

Stir in enough salsa to make it saucy but not dripping-I use about 1/2 jar, so maybe 1/2 cup? Stir in the mashed up kidney beans and the chopped coriander. Spread 1/3 of the mixture over the tortilla sitting on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with some cheese, top with another tortilla. Top with 1/3 more filling, more cheese, repeat layers, ending with the last tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese.

If you have a lot of filling, you can add another layer of meat and cheese, topping with another tortilla.

Bake in the 350 F oven for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is warm and bubbly. We just slice it up like a pie and eat it, but you could serve it topped with chopped lettuce, black olives, sour cream, etc.

Serves 4. Nutritional Info - Cal 393; Fat 12; Fiber 6.5; Pro 27; Carbs 43