I believe there are thousands of versions of tuna casserole online. My husband enjoys tuna and I was looking for inspiration for what to do with the canned version. I also recently obtained a new spiralizer and just really enjoy using it. And.. zucchini is in season here! Mine is not ready yet, but hopefully we will have some soon. For this dinner I basically took my mom’s old tuna noodle casserole recipe she had written in the cookbook she gave my sister and I each when we got married – and I used that as my inspiration. You have canned tuna, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup and breadcrumbs.
I used my spiralizer to make zucchini ribbons. You just use the flat blade and it’s super easy. I spread them out on a cookie sheet on top of a couple of layers of paper towels and added another layer on top. I let that sit for 20-30 minutes. You don’t necessarily have to wait that long, but I had other things going on. Then you squeeze all of the water out with the paper towels and throw your ribbons in a bowl awaiting the rest of the mixture.
A typical start for me.. I melted some ghee butter (about 4 tablespoons give or take). I added some garlic – probably 3 tablespoons of that as well. And then a package and a half of organic white mushrooms. Cook that down until the mushrooms are done all the way through.
Then, I added some white wine. Any dry white will do – this particular night I had a California sauvignon blanc. I added about a cup, maybe a little more and let it simmer for about 12 minutes.
Then, I removed from the heat and stirred in about 1.5-2 cups of non-fat, plain Greek yogurt and some cracked peppercorns. Stir together well. Make sure you stir constantly – you don’t want the yogurt to curdle. Once that was done and mixed well – I drained a large can of tuna and added to my bowl of zucchini ribbons. Finally, I poured my sauce or “cream of mushroom” over the tuna and zoodle mixture.
Pour your mixture into a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. In our case I found a great gluten free rice option at the grocery store. The gluten free breadcrumbs are larger and hold their texture better than the regular, fine breadcrumbs. I threw this in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.
The only thing I would have changed was I would suggest if you have extra long ribbons – cutting them up before adding to your mixture. Just makes serving a little easier – and maybe prettier than above. Otherwise it’s just like serving long spaghetti noodles and doesn’t impact the taste at all. My husband and I both agreed this will be added to a regular rotation for us!
Tuna “Zoodle” Casserole
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium zucchini
- 1 can tuna organic, low sodium
- 4 tbsp ghee butter
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 pckg white mushrooms
- 1 cups white wine dry
- 2 cup greek yogurt plain, non-fat
- 2 tsp cracked peppercorns
- 3 tbsp italian breadcrumbs gluten free
Instructions
- Using the flat blade of a spiralizer, create zucchini ribbons. This makes them more like the traditional egg noodles. It will seem like you have a lot – until you squeeze the water out.
- Layer a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels – spread your zucchini on top of the paper towels and then cover with additional layers. Let sit for approx 20 minutes.
- Over medium heat, melt some ghee butter in a saute pan. Add your minced garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add in your mushrooms and stir occasionally until cooked through.
- Once your mushrooms are cooked through, add your dry white wine and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove your mixture from the heat and stir in your yogurt and cracked pepper. Stir consistently until well mixed – do not let your yogurt curdle.
- Squeeze the water out of the zucchini ribbons with the paper towels and toss into a mixing bowl. Drain your can of tuna and add to your ribbons.
- Add your sauce to the bowl and mix well. Pour everything into a baking dish.
- Top with your breadcrumbs and bake in the over at 350 for 20 minutes.
