help me fix this meal

limabean00
limabean00 Posts: 9 Member
in Recipes
My husband & I recently joined this site and we were appalled at how much sodium we'd been eating on a regular basis. We've been trying to "tweak" our favorite recipes so we can still enjoy our favorite foods. But one of our favorite meals seems beyond fixing. Here's the original ingredient list, any suggestions would be very appreciated!

Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 bag egg noodles
2 cans tuna (drained)
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Basically you boil the noodles and stir in the tuna & cream of mushroom, nothing special to it, but it's one of our favorites. Is there any way to make this healthier? My husband suggested switching to cream of celery soup, but I don't think that's much of an improvement.

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    I don't see anything wrong with this unless you're eating the entire thing at once.

    But if you have a portion of it a couple times a week with a side of veggies or salad, that seems like a great meal. I hate cream of mushroom soup though, but it still sounds good, haha.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    StarKist and Campbell's make lower sodium tuna and low sodium cream of mushroom soup, respectively.
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    Bump
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    You could make your own mushroom sauce. Anything in a tin usually equals high sodium.
  • carolk43
    carolk43 Posts: 1
    I would try a whole wheat pasta/noodle and use fat free cream of mushroom soup .
    Honestly, I try not to eat any type of pasta while trying to lose weight
  • cheryl117
    cheryl117 Posts: 27
    I LOVE tuna and noodle casserole <3
  • kbrunner2
    kbrunner2 Posts: 38 Member
    Cream of mushroom soup is easy to make yourself and you can limit the sodium GREATLY! There is even a mix that you can make for any time you need "cream of" soups then just make what you need. I would try that and also get the tuna with the lowest amount of sodium. Whole wheat pasta would help too.
  • Mom2PresNGrace
    Mom2PresNGrace Posts: 6
    Give this a try. :)
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/skinny-tuna-noodle-casserole.html
  • limabean00
    limabean00 Posts: 9 Member
    I will have to look for low sodium cream of mushroom. I tried to get my husband to eat whole wheat pasta before and he hated it, but I might have to try it again. That "skinny" recipe looks AMAZING, I never thought of using peas, I will most definitely be adding that next time.
  • mjames38
    mjames38 Posts: 18
    I would substitute the soup for fat free sour cream and add fresh sauteeed mushrooms for a better taste.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    I agree with making the mushroom sauce yourself. Although, you could also just skip the 'cream' idea to save fat/cals
    and just use really flavorful mushrooms like dried shiritaki that you have rehydrated and button mushrooms. or whatever
    you find on sale.

    We usually eat this with some type of green veggies to brighten it up, broccoli would be better than peas.

    for the noodles you could do whole wheat, but i have trouble getting them flavorful enough to taste good.
    you could do a pesto sauce, that would add tons of flavor and be healthier than cream of mushroom.
    tons of variations of pestos. doesn't have to be expensive, grow the basil yourself and freeze, make it with
    parsley, again, tons of options.

    light tuna in water, which is what I get, is very dry and almost flavorless.
    you could switch it to sardines, mackeral (be careful about which kind, sometimes loaded with mercury)
    or salmon. I guess with any canned fish there is sodium, but I'm sure they vary in how much,
    and it depends how much you use. probably, the healthiest is to use frozen or fresh fish if you
    can afford it.

    so if you made whole wheat egg noodles (or whatever shape you prefer, ooh bow ties always look yummy)
    saute some mushrooms
    make a pesto and add a little cream of some kind, cream cheese or whatever works
    that sounds really flavorful to me :) and bright with the green sauce.
    add fish and you have a meal.

    here's an updated tuna noodle cassarole recipe by rachael ray
    http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=3380
  • THuffman1967
    THuffman1967 Posts: 114 Member
    I LOVE Tuna noodle casserole, but haven't made it in a really long time. I think I'll try the skinnytaste recipe.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    StarKist and Campbell's make lower sodium tuna and low sodium cream of mushroom soup, respectively.

    Yep, this ^^ would be my advice as well. Although I'd also suggest adding a few extra mushrooms and maybe some chopped onions, celery, carrots or other veggie of your choice for a little extra nutrients and fiber. Just saute them lightly in a pan before adding all the other ingredients together. Or toss in a bag of chopped mixed frozen veggies.
  • greenwel
    greenwel Posts: 24 Member
    Most of you sodium is in the soup, I bet. NEVER use canned soup. Make your own sauce with a bit of butter /flour and either milk or broth Easy
  • Kitsada
    Kitsada Posts: 105 Member
    A layer of spinach in the middle of it is yummy too, and adds vitamins...
  • framingthewheels
    framingthewheels Posts: 23 Member
    Try Ronzoni Smart Taste egg noodles for this one. They have the same nutrition stats as whole wheat pasta (high fiber, lower in carbs) but taste exactly like regular pasta. Your husband wouldn't know the difference.
  • tiffanyheth
    tiffanyheth Posts: 510 Member
    I agree about switching out the noodles to the Smart Taste egg noodles. Get the low sodium, water only tuna. Instead of the cream soup, use diced mushrooms, sauteed in pan spray, fat free sour cream, add a dash of low sodium worcestershire sauce, garlic powder.

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