Super Nutritious Comforting Tuna Casserole (Gluten-free & Dairy Free)

Comfort food is a must when life seems like it’s not going your way. But too much comfort food may not always favor the slender figure you seek. Thankfully it’s my J-O-B to create recipes that are multipurpose: Nutritious, Delicious, Slenderizing & Comforting too.

This recipe also happens to be cost effective & filling. For a mere $2.95 you get 1 1/2 cups of DELICIOUS food providing HUNDREDS of percentages of the Daily Value for ALL of your B vitamins!!

Those “B’s” are ESSENTIAL for converting FOOD to ENERGY! The plethora of B vitamins are thanks to the Nutritional Yeast. My ALL TIME favorite Super Food. I’ve been using Nutritional Yeast since the 90’s. I even wrote an article about it and Wikipedia referenced my article.

Each serving of this Tuna Casserole also provides a significant source of ALL of your essential vitamins & minerals EXCEPT for vitamin D.

I’ve made this recipe several times over the past year since creating a similar version for Oxygen magazine.

As with any comfort food, I find I need them most when I’m feeling frustrated.

Ever since I switched from Google Blogger to WordPress, my blog posts have decreased. Partly because I’ve been working WAAAY more than I’d like as a consulting Dietitian, not my dream job. And partly because using WordPress is WAAAAY less user friendly than Google Blogger. But I’m going to keep trying to figure it out and get a flow going.

In the meantime, I still create delicious recipes each week as a way to always optimally fuel my body as well as to flex my creative muscles. This tuna casserole is one of my favorite super nutritious recipes that offers the comfort of a casserole without the use of any wheat, gluten or dairy. The combination of ingredients may seem a bit unusual but the overall flavor and texture, I feel, is amazing. If you have 12 ounce pot pie dishes, they would be perfect for both portion sizes and presentation.
Here are some on Amazon.

Otherwise I use my Le Creuset 8 x 8 baking dishes. They’re just lovely!! I highly recommend Le Creuset cookware for their Pure PRETTINESS & Functionality! Hmm, sounds like a personal’s ad…

Excellent Wife Potential: PRETTY & Functional!!!!    

With this recipe you’re sure to win his heart or at least protect it. The bounty of Omega-3 fats will keep his ticker strong & healthy for decades!!!  So get to work & ENJOY!!!

For single servings, I love my new Karen Scott Pottery. I bought mine at Whole foods but you can certainly visit her site & buy direct. Karen is such a lovely person. I was immediately attracted to her pottery while perusing Whole Foods. I wasn’t certain it would be oven safe so I looked up her name, found her website & called the number. Karen was such a pleasure to talk to & was equally excited to have me use her pottery.  Please visit her website: www.bernscottpottery.com 

Super Nutritious Comforting Tuna Casserole  

Ready in 60 minutes * Makes 4 servings

1 large sweet potato or yam, diced

6 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp mayo (I love the taste of Hain’s brand)

1 cup organic milk from grass-fed cows OR non-GMO Soy Milk 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional, if you omit, the flavor won’t be affected, but the omega-3 content will decrease by 870 mg per serving)

1 cup (uncooked) brown rice OR quinoa OR a combination of both

2 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flake (preferably Wild Planet brand: BPA free cans & sustainably caught)

2 Tbsps olive oil (use 1 Tbsp to coat cubed potato & the other Tbsp for sautéing onion)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

2 carrots, diced, small cubed

Dash sea salt and pepper for baking sweet potato

ONE

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potato into medium cubes. Toss potato with 1 Tbsp olive oil, sea salt & pepper. Bake 30 minutes, until cubes are soft when pierced with a fork.

TWO

In a sauce pot with a lid, place brown rice and enough water to cover by one finger notch. OR if you prefer to measure, I use about 3 cups of water for each 1 cup of grain. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. When the water begins to boil, reduce to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.

THREE

While sweet potato bakes & rice cooks, chop garlic, onion & carrots. Set aside in individual bowls. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion until soft, about two minutes. Add chopped carrots and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add peas to thaw. If your skillet is large enough, add brown rice & stir to combine. Or combine everything in a large mixing bowl.

FOUR

In a food processor, combine baked sweet potato chunks, nutritional yeast, mayo, Dijon, garlic, pepper and milk. Process until creamy smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you should get one. I am in LOVE with my new Cuisinart!!! Until then, you can mash the sweet potato in a large mixing bowl using either a potato masher or a sturdy fork. Then add the Nutritional yeast, mayo, Dijon, garlic, pepper & milk and whisk thoroughly until creamy smooth. This is a great workout for your arms.

FIVE

Drain tuna and add to a really large mixing bowl. Flake tuna using a sturdy fork. Add onion, peas, carrots and rice and toss with “orange sauce.” Place everything in an 8 x 8 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned. 

Cost per serving: $2.95

Nutrients per serving (1/4 of recipe/ 1 1/2 cups / 336g):  Calories: 420, Total Fat: 14 g, Total Carbohydrates: 40 g, Dietary Fiber: 10 g, Protein: 34 g, Sodium: 185 mg

Omega-3 Fats: 1,320 mg, Omega-6 fats: 2,290 mg

RATIO Omega-6: Omega-3 = 1.7:1 (ideal is < 4:1)

 

% Daily Value

496% B-1 thiamine

430% B-2 riboflavin

407% B-6

307% B-3 niacin

127% vitamin A

124% B-12

83% pantothenic acid

78% selenium

60% folate

41% manganese

35% phosphorus

31% potassium

24% magnesium

22% vitamin C

19% iron

14% vitamin E

16% copper

13% zinc

9% calcium

0% vitamin D