Packed with protein but low on carbs and calories, this recreation of one of my childhood comfort dishes is warm, creamy, crunchy, and healthy!
I didn’t learn about my diagnosis of celiac disease until my mid-20’s and every once in a while, I crave something from my childhood, but when I do, I need to recreate it using gluten free ingredients. My mom used to make this for me all the time when I was a kid, and I haven’t tasted it since I was little.
I’ve been experimenting with hearts of palm noodles and because they really hold a firm texture, I thought they’d be perfect in a casserole like this. My favorite tuna is Tonnino brand packed in oil, but you substitute water-packed if you prefer. This dish is the perfect mixture of comfort while not getting too indulgent in calories or carbs. You can even omit the peas, and use keto breadcrumbs like pork rinds to reduce the carbs even further. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
- 2 6.7oz cans Tonnino packed in oil (what I had on hand) or you can substitute 3 4.5oz cans
- 1 10oz can of Pacific Foods Organic Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup (it’s gluten free)
- 1 12oz package of Palmini Hearts of Palm Linguini
- 2 TBS butter, divided
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 4oz cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup frozen petit peas
- 3 TBS chopped parsley
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 oz gruyere cheese
- 1 TBS gluten free breadcrumbs
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Rub a small casserole dish with 1 TBS of butter to coat (I used a 8.5” square one)
- Open the tuna and drain the oil or water. Place in a large mixing bowl and use your hands or a fork to break it up into smaller pieces.
- Place the condensed mushroom soup in the bowl with the tuna.
- Place the linguini in a colander and rinse well. Add it to bowl and set aside.
- Warm a sauté pan to medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Once the oil is warm, add the mushrooms, celery and onion and cook, stirring, for about five minutes or until mushrooms brown a bit.
- Turn off the heat and add the frozen peas, breaking up any clumps.
- Transfer the whole mixture to the bowl with the tuna mixture, along with the parsley and mix well.
- Add generous twists of freshly ground black pepper and a couple dashes of salt (the tuna and soup are already pretty salty so you don’t need too much salt)
- Top with the grated cheese
- Warm the remaining tablespoon of butter with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the casserole
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350
- For a brown crust, increase heat to 425 for another 5 minutes at the end.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
- Great with a side of steamed green beans or crunchy salad.
- Makes 3 servings:
- calories
- g protein
- g carbs
- g fat
