Healthy Tuna Casserole Muffins
Think mom’s tuna casserole, but in convenient finger-friendly packages that can be eaten on the go or frozen and pulled out for a healthy and easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 (5 oz) cans Chicken of the Sea® Solid White Albacore in Water, drained
- 1/2 lb. elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
- 5 oz. fat free evaporated milk
- 3 eggs
- 3 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 6 Tablespoons almond meal (or breadcrumbs if preferred), divided
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Boil pasta to al dente according to package instructions.
- After pasta has cooked, drain and place back into cooking pot. Stir in the cheddar cheese, 3 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and evaporated milk until cheese has melted.
- In a bowl, mix together the eggs, celery, onion, 1/3 cup of parsley, 3 Tablespoons almond meal or bread crumbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Now fold the cheesy pasta into the veggie and egg mixture. Fold in the thawed peas.
- Spray a muffin tin pan with cooking spray.
- For the topping: in a bowl, combine the remaining 3 Tablespoons of Parmesan and 3 Tablespoons of almond meal or bread crumbs.
- Using a level 1/3 measuring cup, fill each muffin tin with the pasta/tuna mixture. Firmly press down on each individual cup and then sprinkle on the Parmesan/almond meal (bread crumb) mix.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Allow tuna bites to cool for 5-8 minutes in the pan, then use a non-stick spatula to loosen the muffins around the edges. Gently scoop each muffin out and serve warm.
- Garnish with 1 tablespoon parsley and more Parmesan cheese if desired.
