Donated Canned Tuna Recipe

Another recipe for donated tuna cans in the shelters and soup kitchens:

3 - 4 pounds of dried wide egg noodles, made with egg whites and whole grain pasta only, boiled al dente (Try cooking it for 3/4 of the minimum boiling time on the instructions.)

8 cups of low-fat ricotta cheese, pasteurized
(Substitute or mix it with 90% ratio of non-fat cottage cheese and 10% ratio of nonfat plain yogurt to reduce cholesterol, blended together in a blender. Everything dairy definitely needs to be pasteurized, so it doesn't lead to kidney failures, or infections spreading in the community. Never use raw dairy products, even in hard cheeses. Pasteurized and organic is best, especially if you can get that in skim/non-fat, UHT.)

4 - 6 cups of mascarpone cheese, pasteurized

5 large, organic eggs, beaten up
(Substitute with organic egg whites, 3 cups)

1 - 2 pound(s) of shredded, pasteurized, part-skim mozzarella

1 - 2 pound(s) of shredded, reduced-fat Monterey Jack or reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

8 - 12 cups of donated, canned tuna, boneless, skinless, precooked, drained, then, put through a ricer kitchen tool

1 - 2 (16 oz) bag(s) of organic frozen peas and carrots

2 - 5 organic red bell peppers, de-seeded, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

2 - 4 bunches of fresh green onions, organic, washed, bottom 2 inches removed, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 - 2 large, organic yellow onion, diced

2 - 4 cups of fresh garlic cloves, peeled, ends trimmed off, finely-minced
(Without a food processor, it's easiest to flatten the cloves on a cutting board, and then peel them. I use a meat cleaver to flatten a batch of 24 cloves, stop to peel them, then cut off the ends. Just mince it with the meat cleaver and then, transfer the minced garlic with the flat end of the meat cleaver to a glass, microwaveable measuring cup. If you can use less utensils in kitchen work, it saves on the water/dishwasher. They sell good meat cleavers, along with 12-cup rice steamers at Pacific Ocean Market)

2 - 4 cups of dried, organic, Italian oregano

1 - 3 cups of dried, organic basil

1/2 cup to 2 cups of dried, organic, French thyme

1/2 cup to 2 cups of organic, coarsely-ground, black pepper

Directions:

1.  Boil noodles al dente. Drain, run cold water over it, then toss it with extra-virgin olive oil.

2.  Preheat oven to 350°F with center rack for 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Mist a deep-dish lasagna pan (glass bakeware) with grapeseed oil

4.  Combine and stir all ingredients together.

5.  Put ingredients into the deep-dish lasagna pan. You'll need to use two or more of them for this recipe.  Leave 3 to 4 inches of space from the top of the casserole pan to the casserole.

6.  Sprinkle an even 1/2-inch (half-inch) layer of Italian breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole.

7.  Then, sprinkle an even 2 - 3 inch layer of shredded, low-fat Mexican cheese over the top of casserole.

8. Bake covered in foil, at center rack, preheated to 350°F for 45 minutes in oven. Uncover the foil at 30 minutes of baking time.