ONLINE EXTRA — NOT-YOUR-MOM'S TUNA CASSEROLE: Sweet and Sour Tuna Pasta . . . Gourmet Tuna Noodle Casserole . . . Don’t Say Diet Tuna Casserole, etc.

Sweet and Sour Tuna Pasta

1 1-pound box penne or fusilli pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 5-ounce cans tuna, well-drained

1/3 cup capers, well-drained (if not available, substitute 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar)

1 15.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, or chopped basil

Cook pasta until firm (al dente). Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, and then drain pasta and return to pot. While pasta is cooking, warm olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in tuna, capers, tomatoes, raisins and reserved cooking water. Stir well to warm and combine. Stir pasta into tuna mixture. Top with parsley, stir well and serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 467 calories, 8 percent of calories from fat, 4 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 19 milligrams cholesterol, 84 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 428 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.

Gourmet Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4½ tablespoons unsalted butter

10 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼-inch thick (4 cups)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

¼ cup sherry

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil, drained

6 ounces dried curly egg noodles (Pennsylvania Dutch style; about 3¼ cups)

1½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 3 slices white bread)

4 ounces coarsely grated cheddar (1 cup)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook onion in 1½ tablespoons butter with a pinch of salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to moderately high and add mushrooms, then saute until mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about two minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to saute until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Remove from heat.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add broth in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil. Whisk in milk and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, lemon juice and salt. Flake tuna into sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Cook noodles until al dente. Drain noodles and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to buttered baking dish, spreading evenly.

Toss together bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss again, then sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6.

Don’t Say Diet Tuna Casserole

12 ounces multigrain pasta, such as Barilla Plus penne

2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

2 10}-ounce cans of reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, such as Camp-bell’s Healthy Choice, undiluted

½ cup fat-free milk

12 ounces tuna, packed in water, drained and flaked

3 slices light wheat bread, such as Sara Lee’s Delightful

1 tablespoon light butter

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and rinse cooked pasta with cool wa-ter.

In a large bowl, combine penne, peas, soup, milk and tuna. Transfer pasta mixture into the baking dish.

Tear the bread into several pieces and use a mini chopper to process the bread into fine crumbs. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and light butter. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture evenly over the casserole.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 308 calories, 4.1 grams fat, 271 milligrams sodium, 22 grams protein, 5 grams fiber, 35 grams carbohydrates, 23 milligrams cholesterol

Lighter-Than-Mom’s Tuna-Noodle Casserole

¼ cup dry white wine

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1½ cups low-fat (1 percent) milk

1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)

1 6-ounce can solid white tuna packed in water, undrained

1 6-ounce can chunk light tuna packed in water, undrained

1 cup frozen petite peas

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

½ cup crushed baked potato chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-by-8 inch glass baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Whisk wine and cornstarch in small bowl to blend; set aside. Put flour in heavy me-dium saucepan; gradually add milk to flour, whisking until smooth. Add broth and thyme and whisk over medium heat until liquid thickens and boils, about 4 minutes.

Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until liquid boils and is smooth, about 1 minute. Re-move from heat. Add Neufchatel cheese and whisk until melted. Stir in both cans of tuna with their liquid and frozen peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add tuna mixture to pasta; stir to blend well.

Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with potato chips. Bake until top is golden and sauce bubbles around edges of dish, about 25 minutes.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 381 calories, 8 percent of calories from fat, 3 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 21 milligrams cholesterol, 57 grams carbohydrates, 28 grams protein, 461 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.

Julia Child’s Tuna Casserole

12 ounces water-packed canned tuna, drained

1 10.5-ounce can low-sodium cream of mushroom soup

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup diced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1½ cups cooked brown rice

2 teaspoons canola oil

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place tuna in a bowl and flake with a fork. Fold in half the mush-room soup, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese and the onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mi-crowave brown rice 90 seconds on high or according to package instructions. Place rice on bottom of casserole dish and toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread over bottom of dish. Spoon tuna mixture on top, and cover with remaining soup. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Place under the broiler to brown top, about 1 minute.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 624 calories, 27 percent of calories from fat, 18.7 grams fat (7.3 grams saturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 57.5 grams protein, 54.2 grams carbohydrates, 4.3 grams fiber, 682 milligrams sodium.

Tuna Rice Casserole

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 10¾-ounce can cream of chicken soup

1 1/3 cups water

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 6-ounces cans tuna, drained

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the on-ion and curry powder; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Scrape the curried onions into a 9-by-13 baking dish; stir in the soup, water, rice, tuna and pepper. Cover with foil.

Bake until the rice is cooked and the casserole has begun to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; raise the temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil from casserole. Spread cheese over the top of the casserole; return to the oven. Cook until cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.

Yield: Serves6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 337 calories, 32 percent of calories from fat, 12 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 46 milligrams cholesterol, 33 grams carbohydrates, 23 grams protein, 644 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Tuna Noodle Bake

½ cup dried mushrooms (½ ounce)

½ cup hot water

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

½ medium onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1 cup)

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups skim milk

1 cup frozen tiny peas

½ cup diced or sliced pimento (4-ounce jar)

1 6.5-ounce can water-packed tuna, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

¼ pound elbow macaroni

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Place water for pasta on to boil. Preheat broiler. Soak mushrooms in hot water for 10 min-utes. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium-size nonstick skillet or a casserole. Saute onions and carrots for 5 minutes. Add second teaspoon of oil and flour. Mix with vegetables until well-blended.

Add skim milk a little at a time, stirring constantly to form a sauce.

Drain mushrooms and, if some are large, cut into bite-size pieces. Add mushrooms, peas, pimentos and tuna to sauce. Mix well, breaking tuna into small pieces. Add Worcestershire, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

Continue to simmer, gently, while pasta cooks. Place macaroni in boiling water and cook 10 minutes. Drain and mix in with sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding more Worcestershire, salt or pepper if needed. Sprinkle cheese over top and place under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 669 calories, 49 grams protein, 87 grams car-bohydrates, 14 grams fat, 15 percent of calories fro fat, 4.7 grams fiber, 58 milligrams choles-terol, 684 milligrams sodium.

Tuna Biscuit Casserole

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup chopped onion

1 rib celery, chopped

1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, cubed

1 can cream of celery soup

½ cup milk

2 6- to 7-ounce cans tuna, drained and flaked

2 tablespoons pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of ½ lemon (optional)

1 8-ounce can refrigerator biscuits

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan; add onion and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the cream cheese until melted. Stir in undiluted soup and milk. Cook, stirring, until sauce just begins to bubble. Stir in tuna, then olives and peas. Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice if desired.

Transfer mixture to a buttered 1--quart baking dish; arrange biscuits on top. Bake about 20 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 390 calories, 48 percent of calories from fat, 21 grams fat (11.2 grams saturated), 70.8 milligrams cholesterol, 22 grams protein, 28.4 grams carbohydrates, 1.7 grams fiber, 898.1 milligrams sodium.

Tuna Rockefeller

1 pound fresh, cleaned spinach

½ pound sliced bacon

½ cup fine dry bread crumbs, unseasoned

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 7-ounce cans white tuna, drained and flaked

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish or 1-quart casserole.

Steam the spinach until wilted, 2 minutes. Drain and puree in a food processor or blender. Set aside. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain and crumble.

In a bowl, stir the spinach puree, bacon, bread crumbs, sour cream, salt, pepper, lemon juice, tuna and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Transfer to prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until the bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 439 calories, 65.6 percent of calories from fat, 32 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 65 milligrams cholesterol, 26 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 1,107 milligrams sodium.

Quick Tuna and Clam Pappardelle

1 red onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

½ of a 16-ounce package pappardelle or wide egg noodles

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon each: dillweed, chopped capers

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 16-ounce can clam chowder

1 6-ounce can albacore tuna, drained

Lemon wedges

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Combine onion and butter in large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add pappardelle to boiling wa-ter; cook according to package directions. Drain; place in large serving bowl.

Meanwhile, add parsley, dillweed, capers and pepper to skillet. Cook 1 minute. Stir in clam chowder and tuna; cook, stirring occasionally, until hot throughout, about 5 minutes. Season to taste, if necessary. Pour over pasta; toss to coat. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutrition analysis per serving: 389 calories, 30 percent of calories from fat, 13 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 81 milligrams cholesterol, 47 grams carbohydrates, 21 grams protein, 670 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Tuna Noodle Skillet

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 cup chopped or diced frozen onion

1 cup chopped or diced frozen green pepper

1 cup pasta sauce

1 cup water

¼ pound fresh linguine

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms

12 ounces white meat tuna packed in water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, pasta sauce and water. Bring to simmer, add pasta and cook gently 5 minutes. Add oregano and mushrooms. Add tuna and break into small pieces with a spoon. Simmer 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Let sit 2 to 3 minutes and serve.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 548 calories, 18 percent of calories from fat, 10.7 grams fat (1.7 grams saturated), 79 milligrams cholesterol, 57.6 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 3.2 grams fiber, 1,261 milligrams sodium.

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