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Recipe for a tuna casserole with sour cream hard to find

By Laura Crooks laurac@spokesman.com

Dear Laura: My sister has been looking for a Dorothy Dean recipe for tuna noodle casserole that uses sour cream. She lost her recipe and would be delighted to have it again. – Kay

Dear Kay: I had to put the sharp readers of this column to work on this request, as our search turned up several varieties of tuna casserole but none using sour cream. A few readers sent us a Dorothy Dean recipe that fits your criteria. Another reader had a tuna casserole recipe that also uses sour cream but was unaware of its origin. Both recipes follow.

Tuna-Sour Cream Casserole

From Dorothy Dean Homemaker Services

2 cups cooked macaroni

1 cup well-drained tuna

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups grated process-type American cheese, divided (see note)

1 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Place in a 1-quart casserole; sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Note: One reader who makes this recipe substitutes grated cheddar cheese for the processed American cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 439 calories, 27 grams fat (16 grams saturated, 33 percent fat calories), 24.6 grams protein, 24.4 grams carbohydrate, 77 milligrams cholesterol, 1.4 grams dietary fiber, 1,131 milligrams sodium.

Tuna Casserole

Origin unknown

8 ounces noodles

2 cans (7 ounces each) tuna, well drained

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup frozen baby peas

1 (3-ounce) can sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles, drain and return to saucepan. Stir in tuna, sour cream, milk, peas, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and butter and sprinkle mixture over top of casserole. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake uncovered until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 394 calories, 17.4 grams fat (9.9 grams saturated, 40 percent fat calories), 27 grams protein, 31.8 grams carbohydrate, 84 milligrams cholesterol, 1.75 grams dietary fiber, 1,061 milligrams sodium.