This recipe is a tried and true meal. Tell me who doesn't remember tuna casserole as a kid? This recipe is a little different - NO boxed mac & cheese and NO cream of crap soup! It's not to say that those types of recipes weren't delicious...but this one is a little better for you. I'm going to have a battle on my hands with this one, Doug hates tuna casserole, but we'll see if he'll give this recipe a try!
Tuna Casserole - from scratch1/2 cup butter, divided
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked medium egg noodles
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can of french fried onions (That's a Creamer Family addition and not part of the original recipe-see note at bottom of recipe!)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth and cook for about one minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Top with cheese.
5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.
**Note: I change up the recipe a little by melting the cheese into the butter/flour/milk mixture. It makes a nice cheese sauce! Then I top the whole thing with french fried onions for a really crispy and flavorful topping.
When I make tuna casserole, almost never since only dh and I would eat it, that is very, very similar to what I do. Nothing from cans and lots of extras like onions and mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteOne little tidbit hint, when you buy canned fried onions look at the ingredients. The leading brand (French's) has oil as the first ingredient. Some of the manufacturers that provide the store brand have onions has their first ingredient. HEB does, Kroger might.
This is the exact recipe I use! Its a favorite around here!
ReplyDeleteSteve loves Tuna and I get a bit sick of Tuna mornay so I think the next time we have Tuna I will have to try this.
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