Savory Tuna Casserole Recipe

A classic "Mom-used-to-make" dish with a new burst of flavor that turns so-so into So Good! This savory tuna casserole is easy to make and incorporates the wonderful flavors of fresh garlic and earthy portabella mushrooms to give new depth to this old favorite.

DIRECTIONS

  1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep the veggies by dicing the mushrooms, bell pepper and onion into roughly half-inch chunks and finely chop 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.
  2. Heat large saute pan to medium high and add olive oil, about 1 to 2 turns of the pan. Add red peppers, mushrooms, onion and garlic, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Saute for about 6-8 minutes -- you only need to get the veggies started and about half-done as they will continue to cook in the oven.
  3. Once your water is at a boil, add egg noodles and cook about 6 minutes. Like the veggies, you only need to get them started and they will finish in the oven. To judge the proper amount of pasta, fill your 8x8 baking dish about half way with dry pasta - it will roughly double when cooked.
  4. Drain pasta and transfter to large mixing bowl. Add sauted vegetable mixure, drained can of small peas, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese, coursely chopped tuna, and a full soup can of milk. Add a touch more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Fold ingredients together until mixed and place in 8x8 baking dish (coat dish with cooking spray to help with clean up).
  5. Sprinkle bread crumbs to form an even layer over top of casserole, spritz topping with spray butter/margarine to help brown and crisp the top. (If you don't have it, just use a few tablespoons of the melted butter/margarine). Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until breadcrumb topping is golden brown and casserole is bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. A few dashes of Frank's RedHot sauce is a nice compliment to the finished dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 can solid Albacore tuna, 6 oz.

1 cup of portabella mushrooms, chopped

Half of medium red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 can small young peas, 15 oz. drained

Extra broad egg noodles

Shredded cheddar cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Breadcrumbs, about 1/4 cup

2 or 3 cloves garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon Luff Farms Garlic Powder)

1 condensed can cream of mushroom soup

Milk, soup can full

3 tablespoons melted butter/margarine or spray butter

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper