Tuna Noodle Casserole

I have gone my whole life not even thinking twice about making a tuna casserole, and I’m pretty sure I have never eaten one either, but for some reason last week I had the most intense craving for it. Weird? yes, but I’ll blame the isolation. I don’t typically like canned tuna, but I found a brand Wild Planet that I love. It can be pretty expensive in stores but is a great deal at Costco, and have been eating it regularly in my salads.

I looked up a few recipes to get the gist of what the flavor profiles were and they all called for milk, canned mushroom soup, flour etc. and since I live a gluten free-ish paleo-ish lifestyle, I wanted to make my own version. I also had a huge container of baby bella mushrooms I wanted to use (thanks to Costco again!) So, this is probably far from classic, but since I don’t even know what that is supposed to taste like, I think this rendition worked out great!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

1. Servings: 4

2. Prep Time: 20 mins

3. Cook Time: 30 mins

4. Difficulty: Medium

5. Rating: ★★★★

6. Print

Ingredients

1. 8 oz. Gluten Free Brown Rice Pasta- I use this brand

2. 3 tablespoons butter

3. 3 cloves garlic, minced

4. 1 small onion diced

5. 16 oz. mushrooms chopped

6. 1/4 cup Flour (I used coconut flour since all I had, but truthfully better off using All Purpose if you don’t have an issue with it)

7. 1 cup Cashew milk

8. 1 cup chicken/veggie broth- I use better than bouillon

9. Salt and black pepper to taste

10. 12 oz. canned albacore tuna packed in water drained and flaked apart (2 small cans or 1 large)

11. 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (toast bread in oven @250 deg. for 40 mins, cool, pulse in food processor. 

12. 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (that is what I had on hand but use your favorite!)

Directions

1)Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and butter an 8×8 baking dish.

2) Boil water for pasta. Measure out chicken broth and cashew milk

3) Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the diced onions, saute 3-4 mins.

4) Add the minced garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

5)Add the mushrooms, saute for 5 mins until soft

6)Add the flour, stir to coat, and gradually add the cashew milk, and broth.

7)Heat over medium-high heat until thickened, stirring frequently. My trick for telling if a sauce is thick enough is to drag your spoon through the pan, if the liquid stays without rushing back, you’re good. (example in the photos)

8) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with remaining butter, melted.

9) Add the cooked, drained pasta and tuna to the mixture. Spread mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top and top with the shredded cheese

10) Change oven to broil setting, broil about 5-8 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. If you bake it too long it can get dry/the pasta will absorb the creaminess.

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