Tuna Casserole
Happy Monday! So, this is spring? Um… am I missing something? Like sunshine? Flowers? Sigh. This is an old post that got a snazzy new photo but it’s also one of my favourite comfort foods: Tuna Casserole. I wrote this in January of 2011. Sadly, the description of the cold is still suiting. Oh, well, if it’s gotta be cold, at least we can have casserole! C.M.
It’s cold in Toronto right now. Really, really cold. Like tights under your kid’s jeans and then snow pants kind of cold. Sartre must not have had kids to say that hell is other people. Those of us who live with children know that hell is actually other peoples’s stuff. Hats, mittens (which will NEVER stay on no matter what), scarf, snowsuit, boots… and that’s for one child! Once you’ve covered every frost-bitable surface of the children -which of course makes them whine and complain – and jollied them outside for an activity like sledding or snowman making, you really want to come home to something warm.
And for this we need comfort food. SPC contributor and dear friend Heidi introduced me to this tuna casserole almost a year ago. I’ve made it several times since and have been meaning to post it. But this weekend was a comfort food emergency! It’s a Rachel Ray recipe that I’ve modified a bit in the name of health. But honestly, my nod to health is really just a glance. This one is not going to get you into heaven, except that it’s easy and really delicious.
photo by Maya Visnyei
Ingredients
- Makes: 6 servings
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- 1 lb (450 gram) package of short whole wheat pasta like penne
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 3 cups (750 ml) cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
- 1 leek, cleaned well and sliced thin
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) flour
- 2 cups (500 ml) milk
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard
- 3 x 7 oz (198 g) cans good quality tuna
- 1 cup (250 ml) frozen peas
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) dried thyme
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) Gruyere, grated
Method
Turn broiler on to low heat.
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add penne noodles and cook until al dente and no more, about 8 minutes.
In a pan with olive oil, sautee mushroom and leeks until they begin to soften, about five minutes.
Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and leeks and stir.
Allow to cook for about 1 minute.
Whisk in milk and allow to thicken, about 3 to 5 minutes.
If the sauce isn't thickening, inch up the heat just a bit.
Stir in mustard and season with salt and pepper after tasting.
Add the tuna and frozen peas and thyme.
Once noodles are cooked, drain and add to the vegetables and stir.
Turn off the heat.
Pour the noodles and vegetables into a casserole.
Sprinkle cheese over top and pop into the oven, close to broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese bubbles and turns brown.
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Hey, thanks for stopping by!
We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
12 Comments
Natalee
January 24, 09:25oh gosh your baby is so beautiful. this looks great and I love tuna but usually don;t like canned tuna because the meat is so often mushy. Do you have a brand you recommend?
Ceri Marsh
January 24, 12:18Well, to make it healthy you want to go with tuna packed in water but the most delicious is Unico packed in oil – soooo good. I did two tins of water packed and one in oil on that day.
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January 24, 13:28[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ivy Knight, Brandy and Ceri Marsh, Ceri Marsh. Ceri Marsh said: Comfort food heaven: tuna casserole! http://bit.ly/fbQ7aF […]
margaret
January 24, 14:51Will try this casserole this week – looks yummy as does my delish grandson!
David
January 24, 19:21For the good, quality tuna part you should check out Wild Planet’s Albacore Tuna. The company follows sustainable practices using the pole and troll method to catch the fish, which eliminates bycatch. They also source smaller tuna from the North Atlantic, which means lower mercury! Great recipe!
irene
January 25, 06:13do you have an “email this recipe” option that i’m missing? thanks
CarolRenee
January 25, 15:21How marvelous! Reminds me of my own precious mother, who used to make tuna casserole when I was a child. Yum!
Shelley J
February 22, 18:58so good!!
paula
March 24, 13:58It would be great if you made a practice of mentioning sustainable choices, since many tuna (and fish) options are not the most sustainable. Feeding our children healthily should also include the health of the planet we live on.
Julie
April 06, 23:45It’s late here and for the life of me I don’t see where you add the tuna…Help! This sounds great.
Ceri Marsh
April 07, 16:50Hi Julie,
You are completely right – it wasn’t there! This is what comes of seven years of sleep deprivation! Thank you so much for pointing it out. I’ve fixed it now. And now for another cup of coffee…
Let me know if you try it!
Best,
Ceri
Titia
October 21, 10:35Is it possible to freeze this recipe after adding the cheese and then not putting it under the broiler?instead freeze and before eating, thaw, bake at, say 350 for 1/2 hr. What do you think?