Tuna Noodle Casserole with Broccoli

The first time I made a tuna casserole for Jim, it was with the express warning from him that he didn’t like tuna casserole.

He ate it. And asked for seconds. That was over 20 years ago. I’d like to think that I broke any misconceptions he had about tuna noodle casserole. 

Budget Friendly Meals

These days it’s all about budget friendly comfort foods. Meals that use pantry staples and easily accessible vegetables etc.  This Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe definitely ticks all the boxes. It’s creamy, crunchy thanks to a perfectly spiced breadcrumb and Parma topping, and has plenty of veg to keep it from being only a carb lovers delight.  For other budget friendly options, check click here.

This will take you to pot lucks and make you a star.  There is enough to feed a hungry crowd. And even enough for seconds if you’re just feeding some hungry boys!  Because it is only Jim and myself, I often halve the recipe. But ideally I like making the full recipe. I’ll divide it between two smaller baking dishes: one for the freezer, or these days, one for Jim’s folks. Or even bake off in smaller, personal sized dishes. You can prep and freeze these, and pull out one to eat when you are on your own.  Just bring it to room temperature before popping it into the oven. 

This is a true retro classic. But don’t knock it. This is what we are all craving these days. It’s easy, simple, and filling. Have a green salad on the side and it’s a pretty fabulous meal!

What Goes Into This Dish?

So, the nuts and bolts of this recipe: You can make it in stages, steaming the broccoli, and sautéing the other veg in advance and storing them in sealed containers until you are ready to proceed.

The same goes for grating the cheese, and the breadcrumb mixture.  When it comes time to assemble, all you need to do is boil the pasta (my personal fave is a wide egg noodle, it just seems less heavy than a macaroni for some reason), and make the white sauce. 

No Canned Soup White Sauce

The white sauce is lighter than those recipes that use canned condensed soups or entirely using milk.  I like to use half milk, and half chicken or vegetable stock. This would be a great time to pull out my Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder, it works perfectly, and saves me opening a can or a tetra-pack.  And I guess it keeps the recipe kind of vegetarian, if you don’t count the tuna!  And of course, it isn’t just a plain white sauce. There’s cheese in it! I love a cheddar and gruyere mix. But you also use Gouda, mozzarella, or another great melting cheese.

The topping is a combo of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, a touch of cayenne, parsley, and melted butter. The cayenne is just enough to give that crunchy topper a little kick, to keep the dish from being too bland.

Speaking of tuna, gold ole cans of chunk tuna packed in water are best.  But use whatever you have in the pantry.

When you go to combine everything, you may need a large mixing bowl, if the pot that the cheese sauce is in won’t hold all the veggies and noodles.

I love adding broccoli, it adds crunch, colour and nutrition.  But you could use cauliflower or asparagus or even a whole bunch of chopped sautéed colourful peppers.  Or of course there is always the classic addition of frozen peas.  This time around I used chopped snap peas that I cooked with the onions and celery.

I hope you like this one. Remember, Jim likes it, and you don’t want him to one up you, do you?!

Love Jen

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Tuna Noodle Casserole with Broccoli

Retro classic comfort food. A cheesy casserole filled with plenty of vegetables and topped with a crunchy, kicky topping. Enough for seconds, which you’ll want!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli, casserole, tuna

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 3 cups broccoli florets heaping cups
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 3 garlic minced
• 1/2 cup snow peas chopped, this can also be fresh or frozen peas.
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 9 oz 250 grams wide egg noodles

Sauce

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup AP flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk can use low fat or whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock use my Faux Chicken Bouillon powder!
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese you can use Gruyere or mozzarella as part of this amount.
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cans of chunk tuna in water drained

Topping

• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/4- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

Filling

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F

   Steam or Blanche the broccoli till just tender. Set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté 3 minutes, till just starting to soften. Add the garlic and and snap peas. Season with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and sauté till just softened, about another 6 minutes. Set aside in a small bowl.
3. Cook the pasta in a large pot, as per the directions, shortening the time by a minute or so. Drain and set aside.

Sauce

1. Heat the butter in the same pot that you cooked the pasta over medium high heat. Once completely melted, add the flour. Stir to coat well. Cook until the flour and butter are completely blended and the rawness of the flour has been cooked out, about 5 minutes.
2. Add one cup of the milk, whisk to blend. Add the rest of the milk, whisking to get out any lumps. Add the stock. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add the Dijon mustard and then the cheese(s) Stie to melt the cheese. Give it a taste to see if you want to add some seasoning.
3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish or two smaller baking dishes.
4. Add the tuna to the sauce, breaking it into bite sized pieces. But don’t go too small.
5. Add the pasta, the reserved sautéed vegetables, and the broccoli. Stir gently with a rubber spatula to combine.
6. Spoon the filling into the prepared pan.
7. Combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crunchy and the sauce is just bubbling.

Recipe Notes

I say this can feed 8. It might feed 10 depending on hunger!

This can be made and frozen. Let it come to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Wrap with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating.  Reheat in a 300F oven.

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