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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 celery, 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.