Tuna Noodle Casserole

Believe it or not-- I cooked another meal!

This week I wanted to find a recipe that used ingredients I already had.

I flipped through the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook again and...

Tuna Noodle Casserole was the winner!

I don't care for fish, but I know it can be really good for you.

I am pleased to announce that I really enjoyed this meal and I didn't mind the tuna one bit.

This meal was cheap, easy and filling.

Hope this inspires you fish-haters to try something new!

Prep: 30 minutes   Bake: 25 minutes

Stand: 5 minutes     Oven: 375 degrees

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

(We split it into 4 servings which worked out to 495 calories)

Ingredients:

3 cups packaged dried wide noodles (about 5 oz)

3/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper (1 medium)

1 cup chopped celery (2-3 stalks)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 to 2 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2.25 cups milk

1 12 oz can chunk white tuna (water pack) drained and broken into chunks; two 5 oz pouches chunk light tuna in water, drained; or two 6 oz cans skinless, boneless salmon, drained.

1/2 cup panko or soft bread crumbs 

(I used some Italian style bread crumbs because it's what I had on hand)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp snipped fresh parsley

(I skipped the parsley because there was already some in the bread crumbs)

1 Tbsp butter, melted

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 1.25 qt casserole (As with the last recipe, this was NOT big enough to hold all of the food without overflowing), set aside. In a large saucepan cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; return noodles to pan.

Step 2: Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium sauce pan cook sweet pepper, celery and onion in 1/4 cup hot butter over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour, mustard, salt, pepper. Add milk all at once; cook and stir until slightly thick and bubbly. Gently fold sauce and tuna into cooked noodles. Transfer noodle mixture to prepared casserole dish.

Step 3: In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over noodle mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

Ready to bake!

Bon appetit!