Classic Tuna Casserole with creamy pasta, fresh mushrooms, a splash of cognac, and crunchy panko.
Compensation for this post was provided by Starkist Tuna. All opinions expressed in this piece are my own.
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Today, I am teaming up with StarKist and their StarKist Believes in Heroes Campaign.
StarKist Tuna stands behind our nation’s heroes and is happy to announce their commitment to Wounded Warrior Project. As part of this new relationship StarKist is donating $100,000 to support the mission of WWP.
In celebration of this relationship StarKist has released their new “Outdoors Tuna Creation Pouch” which comes in a camo inspired design.
StarKist has a long history of supporting our military in a number of ways and their newest campaign, supporting the Wounded Warrior Project, is near and dear to my heart.
StarKist Tuna is no stranger to our house. With seven deployments and a hardship tour under our family’s belt, we have include their tuna in many care packages over the years. Seeing that StarKist tuna comes in 5 different flavors and is easy to pack with their vacuum sealed packages. It made a great addition to a care package, along with some yummy crackers for my hubby to munch on while he was busy doing what he had to do over there. He didn’t have to worry about cooking anything as it was ready to eat as soon as he tore open the package. Very convenient!
I think one of my post popular care packages was the time I baked homemade cake in mason jars – sealed them and shipped them over with some store-bought frosting.
This was a special occasion – I sent it for my hubby’s birthday! There’s nothing like homemade birthday cake from home when you are off in a desert somewhere. It was a big hit and later the jars could be used as drinking glasses or storage for “stuff” in their CHU.
Now back to the tuna!
When I was growing up, my mother would occasionally make a tuna casserole for supper. I think that traditional tuna casserole involves things like “cream of ___” soup out of a can and crushed potato chips on top. And that’s fine, but I have an aversion to canned soups. This is a different take on the classic dish.
Having this dish takes me right back to my childhood and seeing the “Charlie” commercials on tv. Charlie is still around today and he’s even on twitter!
We try to incorporate fish and other seafood into our diet as much as possible, as it is a tremedous source of Omega 3 fatty acids – good for your brain, heart, and more! This casserole is a great way to do just that.
You can find StarKist tuna at Walmart, the Commissary, and grocery stores nationwide. StarKist’s single-serve Tuna Creations pouches offer a convenient single-serving of flavored tuna for only 110 calories or less!
How to Make Classic Tuna Casserole
To begin, cook 4 cups of egg noodles al dente according to package directions.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile, finely dice an onion.
Saute it in a skillet with a tablespoon of butter. Cook these over medium heat until the onions are tender.
Add in a cup and a half of fresh sliced button mushrooms. Let those cook for 2 minutes.
Add in two tablespoons of cognac and let that cook for a minute. Turn off the heat.
In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add in 1/4 cup of flour and whisk it smooth. Let it cook for just a minute and let it get bubbly.
Whisk in a cup of milk and 2 cups of chicken broth.
Add in a teaspoon of black pepper, a half teaspoon of salt, and two tablespoons of soy sauce. Stirring continually, bring this to a gently boil and let it thicken. After it has boiled for one minute, turn off the heat.
Add in your mushroom & onion mixture. Stir it together.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked noodles and sauce.
Add in 11 ounces of tuna.
Add in 1 cup of frozen peas. Stir these all together and spread it into a greased, 2 quart casserole dish.
In a bowl, combine 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Stir it until the butter is incorporated throughout the crumbs.
Spread the mixture over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown.
Enjoy!
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Classic Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 oz egg noodles, cooked al dente
- 5 Tb butter, divided
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 c fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tb cognac, or white wine
- 1/4 c flour
- 1 c milk
- 2 c chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tb soy sauce
- 11 oz chuck light tuna
- 1 c frozen peas
- 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 c panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- To begin, cook the egg noodles al dente according to package directions.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Meanwhile, finely dice your onion.
- Sauté it in a skillet with a tablespoon of the butter. Cook these over medium heat until the onions are tender.
- Add in the sliced mushrooms. Let those cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in two tablespoons of cognac and let that cook for a minute. Turn off the heat.
- In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add in the flour and whisk it smooth. Let it cook for just a minute and let it get bubbly. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Add in the black pepper, salt, and soy sauce. Stirring continually, bring this to a gently boil and let it thicken. After it has boiled for one minute, turn off the heat.
- Add in your mushroom & onion mixture. Stir it together.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked noodles and sauce. Add in the tuna and frozen peas. Stir these all together and spread it into a greased, 2-quart casserole dish.
- In a bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, shredded cheddar cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, melted. Stir it until the butter is incorporated throughout the crumbs. Spread the mixture over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is auto-generated and the accuracy is not guaranteed.
Thank you Constance. Merry Christmas to you and your family.