Tuna Casserole
Tuna casserole: the queen of divisive nostalgic dishes from your childhood! You either love this or hate this. If you hate it, I promise there are other things for you to eat, so mosey on to another recipe.
Now that we’re down to Team Tuna people, this takes 30 minutes and is just a big ol’ bowl of comfort, which I am pretty sure we are all gravitating toward these days. I never really intended to post this as a recipe because so many people I know absolutely LOATHE this dish, but apparently I was wrong! So, by popular demand, here’s how I make tuna casserole.
This is all from scratch, so no weird canned soups to be found. (But I will absolutely not judge you if you prefer to use potato chips or fried onions as your topping; I do that all the time if I have either on hand!)
There’s no reason to wax poetic about the majesty, or lack thereof, of tuna casserole. Grab your noods and get cooking!
Tuna Casserole
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
12 oz. short, curly, or shell shaped pasta
1 celery stalk, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino, divided
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cans high quality tuna in olive oil or water, drained
1 cup peas
1 cup panko
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter, oil, or spray a medium casserole dish. (I use a 10″ cast iron skillet.)
Bring water to a boil in a medium pot and salt aggressively. Boil pasta about 2-3 minutes shy of the package directions; drain. If you’re using frozen peas, toss them in the colander before draining your pasta so they thaw while the pasta drains.
While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add celery and saute until slightly softened, 2 minutes. Add flour and whisk together to form a paste. Gradually drizzle in chicken stock and milk, whisking in between additions to avoid lumps. Let simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Whisk in 1 cup of grated cheese and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add drained tuna to the sauce and break up gently as you incorporate into the sauce (nobody wants a tuna slurry, so leave some nice chunks).
Mix panko with olive oil and remaining half cup of pecorino in a small bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, gently fold the sauce with the drained pasta and peas, taking care to coat well. Pour into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle your panko mixture evenly across the top of your dish.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the top has started to turn golden brown. If your casserole dish is broiler-safe, throw that bad boy under the broiler quickly to really crisp up that topping.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh dill!