Tuna Noodle – No Casserole: How to Make this Classic Elevated

I cannot think of a single thing that sounds more vile that tuna noodle casserole. Who came up with this horrid idea? I mean, a can of tuna fish (which is cat food BTW), pasta, condensed creamy soups, baked with cheese and topped with fried onions. What? That sounds really gross. Is this depression era food?

In short yes, tuna noodle casserole was actually hospital food in the 1930’s in Washington state. Apparently, the dish is considered nutritious, balanced, cheap, and easy to make. That might all be true, but I think I would prefer to go hungry. By the time World War II was heating up, housewives started adding Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, which apparently was in abundance during war time.

And that was a long time ago, nearly 100 years, so let’s maybe ditch the depression era, WW2 recipes and opt for something new. I mean I love tuna (not from a tin) and I love pasta so I wanted to try to upgrade this classic and make it something you might actually want to eat. Check out my recipe below and give it a try, whether you’re a fan of the casserole or not!

Serves 4

Suggested Wine Pairing:

Pinot Noir will be nice balance to both the mushrooms and help cut the creamy sauce while balancing with the tuna.

Tuna Noodle No Casserole Ingredients:

1lb of good tuna, like ahi

8 ounces of mushrooms sliced

1 cup of frozen peas, rinsed

1/2 white onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

10 ounces of pasta, like penne or you could use the classic egg noodle

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup of half and half

1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Plenty of salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Allow to cook until soft, about 10 minutes, before liberally seasoning with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, get your pasta water boiling and cook the pasta to the package instructions.
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the garlic to the onion, mushroom mixture and cook for 30 seconds before adding the peas, half and half, thyme, and dijon mustard. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. While the sauce comes together, dry your tuna and liberally season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. In a stainless steel or cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat, Sear the tuna for 2-3 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and allow to rest.
5. Next, remove your sauce from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and cooked pasta. Cut the tuna on a bias and serve with a generous portion of pasta.

If you like this be sure to try my sesame crusted tuna with pan fried noodles!