Next on the menu for using up red pepper and celery was Tony’s American classic – tuna noodle casserole. Yes, we had two almost identical (in terms of the béchamel sauce) casseroles this week – with the mac & cheese – but when other people are cooking for me I’m not complaining. This is one of his specialties and works really well for something you can make the night before and refrigerator until a kid throws it in the oven the next day while you’re driving home from work.
My husband didn’t get casseroles growing up because his mom wasn’t allowed to make them due to his dad’s first wife overdoing it in the casserole department. It’s too bad because you can really get a great meld of flavors in an easy to prepare dish. He’s making up for it in his adulthood.
You can shred up a leftover tuna steak or use tuna canned in water. Besides the sauce, the recipe is open to throwing in quite a range of whatever vegetable needs to be used before it goes bad. Again, we double this recipe, make two casseroles, and put one in the refrigerator to bake on a different night. Let it come to room temperature before cooking or cook a bit longer.
Tune Noodle Casserole
1 C macaroni
2 stalks finely chopped celery (~1 C)
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/4 C shopped sweet onion
1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t ground pepper
2 C milk
1 C shredded cheese
1 can tuna (5 oz)
1/2 C breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 375. Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile cook the celery, bell pepper, and onion in butter. Add the four, dry mustard, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Whisk in the milk and cook until thick and bubbly. Stir in the cheese for a minutes, then the tuna.
Put the mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkle top with breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes until bubbly.
