CEiMB - Tuna Noodle Casserole

It is my week to host!  Yea!  It was really hard for me to choose a recipe this time.  We enjoyed all of Ellie's recipes.  I went with the Tuna Noodle Casserole because Chandler loves tuna and it looked like it would be a nice healthy meal for us.  Visit the Craving Ellie webpage and check out what the other members did with this recipe and what other delicious foods we will be cooking in the coming weeks.

It was filled with a lot of good stuff.  First you sautee onions, celery and mushrooms.  Adding chicken broth and milk makes a nice creamy sauce.  It also has broccoli and peas in it.

Although it called for whole wheat fettucine, Publix did not have any.  They had whole wheat every other type of pasta, but not fettucine.  So I just went with regular fettucine.
I added almonds on top instead of the grated parmesan, just because I like almonds better.  Gave it a nice crunch.  I also cheated and did not make my own bread crumbs.  I'm sure it would have been better had I done that, but in the interest of time, I purchased some.
It made a huge 9x13 casserole and we have already eaten it for three meals with a lot left over.  Next time, I will halve the recipe.  Thank all of you who cooked this with me this week - you are all special to me - and I hope you and your family enjoyed it as much as we did.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

•5 slices whole-wheat bread, crusts included
•1 tablespoon canola oil
•1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
•1 large stalk celery, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
•1 (10-ounce) box white mushroom, stemmed and chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
•1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•3 cups 1 percent milk
•1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
•3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•1/2 pound whole-wheat fettuccine noodles, broken into thirds and cooked according to package directions
•1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
•1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, thawed
•4 (6-ounce) cans chunk light tuna in water, drained

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place bread in food processor and pulse for 30 seconds into bread crumbs (makes about 2 1/2 to 3 cups crumbs).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until onions are soft and translucent, 8 minutes. Add celery and cook, stirring, until just tender, 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their water, 5 to 7 minutes. Add flour all at once and stir immediately and vigorously with a wooden spoon until flour is completely incorporated into vegetable mixture until there are no flour lumps. Add milk and broth, stir to combine and bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer and cook, stirring, until liquid has thickened and reduced by about 1/2 cup, 7 to 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Combine cooked pasta, vegetable-liquid mixture, broccoli, peas and tuna and toss to incorporate. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch casserole. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes, or until crumbs are golden brown and toasted.
Per Serving:
Calories 500; Total Fat 7 g; (Sat Fat 1.5 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 1 g) ; Protein 49 g; Carb 56 g; Fiber 11 g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 990 mg

Comments

Joanne said…
Wonderful! THis was a great pick, Peggy. Ted was so excited! All these years and I really never knew how much he loved tuna casserole.

I cheated as well and bought whole wheat bread crumbs but only used 1/2 a cup and mixed with another 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. The topping was PERFECT. But your almond slices - what a fantastic idea!
Bri said…
Peggy, your casserole looks beautiful; I love the sliced almonds! I'm sorry that I didn't cook along this week, but in this household tuna is practically a dirty word! Next time I'll cook with you, really!
Kayte said…
Well, I cooked with you this week, I just didn't make the same thing...lol. Sorry...might try it with chicken at some point with your suggestion on that, so thanks for thinking of that. I don't know why I didn't think of it in time to make it for this week. My word that is a lot of casserole! I'm make your pick the next time, I promise!
Shandy said…
Your casserole looks amazing! I am soooo confused though. Doesn't the CEiMB site say Waldorf Chicken Wrap? Did I totally goof? I feel terrible but I can see that I will be making this casserole as well!
Mary said…
That looks great...I am the only tuna-lover in the family so I had to skip this week. I am so glad you all liked it!
You selected a great recipe. I could not make it because Passover starts Monday night and we do not have any bread, pasta, cake, etc, in the house. I am taking a break from all groups until 2 weeks from now.

I do want to make this though. Your photos, usual, make it look delicious and I love noodle and tuna but I never had one that had such great stuff included.
Leslie said…
I missed this one like, ahem, all of them these days but it looks really good! Tuna casserole is something I adore. This one looks a little too healthy! :-) Sorry I missed your pick!!
Anonymous said…
I was so glad to see that you picked this casserole and very sorry I wasn't able to participate this week. I actually really like tuna though I know that many people cannot stand it. Your casserole looks beautiful and so tasty. I cannot wait to make this soon!
April J Harris said…
This sounds like a lovely comforting casserole, and I love how you used the almonds as part of the topping. It looks delicious!
natalia said…
Ciao dear Peggy ! How wonderful this casserole is ! I will have to try it soon. baci
Jacque said…
CEiMB inspired me to pick up Ellie's book. Everything looks so great, it's hard to chose.

Your TN casserole looks so healthy and delish. Nice pick!
AmyRuth said…
Hey tuna noodle girl, visited blogs this AM around 3, such a napper = no sleeper. hehe but did sleep late this AM. I could stake my life on leaving a few words here but alas, no see. he he I did read about your forays with the 3X tuna meal. So glad it worked out for you and yea, I think this is a group meal, right? he he
Maybe a deconstructed meal with a fresh tuna filet grilled or pan seared? yum with all the fixins?
Have a great day... tweet tweet tweet :")

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