Cheddar Tuna Casserole

A golden crust that cracks under the spoon, revealing noodles bound by a creamy tuna sauce. The smell of melted cheese and sautéed mushrooms wafts from the piping hot dish.

• Prep time: 20 min
• Cook time: 30 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 974
• Protein: 54 g
• Carbs: 91 g
• Fat: 45 g

Ingredients

• 300 g Egg noodles (mie) ( raw )
• 400 g Tuna ( drained and flaked )
• 40 g Minimum butter sweet
• 1 piece Yellow onion ( minced )
• 1 piece Apium graveolens ( finely diced )
• 200 g Button mushroom ( sliced )
• 30 g Wheat flour
• 400 ml Whole milk
• 100 ml Cream
• 150 g Green peas ( fresh or frozen )
• 150 g Cheddar cheese ( shredded )
• 50 g Breadcrumbs
• 50 g Potato chips optional ( coarsely crushed )

Instructions

1. Cooking the pasta

   Plunge the noodles into a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove them 2 minutes before the indicated time: they must remain firm as they will finish cooking in the sauce in the oven.

2. Sauté the garnish

   In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the minced onion, celery, and mushrooms. Sauté until the vegetables are tender and the mushroom water has evaporated.

3. Dust and moisten

   Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Mix for 1 minute to cook the flour, then gradually pour in the milk and cream while whisking. The sauce should thicken and coat the spoon.

4. Assembly

   Off the heat, stir in the drained and flaked tuna, peas, and cooked pasta. Mix gently so as not to break the noodles.

5. Bake

   Pour into a baking dish. Top with shredded cheddar, breadcrumbs, and crushed potato chips. Bake at 200°C until the top is golden brown and bubbling at the edges.

Chef's tips

• Don't overcook the noodles initially; they absorb the sauce's liquid in the oven.
• Squeeze the tuna well to remove all water before adding it.
• If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a bit of the noodle cooking water.

Storage

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven to maintain the crunch.