Fresh Herb Tuna Noodle Casserole

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When I think of a tuna noodle casserole I think of comfort food.   As a kid tuna casserole meant a noodle dish with a heavy cream sauce, cheese, and tuna.   In fact, you could barely taste the tuna because the sauce was so heavy.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

As an adult I like the idea of tuna noodle casserole but I don’t like the idea of a heavy sauce that weighs down the entire dish. So I went looking for a recipe that still had the tuna, the noodles, and a creamy but I wanted the sauce to be lightened up a bit.  I also wanted a recipe that added some fresh veggies to the dish.

I found this Fresh Herb Tuna Noodle Casserole and it sounded pretty tasty.  I starts with mushrooms, onions, and celery which are several fresh vegetables that would work well in this dish. Then it starts building a sauce of chicken stock, milk, Greek yogurt, and fresh herbs.   Then the standard frozen peas and canned tuna are added.

Baked Tuna Noodle Casserole

The topping on this dish was one of the reasons I was excited about it.  While the actual casserole is lightened up, the crunch on the top comes from Parmesan cheese mixed with crushed up potato chips.  It’s a surprising and delicious topping that adds just the right amount of crunch to the casserole.

The end result was a tasty casserole that is much lighter than the original.  I think I might miss the heavy cream sauce except the fresh herbs add so much flavor that I really didn’t miss it at all.  I used chives, parsley, and rosemary, but next time I would definitely add the fresh dill as well.  It gives the dish some color and packs a ton of flavor.

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Herbs

The crunchy potato cheese topping is so good and gives the casserole a much needed crunch.  All in all this is still good comfort food and I will be making it again.

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Herbs

Fresh Herb Tuna Noodle Casserole

Lighten up the original tuna noodle casserole with a homemade cream sauce, plenty of fresh herbs, and a surprising potato cheese topping!
5 from 1 vote
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Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

  • 1 bag 12 oz egg noodles
  • 3 teaspoons butter
  • 1 lb. mushrooms sliced
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. white wine
  • 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 c. whole milk
  • 1 c. loosely packed fresh herbs dill, rosemary, parsley, and chives, chopped
  • 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 c. frozen peas
  • 2 cans tuna 5-6oz, drained and flakes
  • 1 1/2 c. crushed potato chips
  • 1 c. Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 teaspoons paprika

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.
  • Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.
  • Add in the onions, celery, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the flour to the skillet and stir to coat the vegetables. Stir in the wine and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute.
  • Whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the milk and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
  • Add half of the chopped herbs, the Greek yogurt, the Dijon, and the peas to the sauce. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
  • Remove from heat and add in the tuna and the noodles. Mix gently until well combined.
  • Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
  • In a medium bowl combine the potato chips and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over top of the casserole. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until top is browned.
  • Remove from ovena nd sprinkle with remaining herbs.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine, December 2019
Tuna Casserole with fresh herbs

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