Tuna Noodle Casserole

I'm not going to even lie about it-this recipe was a bit involved! However, it turned out way better than any tuna casserole I bet you've ever tried in you life. Let's just say we were both happy we decided to tackle this dinner as a team, because even just keeping track of the ingredients and reading through the instructions was enough of a job for one person to manage, much less keeping track of all the things on the stovetop at once! Besides being a good recipe to build up our kitchen teamwork, this also turned out to be a satisfying dinner for the next few nights. The creaminess remained despite being refrigerated for a few days, and with a little reheating in the oven, the crispness of the top could be rediscovered. Everything about this tuna recipe was perfect-no one flavor outdid any others and it was extremely filling. Topped off with some mint chocolate chip ice cream, this meal was perfect!

Cooking Notes: We had to take waaay more time to reduce the white wine, probs closer to 8 minutes. We also should have 3/4ed the entire recipe, but basically only remembered to only with the milk. The reason was because we only had 8 oz. of penne pasta! We only used 2 tbsp worth of capers and 2 cups of kale. We substituted fresh thyme and fresh lemon thyme for dried thyme. Last, it took about 10 minutes to reduce milk.

Tuna Noodle Casserole (adapted from The Kitchn; serves 6)
8-12 oz. fusili pasta (or any kind of pasta you prefer)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1/3 cup minced shallots (about 2 large shallots)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp capers, drained
2 5-oz. cans chunk light tuna (in water), drained
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups thinly sliced kale
A handful of thyme and lemon thyme
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Parsley, to top

Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish and set aside. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and set aside to cool. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms and shallots, cooking for about 5 minutes or until shallots are translucent and mushrooms begin to soften. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Slowly pour in the wine, lowering the heat to medium-low and cooking until the liquid reduces by half, about 8 minutes.

Add the flour to the pan and stir well to make sure all the mushrooms are coated. Increase the heat to high and slowly pour in the milk, bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring to avoid any sticking or clumping, until the milk begins to thicken and looks more like a sauce, about 10 minutes. While this is cooking, go ahead and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the milk mixture is cooking, take a large mixing bowl and combine the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese, capers, tuna, sour cream, kale, thyme, S&P. Once the mixture is ready, pour the creamy mushrooms into the bowl and stir to coat all ingredients. Transfer the mixture to the greased casserole dish and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the breadcrumbs and cook until fragrant and slightly toasty, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole and bake for 20 minutes or until top is lightly brown. You can broil it on high for a couple minutes at the end, just making sure to keep an eye on it. When ready to serve, toss on some fresh parsley for garnish and enjoy!

Recipe: The Kitchn: Grown Up Tuna Noodle Casserole