Sunday Tuna Casserole
This here's a classic comfort dish that'll feed a crowd and taste like somebody loves you. It's creamy, it's filling, and it comes together faster than you'd think. Once you get this one down, you'll be making it regular.
Cooking tutorial
Ingredients
- 2 cans (5 oz each) tuna in water, drained
- 1 box (12 oz) egg noodles
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
- 2 tbsp butter, melted (for topping)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions
- 1
Heat your oven to 350°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish real good.
- 2
Boil your egg noodles in salted water according to the box directions, but take them out about a minute early so they stay a little firm. Drain them and set aside.
- 3
In a big pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add your chopped onion. Cook it until it's soft and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
- 4
Add your minced garlic and cook for another minute until it smells real good.
- 5
Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic, stirring it all together so you don't have any lumps. Cook this mixture for 2 minutes, stirring constant.
- 6
Pour in your milk and chicken broth slow, stirring the whole time so you get a smooth sauce with no lumps. Keep stirring until it thickens up, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 7
Stir in your drained tuna, frozen peas, and shredded cheddar cheese. Add your salt, pepper, and paprika. Taste it and fix the seasoning if you need to.
- 8
Mix your cooked noodles into the tuna mixture real gentle so you don't break them up too much. Pour everything into your buttered baking dish.
- 9
Toss your crushed saltines with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter and sprinkle it all over the top of the casserole.
- 10
Bake it uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and you can see it bubbling a little around the edges. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips
- ★Don't drain your tuna too dry — a little bit of that liquid helps keep the whole casserole moist and tender. Just press it gentle in the strainer.
- ★Make this the morning of and keep it in the icebox until dinner time — it actually tastes better the next day, and it'll just need 5 extra minutes in the oven to warm all the way through.