Upscale Tuna Casserole Recipe

We're all for infusing our favorite classic dishes with new life courtesy of some fun and creative modifications. From ingredient swaps to new cooking methods, even the most popular recipes deserve an upgrade every now and then. Tuna casserole is a fine example. As Food Republic recipe developer A.J. Forget points out, "While many of us surely look back fondly at the tuna casseroles of our childhood, when it finds its way to the table these days, it does not delight our palates in the same way." 

His solution is to elevate a basic tuna casserole recipe to an upscale version that "turns it on its head by combining it with pasta al tonno." He describes, "The heavy cream of mushroom soup is traded out for fresh, vibrant Mediterranean flavors, and a new dish is born which is both light and comforting." Thanks to "new and more sophisticated flavors [..] this dish bridges the gap between adult palates and childhood favorites," Forget shares. We're more than ready to move on to new heights of tuna casserole flavors. 

For this recipe, you'll need egg noodles, olive oil (to sauté and for the topping), a medium-sized onion (finely diced), minced garlic cloves, finely chopped parsley leaves, flour, dry white wine, whole milk, grated Parmesan cheese, capers, lemon zest, canned tuna (drained), salt, panko breadcrumbs, and cherry tomatoes (halved). 

If you're debating about which bottle of white wine to select for his dish, our recipe developer points out that since the recipe only requires a bit, "choose something you'd like to drink alongside it." For him, that's pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. As for the tuna, he uses yellowfin tuna canned in olive oil but notes that, "any sort of canned tuna would work just fine."

First off, preheat the oven to 450 F and boil a pot of water. Cook the egg noodles according to the instructions on the package. Once ready, drain off the water and set the cooked pasta aside. 

Place a large sauté pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat and pour in ¼ cup of olive oil. Toss in the diced onion, minced garlic, and finely chopped parsley, and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Next, stir in the flour to coat the vegetables. Cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until the flour browns, stirring occasionally to prevent the contents from sticking.

Lower the burner heat to medium and pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any sticky bits. Add the milk 1 cup at a time, stirring regularly. Simmer the contents as you keep stirring for a minute or two until the sauce reaches a smooth and thick consistency. Then, take the pan off the heat and stir in ½ a cup of grated Parmesan, lemon zest, capers, and the drained tuna. Season the dish with salt to taste.

Combine the sauce and the noodles until everything is properly coated. Transfer the noodles to a 9x13-inch casserole dish. In a small bowl, mix the panko breadcrumbs with ½ a cup of grated Parmesan and ¼ cup of olive oil. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole. 

Finally, place halved cherry tomatoes over the entire surface of the dish. Forget remarks that "Studding the top of the casserole with halved cherry tomatoes creates little pops of acidity in the dish, which work beautifully with the creamy, savory pasta."

Bake the dish for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is a nice golden brown color. Forget recommends serving this upscale tuna casserole with a green salad and the white wine you used for cooking.

If you have any leftovers, he instructs: "Simply put a piece of foil over the top of the casserole dish. To reheat, simply uncover and place in the oven at 250 F until it is warmed through."