#FishFridayFoodies ~ Easy Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies?  We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month.  To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

Stacy from Food Lust People Love invited us to make a dish with tuna (any type). I have a go-to Tuna and Noodles recipe I have been using for many years, but it's your typical cream soup version. I thought it would be great to try one that incorporated a scratch sauce and see what the difference really was!

The cream sauce was much more delicate in flavor, and I loved the addition of the herbs. It was definitely more "grown up" compared to what we grew up with. I loved the crunchy topping as well! You can mix and match the veggies to use what you have on hand, and to your taste preference. If you don't like peas, how about some broccoli, cauliflower, or some carrots?

Check out all of our "tuna" recipes that we're sharing with you this month:

• Causa Rellena from Caroline's Cooking
• Cold Avocado Yakisoba with Chile-Kissed Ahi from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Deviled Eggs with Tuna, Capers, and Chives from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Easy Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole from Making Miracles
• Ginger Sesame Tuna Tartare from Food Lust People Love
• Lightly Seared Yellowfin Tuna atop Greens and Rice Pasta Salad from Of Goats and Greens
• Tuna In Tomato Salad from Sneha's Recipe
• Tuna Reuben from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Easy Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole adapted from An Italian in My Kitchen

Ingredients
7 ounces dried noodles (I used penne)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
4-oz can mushrooms
2 cans tuna (2 x 6 1/2 ounce / 2 x 184 grams, drained and flaked)

Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon basil
dash of thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups milk (I use 2%)

Topping
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook your pasta to al-dente per package instructions (about 8-10 minutes). Add the frozen peas to the cooking noodles during the last 2 minutes of boiling. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet and whisk the flour into it. Slowly whisk in the milk, whisking mixture until smooth. 
4. Season with the oregano, basil, thyme, and salt.
5. Allow sauce to come to a simmer and thicken a little. Add the prepared pasta and peas, along with the parmesan, drained tuna, and drained mushrooms. Stir to combine and then pour mixture into your prepared baking dish.
6. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired (additional salt, add some pepper, more parmesan etc.)
7. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and fresh bread crumbs until crumbs are well coated. Distribute crumb topping over the entire casserole dish and bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes until topping is crunchy and casserole is bubbly and heated through.
8. Let rest a few minutes before serving.