Classic Tuna Casserole

Ingredients

2 - 5 oz. cans White Albacore Tuna packed in water

8 oz. Wide Egg Noodles

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 Medium onion chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon all pupose flour

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup soup

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup of frozen Green Peas

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons of diced cold butter

Classic Tuna Casserole

Casserole Topping

Dinner's Ready!

Campbell's Soup

Directions

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350F.

Heat a pasta pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil. Drain tuna in a strainer and set in the sink. Flake the tuna apart with a fork and let sit while you start making your casserole.

Heat olive oil and butter in a cast iron round dutch oven or pasta pot set to medium high heat. And diced onion, celery and red pepper flakes and saute until softened and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the salt to the vegetables to help draw out their flavor and stir well.

Add flour to the pot and stir, mixing with the oil and vegetables for about 2 minutes. You want to cook the flour a bit to get rid of any raw flour taste. Now slowly add the chicken broth, stirring until the flour is dissolved.

Add the Cream of Celery and Cream of Mushroom soups to the vegetable mixture. Stir and turn the heat down to medium low. While the soupy mixture thickens and your water is boiling, add the egg noodles to the pasta pot and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often so the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Adding a slash of olive oil to the pot will help prevent the water from foaming up.

While the noodles are cooking add the garlic powder, pepper, celery salt, oregano, tarragon and dry mustard to the soup mixture and stir. Add the tuna and stir. When the noodles have cooked for 7 minutes, drain and add to the tuna mixture.

Add frozen peas and parsley flakes. Stir.

Pour entire tuna mixture in a 9" x13" casserole dish and sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the cheese and dot with cold butter.

Place casserole in oven and bake for about 30 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the tuna mixture begins to bubble. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.