Tuna Casserole for the Hannigans

To celebrate the birth of Anna Hannigan, I made a few meals for her family. This casserole was one of them. It became blog-worthy when I found out that Anna’s big sister, who can be persnickety, thought it was yummy. I put some aside for myself, and must say that I agree with this sophisticated young lady.

1/3 lb. rotelle pasta, cooked just shy of al dente
pasta cooking water
3 6 oz cans tuna in water
1 box Trader Joe’s condensed Portobello mushroom soup. If this is unavailable, use a can of condensed mushroom soup.
large handful sliced and clean leeks
large handful mushrooms, cleaned and sliced. I used crimini and shiitake. Button mushrooms would work well, too.
¼ cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
generous handful frozen peas
dry white wine
1 tablespoon truffle mustard. Dijon mustard would be fine.
poultry seasoning
smoked paprika
salt and pepper
Locatelli cheese

For the topping:
crushed potato chips
panko breadcrumbs
Locatelli cheese
black pepper
oatmeal
or, crush up anything carby, crunchy, and a little salty

Grease an 8 x 8 in or 9 x 9 in casserole dish.

While the pasta cooks, sauté mushrooms for a few minutes, then add leeks, onions and garlic. When the vegetables soften and get a little transparent, stir in the soup. Rinse out soup box or can by filling it the pasta cooking water and dumping that into the veg as well.

Add the tuna and cooked pasta. Season to taste with mustard, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, cheese, and wine. Allow everything to cook together for several minutes to thicken as desired. You may have to add more water and adjust seasonings as it does so. I always accidentally make casseroles too thick, especially after baking, but, no matter, this was still yummy.

Stir in a generous handful of frozen peas, then tip the mixture into your greased casserole.

Heat, covered, in 375° oven until hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes. If you’ve refrigerated or frozen the casserole, this may take 45 - 50 minutes from a cold state. Uncover, add topping, and broil until topping is brown and crunchy, about 5 – 7 minutes. 

-Elena

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