A classic pantry dinner updated with the addition of broccoli, cauliflower, olives, and lime juice. Perfect for busy weeknights!
Desserts are always fun and I enjoyed the guest post over at Quickies on the Dinner Table. I wish we can have desserts all the time but we do have to have our carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein. Today’s recipe, Tuna Noodle Casserole is a simple and easy one that you have probably made many, many times. I have updated it just a little with the addition of vegetables.
Tuna Noodle Casserole is a pantry dinner, so called because it can be prepared quickly and easily with ingredients from the pantry, some cheese from the fridge, and peas from the freezer. This dish is especially handy when you are running short on time and low on fresh ingredients. There are many variations to the vegetables used but the dish basically has noodles, canned tuna fish, and a creamy white sauce.
Any firm vegetables may be added. I decided to use a mix of broccoli and cauliflower this time. I kept the vegetables crisp to provide texture. I also included some black olives for a contrast of colors and flavors. Though I wanted it to be a little less creamy, the sauce I made wasn’t quite enough. Still it was pretty good with a squirt of lime juice. The recipe below has been adjusted to include more sauce.
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cups broccoli florets
- 1½ cups cauliflower florets
- 8 oz extra broad noodles (225g)
- ¾ cup black olives (sliced)
- 1 can tuna in water (drained)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 cup milk (240ml)
- 1 cup chicken broth (240ml)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Flat leaf parsley (Coarsely chopped to garnish)
- Lime wedges (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Lightly cook broccoli and cauliflower florets for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove, drain, and set aside.
- Cook noodles according to packaging instructions. Drain and place into a casserole dish. Add cooked vegetables and sliced olives. Crumble tuna on noodles and vegetables.
- In a medium saucepan add olive oil. Stir in all purpose flour. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add dry mustard, milk, and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly.
- Pour over noodles, vegetables, and tuna. Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Baked uncovered in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Serve warm garnished with parsley. Squeeze lime wedges over noodles, if desired.
NUTRITION
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Wow! With this kind of food pyramid, I'll be hard pressed to decide between dessert & main course entree! Maybe eat both! Good job with the tuna noodles!
Sometimes desserts can be your carbs, veggies and protein! Like a fig newton. . . Ok maybe not.
My mom used to always make tuna noodle casserole. Yours looks 110% better.
ah! I want to bookmark this~~so delicious and healthy~~not to be missed!
looks delicious!
Looks very interesting and yummy!
Lovely dish..Beautiful clicks too..
wow!! thats yummy. Scrumptious casserole. Love it and awesome click..
This Tuna Noodle Casserole from you just sounds amazingly tasty. I will certainly give it a try when I have my day off. Thank you for sharing!! It's a great post as usual.
Have a nice day!!
Simple and delicious…love it. Would make a lovely lunch when I have to eat alone. With some chili oil, I'll be smiling the whole day 😀
I usually cook with salmon so this would be a perfect healthy dish for my kiddies. Even if they decide they don't like tuna I can easily just feed them the noodlesand veggies or substitute with chicken or shrimp. Thank you for sharing this lovely and versatile dish with us Biren.
That's some great additions with the broccoli and cauliflower! It definitely kicks up the casserole a notch! Good one!
Truly tempting Tuna Noodle! Loved it..;)
This is one good looking tuna noodle casserole, I would like this for dinner any night of the week, thanks for the recipe!
I love that you use panko with a cassarole! 🙂 what a healthy meal!
Hello Biren. Another of my kids' favourite tea. We used the tricolour fusili with frozen peas and sweetcorn and just grated mature cheddar for flash grilling at the last moment. When I am pressed for time, I cheat by using a tin of creamed of mushroom as the white sauce. Great idea of using broccoli and cauliflower – would try to add this too next time. Anything to get the kids to eat their 5-a-day.
Mmmm. I love tuna noodle casserole. It's such a great comfort food! Yours looks healthy to boot with all those yummy vegetables added in. I may be trying this!
Oooh! I've always loved creamy pasta casseroles and with a crusty top, even better! This is one of my favourite comfort foods and I must say Biren you've done a wonderful job of making something that's usually quite stodgy actaully look very appealing and almost….sexy 😉
ROFL
Perfect one dish meal with vegetables and fish. I like it!
This has to be the best tuna casserole I've seen! I like the olives and cauliflower in it. You took it to a whole new level!
I love all the veggies you've added to the classic tuna casserole. I have bad memories of my mother's casserole with crunched up potato chips on top. (She is a good cook, I just didn't like her casserole.) I'll have to give this updated version a try.
This sounds yummy and perfect to make for dinner tonight for my daughter and me. Thanks for a great idea!
Sexy? I like that. Now you make me want to dress it up even more LOL!
I like to add veges to most dishes. It just makes it lighter and tastier 🙂
It is so fast and easy – a one pot meal 🙂
Thanks Reeni! I like the vegetables in there. That way, I don't even have to prepare a salad.
You are absolutely right! Just assemble and stick it in the oven – fast and easy.
This dish is good on days when you don't feel like doing too much cooking. It has the carb, fiber, and protein all in one dish.
The tricolor fusili sounds like a great idea! It will make the dish look so pretty.
I like panko as it is a little lighter than regular breadcrumbs. It's also the only type I have in my pantry 🙂
Thanks Patty! It's a snap to prepare and great for days when you don't feel like doing too much.
I'll have to try it with the salmon next time. I think chicken or shrimp will work well too. It's one of those easy one pot deals which is great for busy days.
Never thought of eating it with chili oil but it should work. It will certainly spice it up 🙂
Thanks Liv! This dish is perfect for off days as it is so easy to prepare.
I love my veges and will add it wherever I can. Thanks!
Thank you.
Thanks Angie!
Thanks Scott!
…and very easy to prepare too 🙂 I like it on days when I don't feel like doing too much cooking.
Once in a long while, I just go straight for the dessert. I hope there are no kids reading this….shhh!
Have both. Just have to take smaller portions. Thank you 🙂
Thanks Arthi
Tuna casserole is one of our favorite dishes. Like what you said, it's easy and most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry. I love the idea of squirting a little bit of lemon juice, as well as the vegetables, sounds really good.
A quick and delicious carb dish! Love pasta!
I love how fresh and green this looks, so different from your usual mushy tuna noodle casseroles. I'm definitely going to give this one a try at home!
I am probably the only person in our house that LOVES Tuna casserole. My gandma would put crunched up potato chip on top. Yummy