Not Yo Mamma’s Tuna Casserole

Boil a large pot of water for the noodles. Don’t forget to salt the water. It flavors the pasta. Here’s a tip: put the lid on the pot. It boils faster.

Chop the onion. (I used 1/2 sweet vidalia. I chop onions with my Pampered Chef Food Chopper. No crying and no mess.) Put a skillet on medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan, and then add the onions and mushrooms. Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions become translucent and the mushrooms start to turn brown. (I broke the mushrooms in smaller pieces and added some minced garlic after about 4 minutes in just to give it a little flavor.)

Then add 1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine and turn up the heat a little higher to cook the liquid down, about 5 minutes. Once the liquid is almost gone, add 3 tablespoons of flour to coat the veggies; stir and then add 3 more tablespoons and stir again. Then add the milk, stir, and keep the heat at medium-high to heat everything up and bring it to a slight boil, stirring constantly so it doesn’t scorch. Add some pepper on top.

Quickly add the tuna, peas, and parmesan cheese. Stir. Drain and add noodles to sauce mixture. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave. When melted, stir in the breadcrumbs.

Transfer the tuna mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Place under the broiler in the oven and cook until breadcrumb topping is brown and crisp. IMPORTANT NOTE: Stand by the oven! Don’t leave!! It doesn’t take long to brown the breadcrumbs, only about 1 to 2 minutes.