Janet Snow’s Tuna Noodle Casserole @LucyBurdette

 

LUCY BURDETTE: At one point in the upcoming book The Mango Murders (I won’t say more to avoid spoilers), Hayley Snow’s craving her grandmother’s tuna noodle casserole. She begs her mom Janet to make it for her. Janet says:

“Hayley, sweetheart, she used a can of mushroom soup, a can of tuna, and some egg noodles. Is that what you want? I have a nicer version with a béchamel sauce, grated cheese, sauteed onions, and celery.”

I could feel my mouth watering. But not for the fancy catering version, for my grandmother’s special. “The can of soup please,” I said, a wide grin spreading over my face. The recipe below is Janet’s fancier version. 

This recipe is the fancier one from Janet Snow. It's not hard and it's delicious enough for company!

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 red onion, peeled and minced

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 tsp sharp French mustard

2 tbsp chopped Chives 

2 cups milk

1 can tuna in water

8 oz egg noodles

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup frozen peas

Breadcrumbs

Grated parmesan

Heat the oven to 350

Cook the noodles as directed on the package, drain, rinse with cool water and set aside.

Drain the can of tuna and give the juice to the cat and let the dog lick the empty can. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the minced red onion and chopped celery until soft. Stir in the flour until combined. Add the mustard and mix that well. Slowly add the milk, stirring until you have a thick white sauce. Stir in the cheddar cheese until smooth. 

Add the tuna, the peas, and the reserved noodles and stir gently. Fold the mixture into a buttered casserole dish, top with breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. 

Bake until golden and bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Serve hot with a nice green salad.

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. 

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, will be in bookstores on August 12!

And the new trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!