Okay, so tuna casserole is the simplest thing in the world — cooked pasta, tuna, your choice of mayo or Cream of X soup (or both) — maybe throw in some peas or cheese to make it fancy. But I found a more complicated recipe, then made it even more complicated 🙂

Cook 3 cups egg noodles. I didn’t have the regular kind, so I used these:

Cook 1 C. chopped red (sweet) peppers in 1/4 C. butter for 8-10 minutes, or until done. Optionally, add chopped onion and celery (neither of which I had, so instead of the onion I added 1 tsp. onion powder):

Stir in 1/4 C. flour, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook for two minutes:

Gradually add in 2-1/4 C. milk, stirring continuously, and continue to stir until slightly thickened and bubbly:

(Optional) Poach and flake some salmon:

Stir together the noodles, sauce, salmon, 2 cans tuna, and optionally peas (as many as you want) and 1 C. cubed cheese. The original recipe calls for Cheddar, but I used a mix of Cheddar, Edam, and something that I forgot to label when I put it in the fridge 🙂

Bung it into a greased casserole dish.

Make the topping. Stir together 1/2 C. panko, 1/4 grated Parmesan, parsley, and I added a bit more cubed cheese. Stir in 1 tsp. melted butter:

Sprinkle the topping over the mix:

Bake at 375 for 65-75 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned:

Tuna Casserole with House Dill:

Yum!

-R