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Reel Good Road Food: Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole has come a long way from the canned-soup concoctions of yesteryear. Ours is loaded with colorful vegetables, spiral pasta, and a homemade gravy, then tossed with Pecorino Romano. It's comfort food with a little swagger—and a hot yellow chili pepper for anyone who likes to turn up the heat.
Print Recipe

Times are approximate and may vary depending on your equipment, ingredient sizes, and cooking pace.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 2
Estimated calories per serving: 620

Equipment

  • Small pot
  • Pot for pasta
  • Cast-iron skillet
  • Colander
  • Grater
  • Digital kitchen scale (grams and ounces)

Ingredients
  

Casserole

  • 5 oz (140 g) albacore tuna (in water)
  • 3 ½ oz (100 g) dry spiral pasta (we like tricolor)
  • 2 oz (55 g) carrot
  • 3 oz (85 g) white onion
  • 4 oz (115 g) bell pepper
  • 4 oz (115 g) mushrooms (baby portobello if available)
  • 1 oz (30 g) baby spinach
  • 2 ¼ oz (65 g) frozen green peas
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 oz (55 g) Pecorino Romano cheese
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)

Gravy

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube (or ½ cup vegetable broth)
  • 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

Garnish

  • 2 hot yellow chili peppers (if you like heat)

Steps
 

Preparation

           Vegetables and Cheese

    • Slice the carrots into thin rounds.
    • Dice the onion and bell pepper.
    • Thinly slice the mushrooms.
    • Set aside the spinach and frozen green peas.
    • Grate the Pecorino Romano cheese.

           Tuna

    • Drain the tuna and flake it into small pieces.

           Gravy Preparation

    • If using the vegetable bouillon cube, combine ½ cup water and the cube in a small pot. Heat until the cube dissolves. If using prepared vegetable broth instead, simply pour ½ cup broth into the pot. Do not add water or the bouillon cube.
    • Add the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, Dijon mustard, and heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine and set aside.

    Cook the Pasta

    • Bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil in a pot.
    • Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
    • Reserve ¼ cup pasta water in case it is needed for the gravy.
    • Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl, big enough to hold the pasta and vegetables. Set aside.

    Cook the Vegetables and Tuna

    • In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat.
    • Add the carrots, bell pepper, and onion.
    • After 5 minutes, add the mushrooms.
    • Continue cooking and stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 8–10 minutes total.
    • Add the frozen green peas a few minutes before the vegetables are done to warm them through.
    • Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
    • Add the tuna and mix well.
    • Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 2–3 minutes.
    • Transfer the tuna and vegetable mixture to the bowl of pasta.
    • Toss to combine and set aside.

    Make the Gravy

    • Wipe the skillet clean.
    • Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.
    • Stir in the flour until smooth.
    • Gradually whisk in the prepared broth mixture.
    • Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
    • Cook and stir until thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Add reserved pasta water if needed to reach a gravy consistency.
    • Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
    • Turn off the heat.

    Put It All Together

    • Add the grated Pecorino Romano to the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss to coat.
    • Pour the gravy over the mixture and toss again to coat.

    Serve

    • Divide the casserole between two bowls.
    • Garnish each serving with 1 hot yellow chili pepper, if you like heat.

    Notes

    Calorie Estimate

    We estimate calories by adding the contribution of each ingredient using nutritional information from USDA FoodData Central, supplemented by manufacturer nutrition labels and other documented sources when needed.
    Ingredient Calories
    Dry spiral pasta 371
    Pecorino Romano cheese 213
    Butter 204
    Albacore tuna 179
    Heavy whipping cream 51
    Frozen green peas 50
    White onion 34
    Bell pepper 31
    Vegetable bouillon cube 30
    Mushrooms 25
    Carrot 23
    All-purpose flour 9
    Baby spinach 6
    Dijon mustard 5
    Garlic powder 3
    Hot yellow chili peppers 3
    Onion powder 2
    Chili powder 2
    Water 0
    Salt 0
    Black pepper 0
    Entire recipe: 1,240 calories
    Per serving (2 servings): 620 calories