One Pot Stovetop Tuna Noodle Casserole
Made with all homemade ingredients, this tuna noodle casserole is made entirely in one pot all on the stovetop. Creamy cheese is combined with chunks of tuna, slightly sweet peas, and hearty pasta to create a delicious meal that can be ready in minutes. But it’s flavorful enough that it works for special occasions as well as a weeknight staple!
Servings 8 servings
Calories 494kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 3 cups pasta shells
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup Neufchâtel Cheese
- 8 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 5-oz cans tuna drained and flaked into pieces
- 1 ¼ cups frozen peas thawed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a 4-6 quart saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium-low heat. Add the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Stir and cook the breadcrumbs until they are browned, 4-6 minutes. Once cooked, remove the crumbs from the saucepan and set them aside to cool.
- In the same saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Once melted, add the onion, celery, salt, and black pepper. Sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to soften, 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken stock and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the pasta. Cover and simmer until the pasta is cooked al dente, 8-10 minutes.
- Once the pasta is cooked, continue to simmer and add the heavy cream, Neufchâtel cheese, and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheeses are melted and smooth, 3 minutes.
- Add the lemon zest, tuna, and peas. Stir to combine and warm the peas, 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining shredded cheese, turn the heat off, cover, and allow the cheese to melt. Once melted, add the bread crumbs, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Notes
- The bread crumb mixture will tend to burn relatively quickly if cooked for too long. When the mixture begins to smell toasty and take on a darker color, remove them from the heat and set them aside to cool. It’s also important to remove any remaining bread crumbs from the pan before beginning to cook the onions so that they do not continue to burn in the pan as everything else is cooked.
- When it comes to garlic, the amount of time it is cooked is very important. Garlic can tend to have a raw flavor, so it’s important that it’s cooked slightly to reduce the rawness. But garlic is susceptible to burning quickly, so make sure not to cook the garlic for too long. About 30 seconds to one minute should be the right amount of time needed.
- An easy way to see and collect the amount of lemon zest is to turn the grater upside down and run it over the top of the lemon. Rather than holding the grater steady and running the lemon over the top, switch it up and hold the lemon steady while moving the grater. All of the zest will collect in the grater and can then be visually measured.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 494kcal
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