I first saw this recipe for Creamy Tuna Noodle Cazuela in my new Food and Wine magazine.  I thought it sounded wonderful and most of my family love Tuna Noodle Casserole so I thought I would give it a try.  As with most recipes I try I found that I either did not have or could easily find some of the ingredients on the list so I improvised.

Don’t have piquillo peppers?  I left them out.

This tasted like the traditional Tuna Noodle Casserole only better.  It did not contained canned cream of this or pre-packaged mix of that.  It was delicious.  Even my previously Tuna Noodle Casserole hating family member loved it and asked for seconds.  Unheard of!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces farfalle pasta
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk or half-and-half
• 1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 6-ounce can or jar solid white tuna in oil, drained and flaked
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Cook the farfalle pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the farfalle pasta, frozen baby peas, 3/4 cup of Parmigiano cheese and tuna and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish, a cazuela (casserole dish) or 4 individual gratin dishes.
4. In a small skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the panko and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the panko over the casserole with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bake for 10 minutes (5 minutes for individual gratins), or until bubbling. Serve right away.

My family has already asked that this go back into our meal rotation.  It was so easy too.  It took maybe 2-3 more minutes to stir the cream sauce on the stove top but the taste was 100% better than any previous Tuna Noodle Casserole I have ever made.