Leeks, dill and Gruyére Cheese elevate this comfort food to an entirely new level.
We call this Grown-Up Tuna Casserole because it is packed with deliciousness from sauteed Leeks, fresh Dill, and a healthy helping of Gruyere Cheese. This is not a child's dish, though children will probably love this too! Really easy to make, this dish will be a hit at dinner, a party, or whenever you're craving some tuna with melted cheese!
This recipe is slightly modified from Bon Appetit:
Prep, Cook, Servings
Prep: 15 min. 20 - 40 min bake.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter
2½ cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; from about 2 large)
¼ teaspoon celery seeds
Coarse kosher salt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
½ cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
8 ounces wide egg noodles
3/4 - 1 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (more cheese never hurts, right?)
3 tablespoons chopped dill
2 5–6-ounce cans albacore tuna (preferably packed in olive oil), drained, broken into ½-inch chunks
2 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips (about 2 ounces)
Instructions
Butter 9x7x2" glass baking dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Boil and cook the egg noodles per manufacturer's instructions while you prepare the casserole. Reserve 3/4 cup of cooking liquid, then strain and then put the noodles back into the same pot for casserole assembly.
Melt unsalted butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and celery seeds to saucepan; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt. Cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender but not brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
Add flour; stir 1 minute.
Gradually add milk and half and half; simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice. Season leek sauce to taste with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Remove sauce from heat.
Pour leek sauce over the prepared noodles. Add grated Gruyère cheese and dill and stir to blend; add reserved noodle cooking liquid by tablespoons until mixture is moist and creamy (about 8 tablespoons). Fold in tuna. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake noodle casserole until heated through, about 20 minutes. If you stored the casserole in the fridge before baking, it may take up to 30 minutes to heat through.
Remove casserole from the oven and remove foil. Sprinkle crushed potato chips over and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is golden brown and filling bubbles, about 10 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Cooking Notes
If you don't have leeks in the house, you could substitute diced onions, though the flavor will be different. You could also substitute the cheese, but you want something with a stronger flavor like very sharp cheddar so the flavor comes through.
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