Gluten-Free Tuna Noodle Casserole (Dairy-free too!)
This homemade tuna noodle casserole recipe is made with a from scratch gluten-free, dairy-free bechamel sauce to replace the usual can of cream of mushroom soup. It's a healthy spin on a classic casserole but still quick enough to throw together for dinner! Read the post for ideas on how you can swap in other pantry ingredients - it works with pretty much any dairy-free milk (or regular milk) and gluten-free flour.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms stems removed and thinly sliced
- 4 scallions white and green parts separated thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons white rice flour
- One 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 5 ounces wild tuna packed in olive oil see note
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 12 ounces gluten-free fusilli
- 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs or panko
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- In a large cast iron pan or casserole dish, melt 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, the white parts of the scallions, and the tamari, and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 more minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and cook until all the liquid has nearly been absorbed by the vegetables, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and scrape the mushroom mixture into a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the remaining ghee or butter to the pan and melt it over low heat. Whisk in the flour then pour in the coconut milk. Whisk or stir with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps. Turn the heat back up to medium and simmer the sauce until is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring continuously, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente (about 8 minutes, versus the 12 my box called for). Drain in a colander.
- Off the heat, add the mushroom mixture, green parts of the scallions, tuna, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes to the béchamel. Stir until combined. Gently fold in the pasta until fully distributed. Top with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until bubbling and browned. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Casserole can be made a few days in advance (up until the crumb topping step) and kept covered in the fridge.
- When you open the tuna can, push the lid down over the sink to drain out the oil. Then add tuna as outlined below.