Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Drain pasta.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Make a small well in the center of the pan and add garlic. When garlic becomes fragrant (about 30 seconds), stir briefly and remove pan from heat.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking and stirring until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted and mixture is smooth again. Season with salt and pepper.

In a very large bowl, combine macaroni, tuna, peas, mushroom mixture and sauce. Transfer to the baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a measuring cup, mix with enough bread crumbs to make the mixture crumbly, and sprinkle over the casserole.

Bake 25 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.