Tuno Casserole

Name: Tuno Casserole
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cans of chickpeas; 2 tbsp tahini; 2 tsp dijon mustard; 1 tsp dill relish; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 can peas; 1/2 tsp salt; Kelp granules (optional); 2 cups elbow macaroni (or 2 boxes of Annie's Vegan Mac n Cheese); 1 cup soy milk; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional if using boxed vegan mac n cheese); 1/2 tsp paprika (skip if using boxed vegan mac n cheese); Turmeric (skip if using boxed vegan mac n cheese); 1 small diced white onion; 2 cloves minced garlic; Breadcrumbs; 1 lb mushrooms; 1 can diced potatoes; 1 can sliced carrots

11 steps

Prep:1hCook:45min

Most of the measurements are very rough guesses. I usually taste as I go to get the right amount. One of these days I'll actually measure it and update this. Use a ceramic or glass casserole dish. I mostly made this as an easy way to use primarily pantry ingredients for when I can't make a grocery trip for produce. It's very carb heavy so I wouldn't recommend making it super often. But it tastes pretty good and makes plenty of leftovers.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:36:30 GMT

Ingredients

8 servings

For the "Tuna"

2cans of chickpeas

2 Tbsptahini

2 tspdijon mustard

1 tspdill relish

1 tspgarlic powder

1 tsponion powder

1 Tbsplemon juice

1can Peas

½ tspsalt

Kelp granules

optional

For the Mac n "Cheese"

2 cupselbow macaroni

or 2 boxes of Annie's Vegan Mac n Cheese

1 cupsoy milk

¼ cupnutritional yeast

optional if using boxed vegan mac n cheese

½ tsppaprika

skip if using boxed vegan mac n cheese

Turmeric

skip if using boxed vegan mac n cheese

1 lbmushrooms

1 cansliced carrots

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 F and boil 1 gal of water to a large pot. Add salt to lower the boiling point.

Making the "Tuna"

Step 2

While waiting for the water to boil, drain 2 cans of chickpeas and 1 can of peas. Save the aquafaba for another recipe. Put the drained chickpeas into a medium mixing bowl. Mash the chickpeas with a fork until most of the chickpeas are mashed. Do not use a blender. If you must, only pulse. Do not make it a puree. If a few chickpeas are still in tact, that's fine.

Step 3

Add the tahini and mix thoroughly with the chickpeas. Do not puree. You're not trying to make hummus.

Step 4

Add the garlic powder and onion powder and mix. Then add the dijon, dill relish, peas and lemon juice and mix until it's evenly distributed. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add the kelp granules if you want to.

Making the Mac n "Cheese"

Step 5

Once the water is boiling, add the macaroni to the water, give it a quick stir, and set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer is finished, give it another stir and restart the timer. Move on to the other steps while that's going. When the second timer has finished, drain the pasta.

Step 6

Heat a small sauce pan with olive oil to medium high. Once it's heated, add mushrooms, minced garlic, and diced onions. Sauté for 7 minutes or until onions are soft and transparent and the mushrooms have evaporated most of the liquid.

Step 7

Pour plant milk into the sauce pan and stir for 2 minutes or until it has heated up enough.

Step 8

If you are using a boxed mac n "cheese", whisk the mix into the heated milk until smooth. Otherwise, blend diced potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic powder, Dijon, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast until smooth. Adjust measurements to taste and add salt.

Assembly

Step 9

Place cooked pasta in a very large mixing bowl. Add "tuna" mix to pasta and stir until it's evenly distributed. Pour sauce from saucepan over mixture and stir to combine. Taste filling and add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Step 10

Coat a medium glass or ceramic casserole dish with oil and add filling. Pack it as tightly as possible.

Step 11

Top with breadcrumbs, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in oven for 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting.