Tuna noodle casserole.

One of the dishes I miss on occasion since going gluten free is tuna noodle casserole. My inability to fulfill this craving was not because I couldn't find a pasta that would work. Tinkyada is great and I knew it would stand up to this kind of preparation. I'll admit that what held me back was my fear of the roux and my inability to find a recipe that didn't use cream of mushroom soup. Darn condensed soups all have gluten in them.

So I decided to try making a roux one day for a baked mac n' cheese. I used my favorite four flour bean mix (Bette Hagman) and butter. What do you know, it acted just like the glutenous variety of old. There was nothing to be afraid of. If only I'd tried it years ago. I gained confidence and decided I would try to find a recipe for tuna noodle casserole that didn't call for cream of mushroom soup. I turned to allrecipes.com and found one I thought might work. No canned ingredients here.

I made it, and it tasted fabulous. I hope you enjoy and want to try.

Tuna Noodle Casserole (adapted)

• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked gluten free macaroni
  
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup four flour bean mix (gluten free)
  
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup crushed potato chips
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter or grease a medium baking dish.
   
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add gluten free noodles, cook cook until al dente. (follow directions on package.)
   
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in gf flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle potato chips over casserole. Top with cheese.
5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.