The Vault
»
COASTAL MAINS
»
FIN FISH
»
Super Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole

Super Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole

Name: Super Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces wide egg noodles; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, finely chopped, about 2 cups; 1 small onion, peeled and diced, about ½ cup; ½ fennel bulb, diced, about ¼ cup; ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour; ½ cup sherry; 2 cups whole milk; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 (5-ounce) can tuna, packed in oil; 1 cup frozen peas, thawed; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper; 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded, about 2 cups; 1 sleeve buttery round crackers, crushed, about 2 cups; 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Coastal Mains

Super Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole

Print Recipe

The Strategy:

This recipe aggressively modernizes a deeply nostalgic dish by suspending rich, oil-packed tuna and wide egg noodles in an incredibly complex, sherry-spiked mushroom cream sauce. By layering the heavy noodles with massive handfuls of sharp Gruyère cheese and finishing the entire casserole with an intensely buttered, shattered-cracker crust, the resulting dish is wildly luxurious while remaining undeniably comforting. Pulling this heavy, violently bubbling ceramic dish from the oven immediately fills the kitchen with the aroma of roasted fennel, toasted butter, and rich cheese, guaranteeing a spectacular coastal centerpiece.

Serves: a crowd | Total Time: 40 minutes till it’s ready

Ingredients

For the noodles and sauce

12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, finely chopped, about 2 cups
1 small onion, peeled and diced, about ½ cup
½ fennel bulb, diced, about ¼ cup
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sherry

For the casserole additions

2 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 (5-ounce) can tuna, packed in oil
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded, about 2 cups

For topping

1 sleeve buttery round crackers, crushed, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Ingredients arranged: wide egg noodles, an open can of oil-packed tuna, baby portobello mushrooms, fennel, heavy blocks of Gruyère cheese, a bottle of sherry, a pitcher of rich milk, buttery crackers, fresh parsley, and butter around a heavy ceramic baking dish on a marble prep board.

Instructions

Make the sauce and noodles

Preheat your oven to 375°.
Cook the noodles in a pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain, reserving some of the pasta water.
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms, onion, and fennel.
Cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.
Dust the vegetables with the flour.
Pour in the sherry and stir.
Pour in the milk, followed by the chicken stock.
Cook, stirring often, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes more.

Make the casserole

Add the tuna and peas.
Stir in the parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Turn off the heat.
Add the drained noodles to the pan. Toss to coat.
At this point you can add a little pasta water if your noodles and sauce are thicker than you like.

Assemble and bake

Coat a casserole dish with vegetable oil spray.
Pour half of the noodles and tuna into the casserole dish.
Cover with half of the cheese.
Pour the rest of the noodles and sauce into the dish.
Mix the remaining cheese with the crushed crackers and spread this over the top.
Pour melted butter over the crumbs.
Bake until the top of the casserole is golden and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Close-up action shot of a cook's hands aggressively tossing wide egg noodles, bright green peas, and flaked tuna into a massive cast-iron skillet violently boiling with thick, rich sherry cream sauce.

The full recipe lives in the Vault

Ingredients, step-by-step method, and every chef-tested detail are reserved for members of the Estate Registry.

Join the Estate Registry

The Heart of the Table

Placing a massive, blistering-hot ceramic baking dish directly onto the dining table instantly disarms the room, establishing a mood of intense, heavy comfort. The sound of the heavily buttered cracker crust shattering as the first massive scoop of molten cheese and rich noodles is pulled from the dish forces guests to eagerly abandon all formality, excitedly passing heavy bowls around the table.

8 guests gathered tightly around a rustic table, laughing loudly, passing heavy bowls, and drinking oaked Chardonnay in glasses on a Palm Beach Estate. A massive steaming ceramic dish of Tuna Noodle Casserole anchors the lively coastal dinner party.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Bring the massive, violently bubbling ceramic dish straight to the center of the table. Ensure the thick, golden-brown cracker crust remains completely unbroken until everyone is seated, allowing the first scoop to dramatically reveal the steaming, heavily cheese-laced noodles beneath. Shower the entire crust with bright green chopped parsley.
THE POUR: The heavy, molten richness of the Gruyère, the sweet notes of the sherry, and the dense cream sauce demand a profoundly rich, heavily structured white wine. A wildly buttery, heavily oaked California Chardonnay or a massive, deeply textured white Burgundy perfectly complements the intense weight of the casserole.
THE VIBE: Deeply comforting, nostalgic family dinners. This is the heavy, rich meal you execute on a lazy Sunday evening, demanding an atmosphere of loud, relaxed, and wildly indulgent family connection.

Chef’s Recommendations

Something Fresh Alongside: Garden Harvest Chef’s Salad
The Glass Alongside: Classic Whiskey Sour
The Cold Bowl First: Chilled Strawberry & Basil Gazpacho
The Sweet at the End: Chocolate Silk Pie

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Super Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole

Super Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

✨ The Gilded Swaps