TUNA CASSEROLE SHELLS RECIPE

Tuna Casserole Shells

Here is something we've been cooking for a couple of years.  I believe the original recipe came from Everyday Foods (the Martha Stewart magazine) but I'm not 100% sure.  I know some people don't like tuna casserole, or it hearkens back to an older time of generic old casseroles.  I guess you could call this an updated twist on it.

First, boil a box of jumbo shells pasta.  Don't cook it all the way until done, you want to par boil it.  The box that we used said 12 minutes, so we cooked it for about 8 minutes.  Drain them and set aside (spread them out on a plate or they will stick together).

In a blender/food processor, blend together the bread, parmesan cheese, and seasonings.

Whizz it up until in resembles a fine crumb.  Divide the mixture in half.

Sauté diced up onion in olive oil until translucent, about 7 minutes.

Add flour to sautéed onions and cook about 2 minutes longer.

Slowly pour in 4 cups of milk and bring to a boil.  Cook until it starts to thicken a bit, you are basically making a sort of béchamel sauce.  Let it cool a bit and divide in half.

Mix together 2 cans of drained tuna, thawed and drained chopped spinach, half of the bread crumb  cheese mixture and half of the milk and onion sauce.  

Stuff the shells with a tablespoon or two of the tuna mixture.  Different shells hold different amounts, just stuff them as much as you think looks good.  This is the most time consuming process.

Pour the remaining milk and onion sauce over the top of the stuffed shells.

Finally, over the top of all of that, pour the remainder of the bread crumb mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until browned, bubbly and looking good.

And here it is dished up, with a side salad.  It's really good, and certainly a worthy 21st successor to the ubiquitous tuna casserole.

INGREDIENTS:

4 TBSP olive oil

1 package (8 oz) of jumbo pasta shells

1 medium onion, diced

4 cups milk

2 cans white albacore tuna in water, drained

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and WELL drained

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 hamburger bun or 4 slices of white bread

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning blend

See above photos for instructions.