Tuna No-Noodle Casserole

Oh. My. Noodle! You guys, I am obsessed with this meal.

Let me preface this by saying I’m not a tuna noodle casserole fan by any means. The cream with the tuna kind of freaks me out. And what is cream of mushroom soup anyways? The concept is weird. But this. THIS dish is bombtastic. It just totally works with the squash. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. During the recipe testing I thought, “Okay, this looks good. Nice consistency. Balanced ‘noodle’ to tuna ratio. Easy to make.” But with any new recipe there’s always that thought of, I really hope this doesn’t suck.

Once the squash was in the oven I paced back and forth from my kitchen to living room. Fingers crossed. Then… the oven timer beeped. I couldn’t wait to taste it. When I did – Oh my noodle. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? It was soooo good. The next two days I ate leftovers of this meal. And enjoyed it. That’s really saying something. You may or may not know how I feel about leftovers but I hate them. However this paleo tuna noodle casserole was actually even better the next day. Also…apologies to my co-workers for reheating this in the office microwave but it had to be done.

I’m dedicating this post to my guy for two reasons. 1. Today is his birthday! 2. He helped with the photography and taste testing of this dish. So thanks to him! <3

*Remember the plantain chip topping. It adds the perfect texture so you get a bit of crunch in each bite.

Recipe

Tuna Noodle Casserole (Dairy & Grain-free)

Print Recipe

A classic tuna 'noodle' casserole made dairy free and gluten free with a crunchy plantain topping. It's arguably better than the traditional tuna casserole. Bake it in the spaghetti squash shell for less dishes to clean!

Servings

4 servings

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Cook Time 45 minutes

Tuna Noodle Casserole (Dairy & Grain-free) Print Recipe A classic tuna 'noodle' casserole made dairy free and gluten free with a crunchy plantain topping. It's arguably better than the traditional tuna casserole. Bake it in the spaghetti squash shell for less dishes to clean! Servings 4 servings Cook Time 45 minutes Servings 4 servings Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash yields 4 cups cooked squash
• 6 oz baby portobello mushrooms sliced thinly
• 1 small white onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 13.5 can coconut milk light or full fat
• 1 cup peas
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 9 oz tuna fish (12 oz can) drained
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup plantain chips crushed
• salt and pepper to taste

Servings: servings

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Discard seeds. Place flesh down on a baking sheet with a bit of water. Bake in oven for 35 minutes. TIP! Squash too hard? Place it whole in the oven for 15 minutes to soften the skin for cutting.
3. While squash is cooking make the cream of mushroom sauce. In a stove-top pan add olive oil. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until onions are browned and soft. About 8 minutes.
4. Stir in coconut milk, salt & pepper, and parsley. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. When squash is tender, scrape out flesh with a fork. Be mindful not to tear or puncture the squash shell. You'll use that as the casserole vessel. Set flesh aside in a large mixing bowl.
6. Lower oven heat to 350 degrees F.
7. In the separate bowl with the squash, add tuna, peas, and cream of mushroom sauce. Combine. Add mixture into empty squash shells.
8. Top each casserole with crushed plantain chips and parsley. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes. For the last 3-5 minutes switch to broil for a crispier plantain crust.
9. Remove from oven and serve. Cut the halves in half for a comfortable dinner for 4!

Typically squash digests well with Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients. Most squashes contain carbohydrates that require minimal digestive work, compared to other food. Because of that they are better absorbed which means there’s not much left to feed intestinal microbial overgrowth. Spaghetti squash best mimics noodles when cooked al dente, but the longer it’s baked the softer it gets – good to keep in mind when your tummy is acting up.

Gottschall, E. 2017. Breaking the Vicious Cycle. Kirkton Press. http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/p/science-behind-the-diet

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