Spinach Tuna Noodle Casserole

I LOVE this casserole. Of course, I love tuna and spinach - so I'm a little biased. But... Sweet Boy and S.D. loved this casserole and they're not biased at all! :) It's quick, it's creamy, it's easy - absolutely everything a casserole should be. And I like switching out different kinds of noodles. Sweet Boy likes these wagon wheels. I've also done elbow macaroni and those were great in this casserole as well.

I've been super busy this past week (hence the reason my posts have slowed down), and I didn't plan out our meals as well as I normally do. So it was nice to have something I could make with ingredients that I already had in the pantry.

One thing I always have is frozen spinach. I must have watched Pop-eye too much when I was little, because I LOVE spinach. I think it's one of my favorite vegetables. And the frozen brick is so convenient! Just pop it in the microwave and...


TaDahh... the spinach is all chopped and ready to go.


I know it looks a little radioactive here, but that is just because of the camera flash.

After stirring together the flour, vegan butter, and soy milk to make the sauce, throw in the spinach with some onions, garlic and tuna.


Mix with 8 oz of noodles, add some cheese and bread crumbs to the top and there you have it! A delicious and MEP free casserole.


Of course, you have to dot the top with vegan butter. That's what all the Food Network people do right? Well, minus the vegan part anyways.


Now, I accidentally layered it wrong. The original recipe calls for it to be like this - bread crumbs then cheese. But I think it should be cheese then bread crumbs. The bread crumbs don't have a chance to get crispy when layered like this. So next time hopefully I'll be paying more attention and do it so that the bread crumbs are on top.


I don't think I could survive without casseroles. They are one of those simple things that just make life easier. Meat and potatoes are easy to adapt to Sweet Boy's allergies. But casseroles have been challenging. I think that's why I love this casserole so much. We don't have casseroles too often anymore, and it's really been heart-breaking. They have such nostalgic value. It's interesting how something can be taken for granted for so long without noticing how truly special it is, until it's gone. I know you all probably think I've gone crazy talking about casseroles being heart-breaking and special. But hey, I'm a mom, and if I want to kiss those vegan chocolate chips, hug that box of Ener-G, or think this casserole is special, then by golly I will! :)

Enjoy!

Spinach Tuna Noodle Casserole

1/4 c. vegan butter

8 oz noodles of your choice

1/2 onion, chopped (I actually only had dried onion flakes on hand - used 1 T.)

1/2 t. celery seed

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. soy milk

salt and pepper to taste

2 (6 oz) cans tuna

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3 T. bread crumbs

2 T. vegan butter

1 c. vegan cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook noodles al dente according to package directions. Melt 1 T. butter in skillet over med heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Take off heat and add celery seed, salt and pepper - set aside. Melt 3 T. butter in sauce pan and whisk in flour. Stir in milk slowly and heat until thickened and smooth (about 5 minutes). Add onion mixture, tuna, and noodles to sauce. Pour into greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese, then bread crumbs. Dot with butter. Put into preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.