Sour Cream and Onion Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt ((plus 2 teaspoons for cooking the noodles))
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 12 ounces short wide egg noodles
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
• 16 ounces chopped button mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
• 6 large cloves garlic, (minced (about 2 generous tablespoons - do not skimp on the garlic!))
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion, (plus a bit more for garnish)
• 15 ounces canned albacore tuna in water, (drained very well and broken into 1/2" chunks)
• 1 cup coarsely crushed (about 1/2" pieces) Ruffles® Sour Cream & Onion flavored potato chips

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep: Have all ingredients ready to go before you start. This prep helps the process go very smoothly, for the best tuna noodle casserole and overall cooking experience. First, combine flour, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and black pepper in a small bowl; set seasoned flour aside. Then prep and measure out all remaining ingredients, and set them aside, so you can easily incorporate each one as you progress through the recipe.

2. 2

   Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

3. 3

   Cook noodles: In a large pot of boiling water, with the additional 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, cook noodles until just al dente. Take care to not overcook. Drain noodles, reserving 1/2 cup of noodle cooking liquid.

4. 4

   Make creamy mushroom sauce: While noodles are cooking, heat a large heavy saucepan with tall sides over medium/medium-low heat. Add butter. Once butter has melted, stir in mushrooms and onion, and stir occasionally until they have softened. They will "sweat out" liquid and the mushrooms will shrink substantially. This should take 5-7 minutes. Then stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.

5. 5

   Sprinkle prepared seasoned flour over the top of the mushroom mixture and stir lightly for 1 minute.

6. 6

   Slowly stir in milk and then bring mixture to a light simmer, adjusting heat as needed. Stir occasionally until thickened, about 5-7 minutes.

7. 7

   Stir in sour cream, Parmesan, Dijon mustard, peas, and green onion. Cook for 1 minute.

8. 8

   Finish: Add cooked noodles and fold gently to evenly incorporate. If needed, add reserved noodle cooking liquid a bit at a time until mixture is creamy and moistened to your liking. The mixture should be "lightly saucy", and not "soupy". It should not be dry at all, as the noodles will soak up some of the liquid in the oven.

9. 9

   Fold in tuna, taking care to leave chunks intact as much as possible. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips.

10. 10

    Bake: Tent baking dish loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until hot throughout. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until absolutely hot and potato chips have browned a bit. If needed, tent dish with foil again to prevent potato chips from browning too much.

11. 11

    Serve: Sprinkle with a bit more fresh chopped green onion, and serve hot.