I decided to try another spin on the hot tuna casserole that some of us remember from the “last century” (aren’t you glad I reminded you)! Instead of putting noodles in the casserole, I decided to stuff the mixture into pasta shells, except for the gluten free version, which I piled on top of artichoke bottoms (the disc shaped meaty bottom of the artichoke is often called the crown or heart). Portobello mushroom caps would also work well.
Elements of tuna casserole and the retro hot chicken salad were combined to make this dish. Used as an appetizer or main dish, it’s delicious. This is actually a pretty light version. To make it richer, you could add mayonnaise or cream cheese.
Hot Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 3 (7oz) cans tuna, drained
- 1 1/2 cups diced celery
- 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese (or crumbled feta)
- 1 TBSP dried dill
- 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp granulated onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere original seasoning
- 1 (12 oz) box Pacific cream of mushroom soup
- 4 oz sour cream
- 1 large avocado, mashed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 TBSP coconut flour or rice flour
- 16 oz pasta shells
- Pinot Grigio or other non-sweet white wine
- Crushed potato chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, mix soup, sour cream, avocado, egg, and flour. Toss with tuna mixture.
- Cook pasta shells according to package directions, less 2 minutes. Drain, and while still warm, stuff with tuna mixture. Place in baking dish. Pour in a small amount of wine to just cover the bottom of the baking dish. (For gluten free, instead of pasta, use mushroom caps or artichoke bottoms.) Cover tightly and bake about 1/2 hour until heated through.
- Top with crushed potato chips.
- Note: for richer taste, cube cream cheese, and add a couple small cubes to each stuffed shell, before baking