Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 3 cup dried wide noodles (about 5 ounces)

• ¼ cup butter or margarine

• 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)

• ¾ cup chopped red sweet pepper (1 medium)

• ¼ cup chopped onion

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 1 - 2 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 ¼ cup milk

• 1 12 ounce can chunk white tuna (water-pack), drained and broken into chunks, or two 5-ounce pouches chunk light tuna in water, drained

• ½ cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) or soft bread crumbs

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large saucepan cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; return noodles to pan.

2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add celery, sweet pepper, and onion; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Add milk all at once; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly, whisking to remove any lumps if necessary.

3. Gently stir sauce and tuna into cooked noodles in large saucepan. Transfer to a greased 1-1/2-quart casserole. In a small bowl combine panko, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle over noodle mixture.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.