Inexpensive and Filling

Tuna Noodle Casserole (from Scratch) Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, divided 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked medium egg noodles 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk salt and pepper to taste 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 3 tablespoons bread crumbs 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter or spray with cooking spray.
2.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
3.	Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4.	Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole. Top with cheese.
5.	Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Adjustments: I don't really like peas, so I omitted them and doubled the celery. I thought the mushrooms added a nice texture element.
You'll want to make extra sauce or it will turn out dry. I made close to twice as much, but I also didn't measure my noodles, and may have had a little extra.
You will want to flavor your white sauce more than called for to achieve the right amount of flavor. I added dill, S&P, and garlic powder. Lemon could be a good addition or fresh parsley.
I also liked this as leftovers and the family ate it quite well.