Mediterranean Noodle Casserole

I remember with longing the Tuna Noodle Casserole of childhood. It was rich and creamy, crunchy on top, and each bite so flavorful. I often wonder why this was one of my most relished dishes since I harbored such a forceful aversion to both mushrooms and fish, but something about this combo made the strange texture and taste of those sworn enemies edible. The meal was so satisfying that as a post-undergraduate adult who was leaving behind quick eating for sit-down meals, I was shocked to find out how easy it was to make. At the time, the ease of the canned-dinner-casserole was heralded as a smashing success in our household. Although I do not decline the sometimes necessary use of canned consumables, I have found that using fresh ingredients as close to their natural form as possible yields rather delicious results! But don't crucify me for using the highly unnatural Textured Vegetable Protein and canned artichoke in this very recipe. Here is my albacore-friendly, non-dairy creamy TVP* noodle casserole!

The original recipe (even without the canned tuna and cream of mushroom soup) is almost 100% non-vegan, so this was a bit tricky to tweak, but I think that by taking a more Mediterranean inspired approach I was able to come up with a super satisfying meal that did not try to dupe my taste buds. Word of advice: when veganizing your fav foods of yore, it is always better to upgrade and derive then to try to approximate. Trust me, your results will NEVER be like the spoonfuls of homey goodness made perfect by years of distance and nostalgia.

As I was saying, this recipe's ingredients were difficult: egg noodles, tuna, milk, Parmesan and believe it or not, most bread crumbs (most store versions have some sort of dairy in there). I basically had to recast the entire show! The result: a super-fab casserole with a hint of cheesy saltiness and sweet red pepper.

Mediterranean Noodle Casserole
* The original inspiration is from a Martha Stewart recipe, but I have changed most everything but the title, which I liked.

Ingredients:

1T olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 lb rombi pasta (these give a great egg noodle-like texture, but you can use rotini as well)
1 red bell pepper sliced into very thin strips
1 can artichoke hearts quartered
1/4 C flour
1/2 C soy creamer
2 C rice milk
1/8 C soy butter
1 C Textured Vegetable Protein (rehydrated w/ vegetable broth and a 2tsp kelp granules - optional)
3 scallions chopped
1/2 C vegan Parmesan
1/4 C vegan bread crumbs

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Boil water and add pasta for about 8-10 min until done.
  
• While the pasta is cooking heat the oil and butter in a skillet and saute' the pepper until soft. Salt and pepper.
  
• Add the flour and stir until a paste forms.
• Slowly add the creamer and milk until a creamy sauce forms.
• When the sauce begins to simmer turn off the heat and add the rehydrated TVP, onions, artichoke hearts, and noodles and mix until combined.
• Salt and pepper.
• Add 1/8 C vegan Parmesan to the sauce.
  
• Place ingredients into a baking dish and cover with bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan.
• Bake 25 minutes until the crust is browned.

There you have it! It is a tasty casserole to sate the comfort food craving!

*TVP - textured vegetable protein is made by extracting the soybean oil from soy flour. It is a great source of protein and has essentially no taste, so it is easy to throw into any meal. It naturally resembles tuna flakes, so I basically added some salt with the broth and some kelp for a mild sea aroma.