International•comfort

Vegan Chickpea Tuna Casserole

This super nostalgic dish is one of Eddie's childhood favourites: creamy sauce, tender noodles, and a crispy crust for the ultimate comfort meal.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

3 cups 280 g/10 oz bowtie noodles
1 cup 250 mL/150 g frozen peas
2-3 tbsp vegan butter or neutral flavoured vegetable oil
1 small onion (~100 g/4 oz, diced)
2 ribs (90 g/3 oz celery, diced)
1/4 cup 40 g/1.5 oz all purpose flour (can sub tapioca or cornstarch)
1 1/2 cups 375 mL broth (or pasta water + bouillon)
1 tbsp 15 mL mushroom broth powder (you can omit if using seasoned broth or bouillon)
3 tbsp 45 mL nutritional yeast
1 tsp 5 mL Old Bay Seasoning (can just add whatever spices/herbs you have if you don't have this)
2 tbsp nori (cut into small slivers)
1 cup 100 g/6 oz vegan cheese
2 cups 500 mL soy milk (can sub any milk alternative)
1/2 tsp 2.5 mL kosher salt (you can add more, the sauce needs to be salty enough to carry the pasta)
2 cups 310 g/11 oz cooked chickpeas
1/2 a sleeve of saltines for the crust (I also like panko crumbs or potato chips!)

1
Preheat your oven to 190C (375F)
2
Cook your pasta noodles to a fairly firm al-dente, as the noodles will continue to cook when you bake. Blanch your peas when your noodles are al dente, heat through for a couple minutes, then drain and set aside.
3
In a pot over medium heat, prepare the creamy sauce by melting the butter, then sauteing your diced onion and celery until tender and the onion is translucent.
4
Add the flour and mix to create the roux. Add a splash of water (or broth) to loosen the mixture and allow the flour to thicken.
5
Stir in the remaining water, then mix again to incorporate the flour mixture.
6
Once fully incorporated, add the mushroom broth powder (omit if using broth), nutritional yeast, Old Bay seasoning, nori slivers, and vegan cheese.
7
Once the cheese has melted down, stir in the soy milk and heat through until thickened.
8
Taste and season with salt. The sauce should be well seasoned because it has to carry the seasoning for the pasta as well.
9
Flake your cooked chickpeas with a fork, you can leave some (or all whole) if you like, but flaking adds a bit of that tuna-like texture.
10
In a 9x13 casserole pan, combine the cooked pasta, peas, chickpeas, and sauce and stir to coat the noodles completely.
11
Top with crushed saltines, crushed potato chips, or panko crumbs to make a crust, and spread out evenly.
12
Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling and top of crust is golden brown.
13
Remove and serve!