Tuna Casserole

I was really feeling an itch the other day for Tuna Helper.  Now I'm generally opposed to ready-meals and strange out-of-the-box creations, but Tuna Helper was something my dad would always made.  Luckily, Irma Rombauer had a homemade version in her cooking compendium, The Joy of Cooking.  I modified it a little, adding peas and carrots because I feel that a needed a little more veggies, you could easily add broccoli or any other vegetable for that matter.

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup cooked peas
1/2 cup carrots,diced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cups shredded Cheddar (I used Gouda as Cheddar is hard to comeby in Germany)
12 ounces (2 cans) of tuna, drained and broken into chunks
2 cups cooked egg noodles (4 ounces uncooked)
1/2 cup minced parsley
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs (I used crispy onions for the topping)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Grease a 1 1/2 to 2 quart shallow baking dish.  Melt in a medium saucepan over medium heat the butter.  Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and carrots.  Cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the milk.  Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add, whisking until hot the cheese and the tuna.  Add and stir together the egg noodles, minced parsley, cooked peas and then salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Mix together and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top.  Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes or until browned on top.