Dilled Tuna Bake

This tuna bake skips the noodles and tops a creamy dill sauce with refrigerator biscuits instead. The biscuits puff up golden and flaky in the oven while the sauce bubbles underneath, giving you a built-in bread-and-stew situation in one dish.

The sauce starts with sauteed onion and celery, then a roux of margarine and flour gets stirred until bubbly before milk goes in slowly. Dill weed gives the whole thing a bright, herby lift that keeps the tuna from tasting heavy. Fold in flaked tuna and peas, bring it to a boil, pour it into a casserole, then drop biscuits on top and bake.

Almost everything comes from the pantry or freezer, making this a reliable weeknight save when the fridge is looking bare.

Chef Tips

• Stir the roux constantly when adding milk. Pour it in slowly and keep whisking or you’ll get a lumpy sauce.
• Flake the tuna thoroughly so it distributes evenly. Big chunks create pockets without sauce.
• Space the biscuits so they’re close but not touching. They need room to expand and brown evenly.
• Let the casserole rest 5 minutes after baking so the sauce thickens and stops bubbling.

Variations

• Use canned chicken instead of tuna for a chicken pot pie-style bake.
• Add shredded cheddar to the sauce for a cheesier, richer version.
• Swap refrigerator biscuits for puff pastry squares for a flakier, more elegant topping.