AIP tuna noodle casserole made with zucchini noodles, coconut milk gravy, and a plantain chip topping

Squeezing water out of a pile of salted zucchini noodles with your bare hands, so the sauce around them does not turn watery, is not a step you would find in the version of this dish you grew up with. It is one more small, unglamorous task the elimination phase asks of you, and it is worth doing right, because a runny casserole is a disappointing casserole.

A casserole is the dish people bring to someone who is struggling, and making one for yourself, from scratch, while you are the one doing the hard work of an elimination protocol, counts as exactly that kind of care. Tuna is doing quiet work here too. Its omega-3 fats are linked to inflammatory signaling that would otherwise run unchecked, and canned tuna is an easy, affordable way to get them onto the table on a weeknight.

Choose a sustainably caught brand if the label lets you, and eat this one at the table instead of standing at the counter. The crushed plantain chips on top give you the crunch a breadcrumb topping used to, and that small resemblance to something familiar is allowed to matter.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 cups zucchini noodles (from 2 to 3 large zucchinis)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1 1/2 cups bone broth
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 cans tuna (5 ounces each)
• 1 cup plantain chips, crushed

Method

Place the zucchini noodles in a colander, toss with the salt, and let them drain for at least 20 minutes. Then squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands or a clean kitchen towel. This step is important - wet noodles will water down the sauce and leave the casserole soupy rather than creamy.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened - about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and thyme and continue cooking until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the pan looks dry again, about another 5 minutes.

Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and the cassava flour to the pan. Stir everything together and cook for about 1 minute to take the raw edge off the flour. Then begin adding the bone broth gradually, whisking as you go to prevent lumps. Once the broth is incorporated, stir in the coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened noticeably - about 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain the tuna and fold it into the sauce, breaking up any large chunks. Add the squeezed zucchini noodles and mix gently until the noodles are evenly coated. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

If your pan is not oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Scatter the crushed plantain chips evenly over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Instant Pot variation

Use the sauté function to build the filling entirely inside the pot. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil on sauté and cook the onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are no longer releasing liquid. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and the cassava flour. Gradually whisk in the broth, then stir in the coconut milk. Continue on sauté, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Fold in the drained tuna and the squeezed zucchini noodles and heat through.

The Instant Pot will not crisp the topping the way an oven does. For a toasted top: transfer the finished filling to a baking dish, scatter the crushed plantain chips over the surface, and run it under a broiler for 3 to 4 minutes until golden. Alternatively, serve the filling straight from the pot with the crushed chips scattered over each bowl just before eating.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com (Jaime Hartman)*