Baked Mediterranean Salmon Casserole

An enticing combination of salmon, egg noodles, garlic, portabella mushrooms and artichoke hearts. This Baked Mediterranean Salmon Casserole is the perfect weeknight recipe, that is a snap to prepare. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

Ingredients

6 ounces egg noodles, cooked al dente
3 tablespoons butter
½ red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup portabella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 (7-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, sliced
⅛ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 (6-to 7-ounce) cans salmon, drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and freshly ground black pepper
nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, garlic and the mushrooms, sauté until soft. Stir in the artichoke hearts and the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and the heavy cream. Stir over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the egg noodles, salmon, green onions, ½ -cup Parmesan cheese and the sauce mixture. Spray a 10-inch round casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add noodle mixture and top with the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden.

Makes 4 servings

How to Make Panko Bread Crumbs:
Panko makes delicious breading for fish or makes a great topping for casseroles.

You’ll need 7 slices of white bread, remove the crust.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Carefully push chunks of bread through the shredding disk of a food processor, to make course crumbs. Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake until the crumbs are dry but not toasted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Shake the sheet twice during baking. Immediately remove the bread crumbs from the oven to cool. Once cooled, store in a re-sealable bag in the freezer.

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