Tuna Salad Lasagna Stack

I think this dish confused my mouth a bit when I first tried it. It looks like lasagna. But it really really isn't. It just has the same noodles and is layered like lasagna. It's served cold, like regular tuna salad, and instead of layers of meat and/or veggies, tomato sauce, and cheese, it's layers of a tuna mixture, arugula, and roasted red pepper sauce. It took me a minute or two to convince my brain that there wasn't something seriously wrong with my lasagna, but when my brain caught up, I really liked it!

I had gone light on the salt while I was making it since I have felt like I have been going a little heavy on the salt lately, but I found when I ate it that it actually needed a bit more.

I think it would be a really fun thing to bring to a picnic. Even if just to mess with people's heads.

Tuna Salad Lasagna Stack
Courtesy of Katherine Barreira



4 red bell peppers
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lasagna noodles
Three 6-ounce cans tuna packed in water, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 cups torn arugula
1/3 cup minced chives

Preheat the broiler. Place the bell peppers on a baking sheet and broil, turning every 5 minutes, until charred all over, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover; let sit for 10 minutes. Using your fingers, peel and discard the charred skin. Discard the stems and seeds.

Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet to prevent sticking.

In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, dill, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Using a blender, puree the roasted peppers, sherry vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. With the machine on, pour in the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil in a slow stream, blending until thick, about 30 seconds.

Place a layer of lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of the arugula and one-quarter of the bell pepper sauce. Repeat 2 more times, using the remaining tuna mixture and arugula and topping with the remaining noodles. Top with the remaining red pepper sauce and the chives.