Tuna Noodle Casserole
Who grew up with this homey, classic casserole? There are many versions of this recipe online, but no matter how simple or gourmet you go, the core of this recipe is the same… tuna, noodles, creamy sauce, most likely peas, and a yummy topping, either cheese or something crunchy. And people usually have a very solid opinion of this dish. People either love or hate it. If you happen to be on the dislike side, maybe, just maybe, this will pull you over to the “love it” side!
I really enjoyed this article by tastecooking.com on this love-hate casserole.
I debated on the addition of the peas, but for nostalgia’s sake, I kept them. Also, I did not use the iconic red and white can of condensed soup here. But I did add some chicken bouillon dissolved in heavy cream to weave its way throughout this casserole to sub out the “cream of chicken” soup.
You can sub out diced roasted red peppers for the pimento peppers.
I’ve seen crushed potato chips in place of the potato sticks on tuna casseroles. Ritz crackers (or other butter-flavored crackers, crushed) would be yummy and still give you the crunch. Add any of these ideas, or another handful of shredded cheese if you’d like.
I’m so thankful tuna can be found in pouches. I grew up with the cans which had to be drained. Not the easiest thing to do. Even though the pouches are super-convenient, I still look for fish scales and small bones that may have found their way into the packaging. I would purchase tuna packed in water instead of oil for this recipe.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think, or how you changed it up!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 teaspoon ground chicken bouillon, or 1 teaspoon granules
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, (or half and half), very warm
- 11 -ounce pouch tuna in water
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup diced pimento peppers, drained well
- 3 cup Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup green onions, green and white parts, sliced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or oil
- 3/4 cup celery, diced
- 3/4 cup onion, diced
- 3/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
- 4 -ounce canister potato sticks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13” baking pan and set aside.
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions, to al dente, approximately 9 minutes.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir the chicken bouillon in the warm heavy cream; set aside to dissolve.
- In a large bowl, add the noodles, tuna, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic and onion powders, peas, pimento peppers, cheese, and green onions. Combine the ingredients well. Set aside.
- In a shallow skillet or pan, heat the butter (or oil) over medium heat. Once melted, add the celery, onion, and bell pepper. Give a light pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until just softened. (You can caramelize the vegetables if you’d like. Just account for a bit longer cooking time.) Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Scrape the veggies into the bowl with the tuna mixture. Stir the milk-bouillon mixture once more and add to the bowl. Combine all the ingredients together and scrape into the 9x13” pan.
- Sprinkle the potato sticks and parsley over the top of the casserole and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top is nicely browned.
- Serve very warm.
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