Tuna Noodle Casserole

[DanM]

I was thinking about making tuna noodle casserole for dinner.It is one of those basic comfort food dishes that can be made a million different ways. For me, it is an opportunity to use up old veg in the fridge. What is your favorite?

Dan

[Kouign Aman]

Kraft mac'n cheese, tuna, frozen peas = childhood.

[heidih]

The version I remember at friend's homes used Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom or the like as the lubricant. I can't remember if cheese was involved. Peas were present. There were various topping fads but my favorite was the French's fried onions like the standard green bean casserole, or potato chips. Goodness talk about product placement - gotta add that Chicken of the Sea (we loved that Charlie the tuna) was considered the premium tuna.

How do you use up vegetables in this dish?

[suzilightning]

leftover poached tuna(or any other fish)

egg noodles

sauteed mushrooms

bechemel with some nutmeg, tarragon and worchestershire sauce in it

thawed frozen peas

pulverized ruffles potato chips for the top

[toolprincess]

I like the kraft mac n cheese, peas and tuna version.

[janeer]

I haven't made it since I was in college but I used to add about 3 oz of softened cream cheese. I used wide egg noodles and the cream of mushroom soup, white chunk tuna, onions, salt and pepper.

[DanM]

The version I remember at friend's homes used Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom or the like as the lubricant. I can't remember if cheese was involved. Peas were present. There were various topping fads but my favorite was the French's fried onions like the standard green bean casserole, or potato chips. Goodness talk about product placement - gotta add that Chicken of the Sea (we loved that Charlie the tuna) was considered the premium tuna.

How do you use up vegetables in this dish?

I use up veg in my casserole by chopping them up and sauteing them with the mushrooms. In this case, I added leeks, bell peppers, and mushrooms to the tuna, wide egg noodles, and bechamel. A few fried onions on top and then 15 minutes in the oven.

Dan

[heidih]

So a money shot of the creamy inside and crunchy outside would not be ignored here

[abadoozy]

Tuna-noodle casserole is definitely comfort food for me. I use the recipe from the Joy of Cooking if I want to do it the way my Mom used to - a couple cans of tuna, a couple cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup, egg noodles, peas, cover with crushed potato chips and bake.

This recipe from Bon Appetit is a fair bit more work, but is amazing. Much better than the above, but not as convenient for a throw-together after work dinner.

[Lora]

I made this last night! I like egg noodles (homemade so they will be really thick and chewy), bechamel with cheddar melted in, onions and garlic sauteed into the bechamel, tuna, corn, and edamame added (peas originally but my daughter prefers edamame, and it's pretty good). Panko plus parmesan as a topping.

[DanM]

So a money shot of the creamy inside and crunchy outside would not be ignored here

Here you go Heidi... A little amateur food porn for ya.

[ptau]

i really like using green bean casserole as a base then adding tuna into it with some noodles...i find that the cream of mushroom is a great base

[lindag]

The one I've been making for years and years:

Two cans tuna

minced celery

minced onion

3-4 cups egg noodles

1 can cream of CELERY soup

grated cheddar

1/2 cup mayo (added off heat to the soup and melted cheese)

frozen peas, thawed in the pot with the noodles for the last minute or two of cooking

Edited January 17, 2012 by lindag (log)

[Toliver]

Sometimes I will add diced sun-dried tomatoes just to add a sweet note to the dish.

[Holly Moore]

Curse you eGullet. Stirring up memories of things best forgotten. Yesterday I baked the blandest, dullest casserole I have ever suffered. Googled Campbells official recipe for tuna noodle casserole. Amassed my ingredients. Followed the recipe precisely. Blah. What came out of my oven could have been served to prisoners in solitary confinement as punishment fare.

So what now. Did I mention I assembled a double recipe, to fill my casserole dish? There is a lot left. The garbage disposal is one option, but hate to let the tuna casserole off so easily. So what can I do with a casserole bowl full of the stuff to add some personality and flavor?

[SylviaLovegren]

My mom made it with egg noodles, chunk light tuna and Campbell's Cream O' Mushroom, but her secret ingredient was...canned evaporated milk! That way, the guts stayed really creamy and slippery.

I don't ever want to make it because I'm sure it wouldn't taste very good to me now. Then, I thought it was the most delicious thing ever invented.

I make my own with bechamel, mushrooms, lots of cheese, tuna, and some frozen peas. It's fine but not the most delicious thing ever.

[heidih]

Curse you eGullet. Stirring up memories of things best forgotten. Yesterday I baked the blandest, dullest casserole I have ever suffered. Googled Campbells official recipe for tuna noodle casserole. Amassed my ingredients. Followed the recipe precisely. Blah. What came out of my oven could have been served to prisoners in solitary confinement as punishment fare.

So what now. Did I mention I assembled a double recipe, to fill my casserole dish? There is a lot left. The garbage disposal is one option, but hate to let the tuna casserole off so easily. So what can I do with a casserole bowl full of the stuff to add some personality and flavor?

I would fold in loads of chopped flat leaf parsley, spread on a sheet pan or casserole, shower with cheese and fried onions (or the fried shallots from an Asian market), and bake in a hot oven. My goal would be to get a large ratio of crust to innards. I find parsley plays well with canned tuna and adds a refreshing spark.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

In my family, Tuna Casserole is normally a "lazy bastard" dish, owing to how much the oven can heat the house (when it's 35 C outside, we are exclusively stovetop cooks). Lazy Bastard Tuna Casserole is made on the stovetop in the largest cast-iron saucepan, in the following way: sweat some Spanish onions in a bit of sunflower oil, then toss in finely diced green beans, green and red peppers, asparagus in chunks if it's in the fridge, peas, celery, any other appealing veg that might be in the fridge, and as many mushrooms as I think I can get away with. A bit of fresh herbs (oregano and parsely, at this point) and a dash of cumin, then a splash of water and on goes the lid so that the veggies sort of poach.

Meanwhile, mushroom-water and milk beschamel with a quinua roux and a pinch of nutmeg, and usually a generous handfull of Parmesan or some similar very hard cheese. Sometimes the market has Angofastura or (even better) Manchego, and those will always beat Parm hands down. The beschamel goes into the cast iron once the veggies are no longer crunchy, then allowed to thicken back up. A can of drained chunk white tuna goes in at the end with the finely shredded fresh basil, so as not to over-tuna the dish.

When I've got fresh tuna steaks, I'll often make this "casserole" as a sauce for them, then just sear them in lemon butter.

Mom swears that this should be made to go over macaroni, but I'm an adherent to the egg-noodles camp. When she makes it, the stuff in the saucepan is poured over the noodles; when I'm the cook, the noodles go into the saucepan and the whole thing is dished from there.

[DanM]

Curse you eGullet. Stirring up memories of things best forgotten. Yesterday I baked the blandest, dullest casserole I have ever suffered. Googled Campbells official recipe for tuna noodle casserole. Amassed my ingredients. Followed the recipe precisely. Blah. What came out of my oven could have been served to prisoners in solitary confinement as punishment fare.

So what now. Did I mention I assembled a double recipe, to fill my casserole dish? There is a lot left. The garbage disposal is one option, but hate to let the tuna casserole off so easily. So what can I do with a casserole bowl full of the stuff to add some personality and flavor?

Hmmm... is it pretty congealed? you could try to use a small cookie scoop to make small balls of this stuff, freeze the balls for a few hours, dip them in Arrogant Bastard Ale onion ring batter and deep fry it.

[Chris Hennes]

Holly, what did you end up doing? I'm really liking DanM's idea here, i might give it a go on purpose.

[threestars]

I must agree with Mac n Cheese! I love making that one as well!