As a child, this was one of my favorite dinners. My mom always cooked a lot of casseroles. In those days, she made the recipe with cream of mushroom soup. Many of the recipes back then had cream of mushroom soup as a main ingredient. I have adapted it since that time, but you could prepare it either way.
In the original version, the white sauce had three tablespoons of butter, three tablespoons, of flour, and two cups of milk. You added a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a can of tuna. Here is my updated version.
4 Tablespoons of butter
4 Tablespoons of flour
2 1/4 cups of milk
1 can of tuna
1/2 a package of egg noodles
Cook your noodles until they are al dente in salted water. Drain them in a colander. Melt the butter and flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until bubbly. Add salt to taste, if desired. Pour in the milk and stir constantly, until smooth. (It will be a thin white sauce.) Add the can of tuna and some white pepper for flavor. Stir together and remove from heat.
Combine the sauce and the noodles. I use whatever pasta I have on hand. Place in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes.
I really enjoy this recipe because it is quick and delicious. I often make it and reheat the leftovers for dinner during the week. I buy the tuna on sale at CVS for .68 a can. It's very economical. The tins of tuna that they sell now are smaller than the ones we had when I was a child. It still makes a tasty casserole, though. Children usually love this recipe.
Thanks for this recipe, Stephenie. Lately I have been making white sauce frequently and I will try this with gluten free lentil pasta. I also have several cans of mushroom so I can make cream of mushroom and add tuna.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, Nil. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
DeleteI do enjoy tuna with pasta, I have a tuna melt the only difference being the cheese of the top xx
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to love tuna melts, Cheryl. I'll have to try it your way so time.
DeleteWe use the same basic recipe without the tuna and add fresh mushrooms to the white sauce, along with a good amount of finely chopped parsley. Cheese goes over the top of the casserole before going in the oven. We also do the same with tuna or with chicken. Depends on what we have at the time. Cheap and delicious.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane Allen, Thank you for commenting. I'll have to try adding the parsley and doing it with chicken. I think some chicken broth or country gravy would be good in the white sauce, too. I love meals that are cheap and delicious. This casserole is hearty, too.
ReplyDeleteOur son would love this. I had only just finished making a macaroni and cheese when I opened your post. We were cooking very similar recipes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe as I have a can of tuna in the pantry waiting to be used. I also have fresh mushrooms, just need the soup.
That's great, Kylie. My brothers always loved this recipe, too. You can make it without the soup, that's what I do.
Delete