by Elizabeth Dengler, The Huckleberry Home
We’ve been making-do a lot lately with what we have on hand simply because in these times it isn’t easy to find everything on the grocery store shelves. Casseroles are just an easy and tasty way to use some of what you already have on hand. They are pretty versatile and easy to throw together. For more on casserole ideas, be sure to check out the Huckleberry Press website for my blog post on “How to Casserole Anything”.
In the recipe below you can easily switch out ingredients. If you don’t have egg noodles, you can use macaroni or cooked rice; you could use chicken instead of tuna. Before I ever make a swap I think of what the new item tastes like and imagine how it would taste with all the other ingredients. Like, I don’t think spinach or broccoli would taste good in this recipe. Now I have some family members that would argue that spinach and broccoli shouldn’t be in any recipe, so with that in mind, go with what makes the most sense for your family’s tastes.
Ingredients:
2 C uncooked Wide Egg Noodles (dumpling size works too)
2 cans tuna, drained
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Cup pasta water (this is the water you boiled your noodles in)
1 Cup frozen peas and carrots mix OR ½ C peas and ½ C carrots (you can thaw quickly in a small bowl of hot water for easy mixing)
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Cheese Blend
Topping:
½ C Bread Crumbs
4 T Melted Butter
Spray your 9×9 casserole dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In your favorite pot, cook your noodles according to package directions.
In a large mixing bowl add your drained tuna, cream of mushroom soup, veggies and give it a stir.
Before you drain your pasta, scoop out 1 cup of the water. It is boiling hot so be cautious. I use a large, glass Pyrex measuring cup with a handle as my scoop. Drain noodles but do NOT rinse your pasta.
Slowly add your pasta water into your large mixing bowl while stirring. I use a spatula for all the mixing so I can easily scrape the side of the bowl. The contents may be rather runny, that’s okay. Once mixed, add in your cooked noodles, stirring carefully so not to break up the pasta. Mix in your cheese. Once it’s all incorporated scrape the contents from the bowl into your prepared casserole dish.
In a small bowl mix together your melted butter and bread crumbs, then sprinkle on top of your casserole. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, until hot and bubbly. When you remove from the oven, let it set for at least 5 minutes before dishing up.
This easily feeds our family of 4 and we always have leftovers. If you have more people to feed, I’ve included the doubled amounts below and you’ll need to bake in a 9×13 pan for 40 minutes.
4 C uncooked Wide Egg Noodles (dumpling size works too)
4 cans tuna, drained
2 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 Cup pasta water (this is the water you boiled your noodles in)
2 Cup frozen peas and carrots mix 2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Cheese Blend
Topping:
1 C Bread Crumbs
1 stick Melted Butter
