You guys, I am going to come right out and tell you that tuna casserole is quite possibly the most unglamorous, non-photogenic dinner in the history of the world. Or, if not the entire world, at least the food blogging world. But, that’s the thing! Sometimes we just need a comforting meal that is thrown together easily and soothes our bellies and our souls, not a complicated meal that requires the staging of a food prop stylist. Amiright? If you are looking for easy-breezy, cheese + noodles, and something you can make a truckload of and freeze for busy weeknights then this is for you, my dear!
My favorite things about tuna casserole, despite its lack of glamour and aesthetic appeal:
1. We grew up eating a variation of this mess, only with freshly caught tuna that my dad caught and canned himself. There is nothing better than home-canned tuna and going back to store-bought canned tuna is the pits. (Dear Uncle Rick, please send us tuna. Thanks.)
2. You can put whatever you have on hand in this casserole. Sometimes I go for an asparagus and goat cheese combo to make it a tiny more sophisticated. Other times I opt for traditional peas, carrots, and cheddar. The options are endless, especially when you are trying to empty your refrigerator before a trip.
3. There is no such thing as too much cheese. (When my sister makes her variation, she chops the cheese in chunks so it is extra ooey and gooey!)
4. Waverley will gobble this up, vegetables and all.
5. I pretend I am being healthy by spooning it onto a bed of greens. My healthy internal voice says good job with the greens, whole wheat pasta, and vegetables. My junk food loving internal voice says mmm cheeeeese.
- Olive oil for greasing dishes
- Sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- 28 ounces canned white tuna
- 1 pound whole wheat pasta
- 24 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 6 cups vegetables of your choice (in this recipe I used frozen peas, frozen broccoli, one whole pepper {diced}, and one whole red onion)
- 5 cups cheese of your choice (in this recipe I used 2 cups gruyere, 2 cups fontina, and 1 cup goat cheese)
- 1 cup Panko crumbs (or, if you prefer my brother's style: crumbled up BBQ potato chips)
- Greens of your choice (in this recipe I used arugula)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking dishes with olive oil.
- Prepare pasta according to instructions. Strain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients: chop vegetables (frozen vegetable can stay frozen) and shred cheese.
- Drain tuna and place in a bowl. Separate with a fork to loosen large clumps.
- Using two large bowls, separate vegetables evenly. Add in tuna and stir until combined.
- Stir in cream of mushroom soup to each bowl and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add cheese except leave 1 cup remaining (1/2 cup for each bowl). Combine well.
- Next, add cooked pasta to bowls and stir until mixture is evenly coated with ingredients.
- Pour casserole mixture into prepared dishes. Sprinkle with cheese and Panko crumbs.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. If freezing one casserole, cover and wrap tightly plastic wrap. Make sure to take the frozen casserole out and refrigerate for 24 hours prior to baking, and then bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes as well.
- Spoon casserole onto a bed of greens and enjoy!
Yumm! We are spoiled with our tuna. Lately, instead of using cream of mushroom soup, I am sautéing mushrooms and making my “own” cream of mushroom soup. I didn’t even tell Rick and he noticed a big difference.