Can Tuna Noodle Casserole Be Comfort Food?
I say
yes. If a dish has noodles, cream of
something, shredded cheese and some kind of crumb topping… it most certainly is
comfort food. Or at the very least it is
something you can shove in your freezer for an easy, eat-it-later kind of meal.
This week is
the first time that I have wondered how we will get through spring in our
home. My seventh grader is on an FFA
speaking team, shooting on the trap team and is trying to sell pizzas for her
church youth group trip in July. This
week we have had one night of no activities… tonight. The rest of the nights we
have had multiple activities and events that we needed to be at. It has been a
week of divide and conquer and frozen pizzas and cereal in our home. My
husband going one way and me another.
Last night I
had had it. I could not make myself go to another activity as a good mom. There was a drift of dishes, no silverware
left and I knew my people would come in the door starved and cold from being
outside for a damp, chilly Iowa afternoon and evening of walking the bucket
calf, standing (if you are the dad) and playing (if you are the younger
sibling) at trap practice. I was not going to do gourmet – I needed something
that could cook away while I attacked that mess on the counter. It was two dishwashers full! I think we may need to come to some
expectation about dishes while we are so busy or we may just need to buy stock
in the Hefty paper plate and Solo cup companies.
The temperature
and the activity level made it a night that screamed for comfort food. Warm, filling and fast..ish. I decided to bring out my simple Tuna
Noodle Casserole recipe since I didn’t have elbow noodles for mac and cheese or
goulash or Grandma Hattie’s Spagetta.
Tuna and noodles aren’t my family’s favorite meal… but all the ingredients
were there and a few things I thought I could try to throw in to make it more
to our family’s taste. The end result
was good enough the Farmer took thirds… I think it passed. The 7th
grader even said I should write it down because it was better than regular Tuna
and Noodles… Even if it did have peas in it.
Peas are an evil food to my kids…I don’t know what I have done wrong
with those two. Peas are fabulous and taste like spring.
The
Groceries:
1 pkg wide
Egg Noodles, boiled and set aside
2 C Frozen
Peas
1 large can
tuna, packed in water, drained
2 cans Diced
Water Chestnuts, drained
1 C diced
Onion
½-3/4 C
diced Celery
2 T Butter
1 Can Cream
of Chicken Soup
¾ C Miracle
Whip salad dressing
¾ C Milk
1 ½ Cup hand
shredded, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided into ¾ C portions (not packed
into the measuring cup, just filled)
1 – 1 ½ C lightly
crushed French’s Onions
The Process:
Boil Egg
noodles and add peas to the boiling water just before draining. Set aside.
In the sauce
pan, melt the butter and sauté the onions and celery until just softened.
Add the
soup, Miracle Whip, Milk, water chestnuts and ¾ C cheese.
Stir sauce
into the noodles with peas and the tuna.
Pour into a
well-greased 9x13 glass baking dish.
Sprinkle the
remaining ¾ C sharp cheddar across the top and then top with the crushed French’s
Onions.
Bake
uncovered in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30-45 minutes or until heated
through. (note: this freezes well, but don’t thaw before cooking and leave the
last layer of cheddar and onions off until the last 10 minutes of baking. Bake it uncovered.)
Serve with a
tossed salad to make yourself feel better about eating a large serving of
comfort food.
