Tuna Noodle Casserole

Teen boys can eat.  Growing up with 2 sisters and no brothers, I had only heard rumors about how much a teen boy could eat.   But I now know first hand that there will be 2nd and 3rd helpings.  And a gallon of milk to be bought every 3rd day.   

My once sweet boy 

Is now a lot taller than me (notice I am in heels)

I try to make dinners that will leave some leftovers for my husbands lunch the next day.  That is not happening as much anymore.  The Tuna Noodle Casserole I made did not make it to the next day.  I think the boy even got a 4th helping on this one.  

These are the ingredients.  See my container of homemade cream of mushroom soup?  The canned stuff will work in this recipe too, but I just made a big batch and this is the perfect recipe for it.   

You start out boiling the egg noodles.  I used half a package.  That is about what will fit in the 2 quart pan.   

Cook the noodles until al dente.  Since they will be going into the oven you don't want them cooked all the way thorough.

Then dump the tuna, cream of mushroom soup, peas and carrots, salt and pepper into the pot with the noodles.    

No need to defrost the peas and carrots.  Just toss in the frozen ones and mix it all up.  Pour the mixture into a greased (with spray oil) 2 quart casserole dish (a 8 x 8 pan will work too).  

Pop it into a 350F oven for 25 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle a few handfuls of crushed potato chips over it (I dig down to the bottom of the bag to get the ones already crushed) and put it back in for 5 to 10 more minutes (or the potato chips are brown). 

Ta-dah!  Dinner is ready!

One of the reasons I make this classic recipe is because it is super easy to make.  I usually have all the ingredients in my cupboards.  It can be made in 45 minutes (you can boil the noodles ahead of time and cut it down to 30 minutes).  It is very budget friendly.  It is a full meal in one pan.  And it is very delicious. 

Next time you have a hungry family and little time, whip up this delicious casserole.  You won't have any leftovers either. 

Tuna Noodle Casserole

4 to 8 oz of egg noodles (about 1/2 a package)

15 oz cream of mushroom soup (canned or homemade)

5 oz can of tuna, drained

6 oz frozen peas and carrots* (half of the package shown above)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Potato chips

Preheat the oven to 350F.  

Cook the egg noodles according to directions on the package, but turn them off and drain them a minute or two earlier than the directions say (you will want to taste test them.  Should taste done, but still have a little bite to it).  

After the noodles are drained, return them to the pot.   Dump in the soup, tuna, peas and carrots, salt and pepper.   Mix it all up.  

Prepare a 2 quart casserole dish with a spray or 2 of oil.  Then dump the mixture into it.   Put it into the oven for 25 minutes.  

After 25 minutes, take the pan out of the oven.  Crush 2 or 3 handfuls of potato chips over the top and put the pan back into the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.  

Once the chips start to brown, take it out of the oven and serve.  

*Does not have to be peas and carrots.  Use your favorite frozen veggie.  

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Healthier.  It's what we are all striving for.  Paleo, 21 Day, Cleansing, Clean Eating  These are the current buzz words for going on a diet. No matter what you call it, you are still counting calories, carbs and/or starches.  Who really had time for all that?  

The closer I get to 50 the harder it is to lose weight, so I decided am not going to fight that battle anymore.  I am not following any trend or diet.   I think that as long as I am moving more I am doing better.  

However I want to be able to live longer than 50, so I look for ways to cook that will be better for all 3 of us.  Convenience cooking is still a important because we have busy schedules.  A casserole in the oven will hold until after marching band practice if necessary. 

Most casseroles use cream of something soup as a base. Have you picked up a can of cream of mushroom soup and looked at the sodium content?  870 mg of sodium is very very high.   Yikes.  

Thanks to Pinterest, I found Once a Month Meals Cream of Something Soup.  Cream of Something or really anything you want.  She has a wonderful chart that lists options for traditional, diet, whole foods, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan options for mushroom, celery, chicken and asparagus soup.  If I make it myself, then I can cut down on the sodium in any dish that uses any cream of soup and it looked simple to make.   

I use cream of mushroom in a lot of recipes, even if it calls for another flavor.  So I didn't mind making a big batch of it and it freezes really well.   So I took Once A Month Meals basic recipe, omit the garlic (that is a whole other story), used my milk, quadrupled the ingredients and made my own big batch of cream of mushroom soup.

The first thing you need to do is chop your mushrooms and onions.

  

I put the onion in a big pot and sauteed them til transparent.  Then I added the mushrooms and cooked them down a bit (if you cook the mushrooms with the onions, the mushrooms will over cook and you don't want that). 

Next I added the 2 sticks of butter to melt with the onions and mushrooms.  Once it is melted I stirred in the flour to make the roux.  

I used my milk (yes I am lactose intolerant) and boxed unsalted chicken stock (if you use regular chicken stock, you are defeating the purpose of lowering the sodium).  You can use homemade stock if you have it, but I use it faster than I can make it. I put them together in a big bowl and slowly poured them into the roux.  

I accidentally dropped some of the milk/broth on the floor.  My instant drop cleaner showed up to help.  

I continued to cook the mixture until it reached the right consistency.  See how it clings to the spatula?  This is a good thickness.  

These are the perfect size container for the cream of mushroom soup.  One equals just about 15 oz and that is the size of a soup can.  

Once the soup cooled, I put it into the containers.  I quadrupled the recipe but got almost 5 containers out of it.  That is 5 recipes to make in the future.  Awesome!  

Now to get my drop cleaner to stop begging.  

Cream of Mushroom Soup for Recipes

Ingredients:

2 small onions, diced

2 cups diced mushrooms

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup flour

4 cups milk

3 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Saute the onion until transparent then add the mushroom and cook it down.  Add the butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook for about 2 minutes or until slightly brown. Add milk and broth. Add sauteed garlic, onion and main ingredient. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until it reaches desired consistency (about 10-15 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Let is cool and store in 15 oz containers.  You can freeze it or store in in the fridge for 4 days. Use as you would a can of cream of mushroom soup in a recipe.