Tuna Noodle Casserole

On the Menu Today~
Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna Noodle Casserole
has been served in school cafeteria's for eons and
when I was growing up,
Tuna Noodle Casserole was a stable in our house,
eaten every Friday for dinner during Lent.
Often to the moans and groans of myself and
my brother and sisters.

Saturday's lunch would be left-over tuna noodle casserole,
spread on thick slices of French bread,
then put under the broiler until the slice of American cheese had melted.
Saturday's version of Tuna Noodle Casserole was by far my favorite.

Chopped onions and celery are optional in this recipe.
I don't think my mom added either to her Tuna Casserole.
Aggie wasn't exactly what you would call a 'chef'.
It would be fair to say, that she was more in the category of 'terrible' cook...
Aggie would have considered adding onion, celery and
dried dill weed, would certainly qualify the recipe as 'gourmet'
(I very much doubt she even had dried dill weed)
Considering I had never eaten a taco until I was in the third grade....or
a lettuce salad, until I was 19 years old, should shed some light on the subject.
I definitely led a very 'Sheltered Food' life.

Now on to this {Gourmet} Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe~

Canned tuna is precooked and is sold as albacore, or white meat and light meat.
It comes in three grades, the best being solid or fancy (large pieces), followed by
chunk (smaller pieces) and flaked or grated (bits and pieces).
Canned tuna is packed in either water or oil.
Canned tuna will generally keep for about a year, stored at 65º F or less.
The best practice is to buy only what will be used within a few months of purchase.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz) package medium egg noodles
• 2 (10 1/2 oz each) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 (7 1/2 oz each) cans chunk tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 small can peas, drained
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup each diced onion and celery
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine soups and milk; mix well. Add noodles, tuna, peas, salt and pepper. Stir in onion and celery. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.
4. Sprinkle dried dill weed over the top. Top with crushed potato chips.
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through.
6. Serve immediately.

Tuna, Pasta, Peas, Potato Chips, Casserole