Jane’s Tuna Casserole

 When I don’t know what to make for dinner sometimes I go back to this comforting recipe for Janes’s Tuna Casserole.

Tuna Casserole first became popular in the 1950’s which is a long time ago! Its popularity grew because every ingredient was available in the grocery store, the dish is easy to prepare & leftovers are just as good the following day! There was always a can of tuna, a can of mushroom soup in the pantry of our house when I was a kid & some kind of pasta! So, Tuna Casserole was on the dinner rotation often.

Tuna Casserole is one of those dishes that many people would think they won’t like! But this recipe, Jane’s Tuna Casserole, is especially good with the melted cheese on top! Who wouldn’t like a crispy gooey cheese top on a pasta dish?

You can use different types of pasta if you want in this recipe. Macaroni is great here & I like to use a wide or medium size egg noodle. Totally up to you as long as the quantities are the same as the recipe You can also different types of cheese if you want. I like to use cheddar but you can use what you like. Swiss would add a nice strong flavour & of course you can use mozzarella!

Jane’s Tuna Casserole

1 cup frozen peas

2 stalks celery, finely sliced

1 tbsp oil

1 10 oz of cream of mushroom soup

1/2 of the soup can of milk

1 can tuna , drained and flaked

4 cups cooked macaroni  ( 2 cups uncooked) ***I used a 1/2 bag of thick egg noodles

2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided ***1 cup goes in the casserole, 1 cup goes on top

Method

1. Cook the macaroni/noodles
2. Spray a casserole dish ***I used a square casserole and it fit perfectly
3. In a medium-sized saucepan, saute the celery in the oil just until soft ***I did not let the celery brown
4. To the celery ( in the saucepan) add the peas,  the mushroom soup & 1/2 the can of milk. Mix and warm through
5. Add the tuna and mix well
6. Next add the cooked pasta and the cheese, mixing so that it is throughly combined
7. Put the noodle mixture into the greased casserole dish
8. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of grated cheddar all over the top of the casserole
9. Bake at 350F for 35`40 minutes until hot & bubbly and the cheese is melted nicely

Serve with a nice salad alongside!

Enjoy!