When I think of some of the budget friendly retro dishes that I found comforting growing up, tuna casserole comes to mind. I love to take the classic dishes I loved as a child and give them an upgrade like this Tuna Casserole 2.0 that is just as satisfying as always, but caters to the more discerning palate. While still wallet friendly, this recipe delivers in flavor and comfort, here’s how I make it:
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Then sauté 1 med. chopped onion and 3 stalks of chopped celery with the leaves in a tablespoon of olive oil until crisp tender. Remove from pan and place in a bowl or plate and set aside.
Next, start the salted water for the pasta and boil 1 lb. of Mostaccioli until al dente, making sure not to over cook because it will also bake in the oven. In the mean time, take a 2qt. casserole dish with a lid, and spray the dish with olive oil cooking spray, or grease with olive oil.
Grate 4 cups of extra sharp cheddar cheese, open 1 can of your favorite cream of mushroom soup, and the four 5 oz. cans of solid white albacore tuna in water.
When pasta is al dente, drain in a strainer and then place the drained pasta back into the pot you cooked it in, and add in the onions and celery, the cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 tsp. dry powdered mustard, and 1 tsp. of dried tarragon and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once combined, add in the 4 cans of tuna leaving some of it in chunks and then fold the tuna gently into the pasta mixture to keep the tuna from completely falling apart.
Once the tuna is folded into the pasta, place half of the mixture into the casserole dish and top it with 2 cups of the extra sharp cheddar cheese.
Add the rest of the pasta to the top of the dish leaving enough room to cover with the rest of the cheese.
Cover the casserole dish with the lid and place on a foil line baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 – 50 minutes until bubbly.
To serve, scoop all the way to the bottom of the casserole dish to capture both layers of the cheese and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 40- 50 min
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Bake 40-50 min.
2 Qt. casserole dish
1 1 lb. box Mostaccioli Pasta
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
4 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. powdered mustard
4 5oz. cans of solid white albacore tuna
Fresh chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Olive oil cooking spray or just reg. olive oil to grease the casserole dish