Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole
If you're looking for a healthful variation on tuna casserole, this isn't it. This is a delectable, delicious, decadent dish of gooey goodness. Cheesy tuna noodle casserole—it may not be sophisticated, but it sure is good.
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 lb wide egg noodles
- 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 8 oz frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cans tuna, drained
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4—6 oz potato chips, crushed
First, boil your egg noodles for about one minute less than the package instructs. They will cook more in the oven, so if you boil them as long as you would ordinarily, you risk mushy noodles in your finished product.
While your noodles are boiling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then open your cans and bags, and dump the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. You should drain the tuna before you add it, but you do not need to heat the frozen vegetables; they will cook in the oven.
If you don't have frozen mixed vegetables on hand, use whatever small frozen veggies you have in your freezer. Corn works, as do peas or cubed carrots. I've never tried it with broccoli florets, but it might be good. Let me know!
Mix the vegetables, condensed soup, and tuna together until it looks thoroughly unappetizing. (It may be ugly now, but it will taste great in the end, I promise. Do not dwell on its resemblance to what the cat regurgitated in your shoe that one time.)
Shred 8 ounces of cheddar cheese (or open a package of pre-shredded cheese — I won't judge). I like extra sharp cheddar in this dish because it adds flavor, but you could use half cheddar and half mozzarella if your family prefers it mild.
Add the cheese to the mixing bowl and incorporate it into the soup mixture.
Drain the egg noodles and mix them with the gloppy soup/veg/cheese/tuna mixture. Be sure to stir thoroughly, so you don't end up with naked noodles in one corner and a half cup of cheese in the other.
Turn the mixture out into a 9"x13" pan (unless you're lazy like me, and you already did all the mixing right in the pan in the first place).
Now for some fun! Put your potato chips into a sandwich bag and close it securely. Then squeeze or smash the chips until they beg for mercy. Pour them onto the casserole mixture, making sure to fully cover it so that the noodles don't burn.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot. (Or cold; the leftovers are good for lunch the next day, although the chips do get soggy in the fridge. You can always scrape them off and add fresh ones if necessary.)
More Cheesiness
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: One-eighth of the pan | |
| Calories | 520 |
| Calories from Fat | 180 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 20 g | 31% |
| Carbohydrates 60 g | 20% |
| Fiber 5 g | 20% |
| Protein 25 g | 50% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
