What's More 1950s Than Tuna Casserole?

I'd imagine that most people have not only eaten, but have also cooked, tuna casserole. It probably has a million variations, most starting with egg noodles and cans of tuna and cream of chicken soup. Over the years, I developed a distinct distaste for cream of chicken condensed soup; it's too salty and it... tastes fake. Because my Tommy Lee also dislikes it, and I wanted to have tuna casserole once in a while, I developed this way of making it. It completely eliminates the cream of chicken soup, uses albacore tuna instead of regular, and I like to add jalapenos to it, too!

By making your own sauce - which is surprisingly simple, TBH - it put YOU in control of the salt and preservative content of your casserole, something that the test kitchens of 1950s wrested away from us housewives long ago. It's time to take it back.

Watch me make this childhood favorite with a new twist here:

And download the recipe card to print by CLICKING HERE.

Text Recipe:
Tuna (Melt) Casserole
2 or 3 cans of tuna
1 pkg egg noodles
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 tbls chicken boullion
1 tbls granulated onion
3 cups water
1/4 cup Half & Half
1 cup shredded cheese
Jalepenos (diced - optional)

For topping:
Crushed crackers
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare egg noodles per package directions.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter or margarine and add flour to make a roux. Remove from heat and mix in chicken boullion and granulated onion. Add water, return to heat, and whisk to combine until flour/butter mixture is fully incorporated into the water. Add Half & Half and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring to incorporate.

In a large baking dish, combine drained tuna, pasta, and sauce. Stir to distribute tuna and sauce evenly throughout pasta. Level the pasta, then top with crushed crackers and cheese, spreading to cover completely.

Bake in 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.



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It's Still Winter? How About Some Soup? Mid-Century Kitchen Episode 9 - Tortellini Soup!

Nothing warms up your bones in the winter like a big, steaming bowl of tasty soup... so, despite the fact that it is now March and we ought to be thinking about spring time, we here in Idaho still have 2 feet of snow on the level and it's supposed to snow some more every day this week. With that in mind, I give you one of my favorite soup recipes: Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup!

With complex flavors and easy directions, this soup will likely become a favorite in your house, too! I can whip this up in about half an hour including prep time and it really hits the proverbial spot, I'll tell you what.

Watch me make it here:

Download the printable recipe card by CLICKING HERE.

Here's the text recipe:

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SOUP
1 lb Italian sausage
2 cups carrots (chopped)
2 cups apple cider (not juice)
4 cups water
1 pkg fresh/frozen tortellini (any style)
2 cans tomato sauce
2 tbls onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbls dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan (optional)

Brown sausage in the bottom of your soup pot. Deglaze pot with apple cider. Add tomato sauce, carrots, and water. Add all spices. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Add tortellini. Cook 5 minutes more or until tortellini floats to the top.

Serve hot and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese if you desire.

Serves 6 to 8. This soup is also fantastic reheated the next day!
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