Dixie-Style Dining: Tuna Casserole

I’m so excited to share the first recipe in my summer “Dixie-Style Dining” series.  I’ve been thinking about the right name for this series, and for now I am going to call it “Dixie-Style Dining.”  I’m a big fan of alliteration in a title, so I thought about “Dinners with Dixie,” but I have more than just dinners to share with you… there are some breakfast recipes… some salad dressings… and of course some dinner, too!  (Oh… and there’s a very delicious cake coming your way soon, too!)

I selected a recipe that I never remember my grandmother making to start off.  I picked this one because it looked like it had been used a lot, and because I was in the mood for a comfort-food dinner.  I think we all grew up eating some version of Tuna Casserole, didn’t we?  I liked that this recipe had sautéed onions and peppers.  I knew Ryan would like that!

One thing I like about these recipes is that they aren’t all exact.  I am sure my grandmother made them so many times that she didn’t need to record the measurements.  She probably just knew the right amounts to add because it felt right and looked right.  I like cooking that way when I am not baking.  (Baking tends to need exact measurements.)

I like to think that my grandmother made this meal when we weren’t visiting… and maybe it was just an ordinary night with my grandfather.  I bet they would sit at the kitchen table and she’d bring him a plate and say, “Here you go, hon.”  They always called each other “Hon.”  They might have even watched Jeopardy while they ate… just an ordinary night in a kitchen on Verree Road…

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• noodles (I used spaghetti, but you could probably use any noodles)
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 can of water
• 1-2 cans of tuna, drained (she calls for one… I used two because I used a big onion and a lot of noodles)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Preparation:

Heat water to boiling and cook noodles to “al dente” texture.  While noodles cook, sauté onion and pepper in a butter (or cooking spray).  When noodles are cooked, add them to the onions and peppers.  Stir in the soup, water, tuna, and eggs.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

This was a good comfort-food dinner that isn’t too high in fat, but it’s pretty tasty.  I liked the eggs, onions, and peppers in the casserole.  That was a new twist.  Everyone at our house enjoyed it… and we watched Jeopardy while we ate, too!  If you’re looking for something easy and relatively quick for a weekday family dinner, you might want to give this a try!