So Many Dishes

When I was 10 years old, I participated for the first time in a summer 4-H program that taught cooking and sewing. There were about 20 girls, aged 10 to 16, who participated, and it was great fun. I enjoyed the camaraderie as much as I did the cooking lessons. I learned quickly that sewing wasn’t my thing, but I muddled through that part. I spent three summers in the 4-H group and learned a lot of basic kitchen skills.

I’m pretty sure that tuna noodle casserole was a recipe that came from one of my summer recipe booklets. After I tasted it at a 4-H meeting, I convinced my mother that we should make it at home, too. It wasn’t something we ate often, but it was something that I could cook by myself on Friday evenings, when my mother had an appointment to have her hair done after work.

Ken loved the tuna noodle casserole the food service at Penn State made because they put crushed potato chips on top. The casserole, with the potato chips, became a staple when we were first married, especially when we were in graduate school. Once the noodles were cooked, it was essentially dump, stir, and bake. A can of tuna, a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, an equivalent amount of milk, some frozen peas, and we were in business.

Somewhere along the way, probably as my cooking got more adventurous, I stopped making tuna noodle casserole. Then, a number of years ago, I saw a lighter version in a Weight Watchers cookbook. The idea appealed to me, and to Ken, too. I never cooked that recipe exactly, but I used it as a model.

Making a homemade mushroom sauce is the key to the dish. Following the WW example, I used a combination of milk and chicken broth, with a bit of sherry to add depth of flavor. My original 4-H recipe didn’t call for any cheese on top, just bread crumbs. The WW recipe uses Jarlsberg with crumbled Triscuits. There was no question that I was going to use potato chip crumbles, and I mixed them with shredded Cheddar. Since I had sour cream and cheddar-flavored chips, it was especially good.

I used my Dutch oven, which left me with just one pot to clean. If I’d chosen to use two pots, I could have cut my cooking time by making the sauce while the noodles cooked, but one of the benefits of retirement is not having to worry about how long it’s going to take to get a meal on the table after I get home from work.

Lighter Tuna Noodle Casserole

• 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk (I used 2% reduced fat)
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 8 ounces egg noodles, cooked
• 1 (5-ounce) can chunk white tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled potato chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Add sherry and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring, until the sherry has evaporated. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk and broth, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until mixture bubbles and thickens, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir tuna, peas, and noodles into the sauce. Mix together the cheese and potato chips crumbs, and sprinkle over casserole. Transfer pot to the oven. Bake until casserole is bubbly and top is golden, 25 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

This is memories and comfort food rolled into one dish. It’s not gourmet cooking, but it’s still delicious.

Happy eating!