Back to the ’50s! The much derided Tuna-Noodle Casserole of that era can actually produce a quite delicious, easy-to-prepare, and affordable meal simply by making a few fresh additions of vegetables and herbs. Some of my foodie friends claim this Tuna-Noodle Casserole as one of their favorites among my recipes. It’s also nice because you can make a large quantity, then reheat as needed—saving you much cooking time during the rest of your busy week.
I like to use Bumble Bee solid-white albacore tuna in vegetable oil because I believe it’s more flavorful than the water-packed variety.
Drain the tuna, and flake it into a large casserole.
Mince the shallots, and cook them in the butter until very soft, but not browned. Set aside.
Cook the shallots.
Peel the cucumbers, and slice them in half lengthwise. With a teaspoon, scrape out all of the seeds and discard. Salt both sides of the cucumbers, and place cut-side down on paper towels for at least 1⁄2 hour, which will remove excess water.
Seed and salt the cucumbers.
Dice the celery stalks, and blanch in boiling salted water for no more than 2 minutes. Drain and refresh the celery in cold water. It should remain quite crisp. Set aside.
Blanch the celery.
Squeeze the juice of 1⁄2 lemon into the flaked tuna.
Add lemon to the tuna.
Add the cooked shallots. Stir in the soups and the evaporated milk, and mix thoroughly. I use 2 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Celery Soup and 1 can of Cream of Mushroom. You can use all of one kind if you prefer.
Rinse the salted cucumbers in cold water, then dice them, and dry the pieces in paper towels to get rid of any additional water. Cucumbers have a lot of water, so it’s important to remove as much as possible.
Stir the diced cooked celery, into the tuna mixture.
Stir in the celery.
Then stir in the cucumber.
Mix in the cucumber.
Mix the fresh thyme and the snipped dill into the tuna mixture. Taste the mixture for salt and pepper. If it seems a little too thick and pasty, you can add a bit of whole milk to moisten it.
I use Pennsylvania Dutch Extra Wide Noodles.
Cook the noodles in salted water according to the package instructions, drain, and stir them into the casserole.
Crush enough potato chips to cover the top of the Tuna-Noodle Casserole, then sprinkle the paprika over the top.
Top with potato chips and paprika.
Bake the casserole in a 350° oven for about 35 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling.
Any leftovers of Tuna-Noodle Casserole can be refrigerated and reheated in a 350° oven. When I reheat, I use only as much as I plan to eat for that meal. Also, the noodles tend to soak up a lot of moisture in the refrigerator, so I add a tiny bit of milk to the bottom of the pan before reheating to keep it moist.
