Denise’s recipe for Tuna Noodle Hot Dish
In my column two weeks ago I joked about my fondness for Tuna Noodle Hot Dish. A very nice reader named Candy called and asked for the recipe. I’ve never actually written it down before, but I did for Candy. Here it is for anyone else who would like to try one of my favorite comfort foods:
- Prepare half a (12-oz) package of egg noodles.
- Dice 1 cup of white or yellow onion.
- Dice two stalks of celery.
- Sweat the onion and celery with a little butter until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Put the noodles and vegetables in a casserole pan.
- Add two 5-oz. cans of drained tuna.
- Add 17 oz. (a 12-oz. can and a 5-oz. can) of evaporated milk.
- Season mixture with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 350 until hot, about 35 minutes.
Optional variations:
- I usually had a handful of frozen peas, too.
- I like to add a cup of finely shredded cheddar or colby cheese, either to the mixture, to the top, or if I’m trying to use up the bag of cheese, both. You can never have too much cheese, right?
- Instead of cheese, try crushed potato chips on top. My dad loved it that way.
- My mom always adds a 2-oz. jar of diced pimientos. You’ll find them in the vegetable isle, usually on the top shelf by the artichoke hearts.
Notes:
- I have one of those really nice Dutch ovens that can go from the stove to the oven. If you have one of those, you can use it to sweat the vegetables on the stovetop, then throw everything else in and put it in the oven, which makes for one less pan to clean.
- My mom always made Jiffy corn bread muffins with this. Sometimes she made honey-butter to go with them. Good stuff.
