My husband has been asking me to make a tuna casserole since we were newlyweds! I just didn't like the idea of eating warm, canned tuna fish with pasta...YUK! He said his mother made it all the time when he was young and it was delicious! Sorry, still not sold. I just gagged at the thought of it!Fast forward 22 years and here I was staring at 2 cans of tuna fish that have been taking up valuable pantry space for about a year. I had plenty of leftovers in my fridge but just not enough for our family of four plus my 18 year old daughter's boyfriend. So I decided to make a tuna casserole for my hubby and kids. I was definitely not going to eat it! I would eat leftover pizza instead.I started looking at various tuna casserole recipes and landed on one that sounded perfect because I had all the ingredients needed to make the recipe. I loved that it was a quick and easy recipe also. Then I made it even easier by cooking everything in one pot. I boiled the egg noodles and peas together, then drained it and set it aside. Sauteed the garlic and onions in the same pot used to cook the egg noodles and peas. Then added the cheese and remaining ingredients. Then added back in the cooked noodles and peas. All done in one pot! YAY!I tweaked the recipe by adding liquid smoke and garlic. I think this was the key to making it a food that I would actually eat! I think I would eat almost anything that had a smoked flavor! I gave it a little taste test and ended up loving it! It was cheesy and creamy and smokey! All the things I love! The tuna flavor was very mild. I'll be making this often from now on! Here is my photo and my version of the original recipe...So I'm happy to say that I am now over my fear of eating tuna casseroles! Oh, speaking of fear...
Happy Friday the 13th
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