This is similar to a chicken dish that my wife makes, which btw will drive the health nuts crazy.

1 Can of Cream of Mushroom
1 Can of Cream of Chicken
1 Can of Cheddar Cheese soup
1 Can of Cream of Celery
2 Cut up cooked Chicken Breasts (Usually cut down the middle then cut into chunks)
About a half of stick of Butter Item (We usually use whatever is cheapest usually parkay, the wife won’t eat real butter)
Pasta (Spagetti usually, though I like Fetti and Rigatoni)
1/2 cup of milk
About a cup of shredded cheese (some mixed in and some on top)
4 or 5 stalks of celery cut up
Peas, Corn, or Onions (What ever we have fresh or in a can)
Garlic Salt
Pepper

Not healthy at all really, but all you have to do is throw it all into a large pot and let it simmer for about 20 mins, usually lasts two meals.

The comments on here made me laugh a bit. The health snobs can be quite scary at times. Living in the south, some of these comments just don’t make sense.

These commentors would frown on our favorite family dish. Fried Chicken or Chicken Fried Cube Steaks, with Mashed Potatoes from the garden(loaded with whole milk, butter(actually margarine, and a little cheese), Corn on the cob from the garden covered in butter and salt(usually frozen, put about 50 ears up in the freezer last week.), Homeade gravy using either the grease from the steaks or saved bacon grease, rolls, all with Sweet Iced Tea.

I know that was excessive, and honestly its only eaten about once or twice a month, but it amazing.

My mom also made a killer tuna casserole when I was growing up, and somehow my siblings and I managed to survive our childhood and still enjoy healthy lives.

She didn’t put any sort of potato-chip crust – that would have been too Southern in her view, and as she was trying to wean my dad off of his mother’s rich and decadent Southern cooking, potato chips on a casserole would have been out of the question. The only time we ever combined potato chips and tuna was on Sunday evenings when we had tuna salad sandwiches on whole-wheat bread, and we’d stick a few Ruffles chips on them.

Her tuna casserole recipe was still very frugal and included fresh chopped celery, hand-grated cheddar cheese (bought in bulk and the kids would grate the cheese on a metal grater), and sometimes she even added chopped water chestnuts. She was not into preparing casseroles ahead and putting them in the freezer – it would have saved some time and money, but she had eaten too many of those freezer-burnt casseroles during her childhood. We all draw the line somewhere, and that is where she drew hers.

All I can say is that her tuna casserole always tasted better the next day, and we would even eat it for breakfast (yes, the snobs can gag now.) I make casseroles for my family, too, and will add vegetables and/or beans to add nutritional value as well as fiber and protein. I draw the line myself at whole wheat pasta, because I don’t like the sour taste. We eat plenty of whole grains throughout the day, and a casserole dinner is always anchored by fresh fruit, more vegetables, and iced water or unsweetened tea. I haven’t killed my kids yet :)

Keep up the good work here. I look forward to returning and reading your articles.

Its a legitimate concern. But you don’t have to cut tuna out of the diet entirely.

Pretty much all fish and shellfish has trace amounts of mercury. Yet fish is healthy food. The key is to limit your consumption. The FDA recommends keeping consumption of fish like tuna with lower mercury levels under 12 oz. a week (ref: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html)

Trent’s casserole looks like it has 12 oz tuna. Trent explained he and his wife eat most of it and his children end up eating 1 serving each out of 12 servings. So the kids eat about 1 oz. tuna from this casserole.

You can also check if the fish consumption is under EPA recommendations with the calculator at this site: http://www.gotmercury.org

THe weight of the person is an important factor to consider. Smaller children are at higher risk and should keep consumption lower.
But the 1oz of tuna /week level that Trent’s kids get from his casserole is safe for anyone but a newborn baby.

Only a small can of tuna,
Mushroom soup, celery and peas,
Mixed with a quart of egg noodles,
Sprinkled with chips and with cheese.
(to the tune of Whispering Hope)

Mom made something similar, but substituted broccoli for peas, made her own dairy-free soup substitute and left off the cheese (brother had a dairy allergy). Never left off the potato chips, though! 8)

Trent, how many 9×13 pans do you have, and have you found a good frugal source for those? I’d rather not use the disposable aluminum sort unless I’m taking it somewhere where I don’t want the recipient to worry about washing & returning a dish.

I don’t eat much stuff from my youth – my mom did the best she could, but tastes have evolved greatly. However, tuna casserole is one of my guilty comfort food pleasures. I relish it any chance I can. It’s usually a 1x or 2x a year thing (so no bulking it for me). I’m always on the lookout for a good, simple recipe and this looks like it. I’ve never heard about the sliced cheese, though; I’m gonna have to test that out. I don’t use the chips regularly.

I forsee some tuna casserole in my future.

Great post, Trent!

I love to make casseroles. Maybe someone can tell me if this one can be frozen. There is only me to cook for and I have to do small batches to fit my very small freezer.

1 box stove top stuffing
In an electric skillet put water and butter on to boil. When this is boiling, add to it 1 cup grated carrot, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, and 2 cups of whatever leftover meat you have. When all heated through for 5 or so minutes, add the contents of the stuffing mix packet and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff. You can also add frozen peas, green peppers, etc. to your specifications.

This was a favorite dish of my childrens and my son did not even realize it had veggies in it.

Now, do you think this could be frozen? Please help an old lady.