Tuna Noodle Casserole

She Said:

I'm going to have to file this one under comfort food, for sure. Our youngest was visiting this afternoon and I asked him to open the pantry and tell me what he would make for dinner with the things we had in there. Between what he suggested and what I suggested, we came up with a really yummy tuna noodle casserole. Here's the recipe.

8 oz. spaghetti noodles

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 stick butter

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat, add the onion, salt and pepper and cook until onions are soft.

1/4 cup flour

Mix in flour and stir until smooth and bubbly.

1 3/4 cups skim milk

Slowly add in milk and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly for 1 minute. Then turn off heat.

8 oz. Velveeta, diced
1 cup shredded cheese (most any kind will do - I use reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican or reduced fat 4-cheese Italian)

Add the cheese to the milk mixture and stir until the cheese is melted.

2 6-oz. cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
1 12-oz. can sweet baby peas, drained

Mix together cooked spaghetti, cheese sauce, tuna and peas. Place into 1-1/2 quart casserole.

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Top casserole with bread crumbs and shredded cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Makes 4 hearty servings.

I totally loved this meal tonight! A winner if you're looking for something quick, easy, cheap and satisfying. Yum!

P.S. No one ever got fired for adding mushrooms to a casserole like this. Just sayin'...

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He Said:

Going out to restaurants or whipping up some award winning recipe are both great things to do but let's face it, more often than not we spend our evenings thinking "Hmmmm...I wonder what we should have for dinner." It's often from that moment of wondering-ment-ness that the best ideas spring forth. Last night, for example. She and our youngest banged their heads together for a minute or two and came up with this wonderfully comforting tuna noodle casserole with stuff that was just lying around waiting to be ett up. Healthy? Nope. Nutritious? Maybe a little bit still...not so much.

Delicious and all happy-making? You betcha!