There aren’t many American dishes I dislike more than that congealed old standby, tuna noodle casserole made with cream of mushroom soup. I can’t even tolerate that salty, fatty, gloppy soup as a soup; using it as an ingredient is just wrong.
But I love mushrooms, I love tuna and heaven knows I’ve never met a noodle or pasta I didn’t like. I discovered recently that Rosemary Black of the New York Daily News is my twin when it comes to this dish and she concocted a soup-free version that is lighter and healthier, more sophisticated but still economical and quick to make. I had to try it. It has a tangy creaminess that does not suffocate the mushrooms or tuna and the crunchy cheese topping is miles better than the other 1950s standby, crushed potato chips. (What were they thinking?)
My version below differs from hers because I used what I had. That meant yolk-free noodles, which are really pasta, and less sour cream; I’m glad I was a little short because I don’t think it needs more than 8 ounces. That’s also handier for those who buy sour cream by the recipe, as it’s available in 8-ounce tubs. The fresh chives are her wonderful addition and next time I’ll use more. My preference for canned tuna is water-packed Albacore, also called solid white tuna, but of course any kind could be used.
I can also see this as a vehicle for canned crab, which is often on sale, and with Thanksgiving fast approaching, I think shredded or diced leftover turkey would be good. It would certainly be better than bland shortcut turkey tetrazzini, another old standby that could use a makeover.
Noodles with Tuna and Mushrooms
Adapted from Rosemary Black
8 ounces medium-width noodles
2 6-ounce cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup/8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup/6 ounces whole milk
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms, about 3 ounces
1 TB fresh snipped chives
salt and pepper to taste
2 TB unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs or panko
1/2 cup/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F/180C/Gas 4. Butter or spray a baking dish, 2 or 3 quarts in size.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions, but undercook by 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
While the water comes to a boil, prepare the topping. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, bread crumbs and cheese and set aside. [I nuked the butter for one minute, let it cool slightly, then added the other two ingredients to that same bowl. ~ ella]
To the pot with the cooked noodles, mix in the tuna, sour cream, milk, mushrooms, chives, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning, keeping in mind the cheese will add salt.
Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle on the topping. Bake for 40 minutes, until piping hot. Garnish with fresh mushrooms, if desired.
Serves 4 to 6
Copyright (C) 2008 From Scratch All Rights Reserved 
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Tuna Casserole! Oh, take me back to 1962 ~ LOL
( Yes, Mom was a devotee of the Campbell Soup Recipes For Family Dining. )
Fast forward to first apt after high school shared with best high school girlfriend and the 2 of us ekeing out an existence largely fortified on Lipton Tuna Mornay. Likely an even more bleak wasteland of ‘nutritional’ content. Haven’t fixed a Tuna Casserole since.
This is definitely on the list for stirring up. Soon.
I need to find a mail-order for panko. Every inquiry around here is answered with The Blank Stare. Do I buy small quantities and use them up quickly or can it be stored airtight for a good amt of time?
Hi,sage! – Oh, my, Lipton tuna? Please tell me it’s not an envelope of dry onion soup added to tuna. Although, looking back on stuff I made when I was first learning to cook for myself (and not doing a very good job), I probably made something very similar. I don’t know how I escaped soup casserole cuisine as a kid but neither my mother nor my father, G-d rest them, cooked that way and to this day, most casseroles leave me cold.
Panko — that was my addition ’cause I love it so — will keep almost indefinitely air tight. I checked Amazon and they do have several choices here but the honey one is one to avoid. However (or as the late Sam Ervin often said during the Watergate hearings, hyevah) before you pay shipping, there are three places in supermarkets I’ve seen panko:
1) the Asian aisle, not surprisingly 2) with canned breadcrumbs. One of those crumb companies, I think Progresso, makes panko now so I guess it’s a case of all in the family 3) on the shelf right next to Pepperidge Farm stuffing cubes! Some clueless somebody obviously said, “Well, I don’t know what you do with this stuff, but maybe you stuff things with it.”
Be brave sometime and look at the use by date on those stuffing cubes…
I’ve never slowed to peruse the stuffing mix! Silly me, I always asked at the Bakery Counter. I’ll take a closer look at the supermarket, and thanks for the amazon link!
My pleasure, sage. I think once you try panko, especially for breading, you’ll never use dry breadcrumbs again.
I just recently learned not every supermarket sells cubes (or strips in some cases here) from the bakery. I have vivid childhood memories of my mom toasting a loaf or two of sliced bread in the oven the night before Thanksgiving. She was probably ecstatic when I was old enough to use a butter knife to cube them. That was my job.
Twice-killed Turkey?? Hahaha!
This was awesome, BTW. Thanks for figuring out how to do this!!
bug_girl’s last blog post..Santapede!
Thaks, bug girl, glad to hear it! Rosemary did most of the work. I just tinkered.