This is the utmost in comfort foods! This tuna casserole is the first dish I ever cooked. I was 12 or 13 and my mom who was a nurse got moved to afternoon shift until midnight, so she taught me how to make this and I made it once a week all of my teen years so it gave her a break from cooking. When I met my boyfriend David, now my husband, I made this for him too it really is a family favorite! Our daughter Emily loves it. We don’t eat a lot of regular pasta anymore so it’s kind of a treat. In Michigan today the weather started out at 55 at 7 am and started snowing and 23 by 5 pm. So this was comfort we needed today! I suppose if you were from Minnesota you would call this recipe Hot Dish.
Tools 
- 2 1/2 quart casserole pan
- medium sized pot
- large pan*
- colander
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- pot holders
Ingredients
- 2 cups of elbow macaroni
- 1 can (10.5 oz) of cream of mushroom soup
- 8 oz of cheddar cheese shredded
- 5 oz can of tuna in water, drained
- 1 Tablespoon of dried minced onion*
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 3 teaspoons of salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
Recipe
Put your water on to boil. Salt your water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook pasta 8 minutes or to directions on the box. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine tuna, soup, dried onion, mushrooms, milk, salt, pepper and frozen peas and ALL BUT 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese in the saucepan and cook on low heat until melty. Drain pasta and mix into the sauce. Pour into your casserole pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
DELISHTIP 1— If I have them you can add crunched up potato chips on top of the cheese if you like.
DELISHTIP 2–If you don’t have dried minced onion just use 1/4 cup of fresh diced onion.