
Nothing is more popular at my house than Dad’s Tuna Casserole. This is THE go-to comfort food at my place. Over the years house guests have requested it, new boyfriends have been tested by whether or not they liked it. This is definitely a fave and as such it has largely escaped being put up on the hoist for a modernization to make it lighter and more modern. In my defense, I will point out that in my version I have always stir fried about 3 pounds of veggies into this dish… it’s packed with fibre and good nutrition… a Veteran Move all by itself!
I have been making this dish since the mid-80’s. I vaguely remember that the first iteration was based on a recipe taken from a Robert Crumb cookbook. At the time, stir frying a selection of veggies was a departure for a tuna casserole. The fact that you could choose whatever you had in the crisper and not rely on a set collection was also different for the day. Over the years I’ve probably settled on a basic selection but I really do use it to close out on bits and bites left at the time.
Key to this venerable casserole’s popularity is a secret ingredient. While it’s true I choose cheese that is especially ‘melty’ and I have replaced elbow macaroni with a casserole pasta that is better designed to hold the sauce, the Veteran Move is Golden Mushroom soup thoroughly mixed in to the stir fry. It really makes this dish stand out. Mushroom soup is no stranger to tuna casserole. Over the years I’ve tried flavoured soups like onion mushroom, garlic mushroom, even wild mushroom but the tried and true is Golden Mushroom also known as Beef Mushroom. It can be a little tricky to find but it’s well worth the effort… believe me go find some and try it!

1 lb (500 gm) pasta: Rotini/Fusili/Penne
1 medium yellow onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
½ green and red peppers, chopped
1 medium carrot sliced into thin rounds
2 stalks celery chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
½ teaspoon cracked pepper
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 can Golden Mushroom soup
¼ cup water
3 or 4 tins white tuna in water (drained and rinsed)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese


follow by celery, peppers, carrots and broccoli for 3 minutes…
then the rest of the spices, stir well then add mushrooms for 3 minutes…
stir fry until veggies are starting to cook but not yet soft









… and bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes until the sides are visibly bubbling

Hey Joe,
Your blog is amazing. The pictures are helpful and really well done. Great instructions and suggestions. The recipes have been so easy to follow. I am not a tuna casserole fan at all but your pictures even make it look good. 🙂 Keep up the good work.
Sarah
Thanks Sarah… many of your earlier suggestions are foundations of this space.