How To Make 4 Easy Frugal Tuna Casserole Recipes

A tuna casserole is one of the most frugal dinners you can make. Most picky kids will eat them, and most picky husbands will too! Whenever you can't think of something for dinner, you can bet you will probably have the ingredients on hand to make some of these 4 all-time favourites:

Classic Tuna Casserole

1 chicken noodle or soup sachet

2 ½ cups boiling water

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 can tuna

2 cups canned peas, drained

¼ cup buttered bread crumbs

Pepper

Preheat oven to 230^oC. In a small saucepan, combine chicken sachet and water; heat to boiling. In another saucepan, melt butter over low heat and blend in flour and pepper. Gradually stir in hot soup and cook until thickened. Add tuna and fold in peas. Pour into a greased baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake for about 15 minutes, until heated through.

Chopstick Tuna

1 can tuna, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups chow mien noodles

1 cup celery, chopped

¼ cup onion, chopped

½ cup almonds or cashews, chopped

Combine soup with ¼ cup water. Add 1 cup chow mien noodles and remaining ingredients. Place in baking dish and spread rest of noodles on top. Bake at 190^oC for 30 minutes.

Tuna Supper Casserole

285 gm blanched spinach (frozen is okay)

1 can tuna, drained

1 small can sliced mushrooms (optional)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced onion

2 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten

Cook spinach according to directions on packet. Drain well. Drain mushrooms, saving liquid. Add lemon juice and water to mushroom juice to make 1 cup liquid. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter, and blend in onion, flour, salt, pepper, and mushroom liquid. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thick. Beat sauce into egg, and then add the mushrooms. Arrange spinach in a casserole dish, top with tuna. Pour sauce on top. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter and bake at 175^oC for 30 minutes.

Tuna Casserole

1 250 gm carton cottage cheese

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sour cream

2 cans tuna

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

4 cups macaroni, cooked

Cheddar cheese, grated

Mix all ingredients except cheese together in a casserole dish and top with grated cheese. Bake at 220^oC for 45 minutes.

One of the best ways that I have to get my picky men folk eating vegetables that they just won’t ordinarily eat is to dehydrate them and then grind them to a powder. A few tablespoons added to soups, stews and casseroles gives them the vegetables without them even knowing and they don’t know the difference. Plus they get the benefits of all the important minerals and vitamins contained in the vegetables too. It is an excellent way of getting them to eat what they won’t in normal cooking.

Enjoy!