Tuna noodle casserole is perfect comfort food and this is the best recipe because it's made entirely from scratch, no tinned ingredients (except tuna)!
The flavor seems to come primarily from fat and salt. To make this more healthy and more flavorful, try the following: 1. spray the dish with non-stick spray rather than using butter 2. reduce the butter for sauteeing to 2 teaspoons 3. replace the milk with 1 cup of reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth and 1 cup of low-fat evaporated milk 4. add 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of crushed marjoram or thyme leaves 5. add 1/8 teaspoon of ground red pepper to the roux and reduce the butter in the roux (you can cut in half and still successfully blend in the flour). Also, add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg to the roux. This is standard for a white sauce. 6. Use light cheese for the topping, preferably highly flavored such as asiago or extra sharp cheddar. - 29 Mar 2006 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
5 stars with these adjustments: Spray baking dish with cooking spray instead of butter. Double recipe for 9 x 13 pan. Added 1tsp each:thyme nutmeg and crushed red pepper. Doubled garlic. Minced mushrooms (So the kids wouldn't know!!) Put a splash of white wine in with the veggies as the sauteed. Omitted peas (don't like them). Added 1/4 cup of parmesan ,1/4 package of cream cheese and half the cheddar cheese to the sauce.Added 1/2cup of quartered cherry tomatoes. Topped with remaining cheese then topped with corn flakes instead of bread crumb mixture. IT WAS TO DIE FOR!!!!!We loved it from ages3 to 31! - 03 Mar 2008 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
YUM!!! Very Impressed. I am very bored with searching for recipes only to find bulk ingredient is canned soup. I enjoy cooking from scratch, and this is perfect. If you are used to canned soup tuna casserole, and you try this recipe, you will NEVER go back. I changed very few things and just finished this for dinner. I didn't add mushrooms (not a fan), and added just a sprinkle of celery seed. I also used a little more cheese, more like a 1 1/4 cup of cheese. I added half of the cheese to the "cream" and melted it like you would do with macaroni and cheese. Then added the other half to the top like the recipe called for. I read other reviews mention the use of crackers instead of bread crumbs, and I did that as well. This recipe is going into the keep pile, THANKS! - 24 Feb 2006 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)