I made tuna casserole, something I haven't made in years because I don't buy canned tuna and I don't use canned "cream of" soups, however, a friend dropped a bunch of her stuff at my place over Christmas, including some groceries. There were two cans of tuna, so...
CWS' Take on Tuna Casserole
1 T butter, melted
8 oz. chopped shitake mushrooms (rehydrated overnight, reserved the 1.5 c of liquid)
1 c diced celery
1/2 c diced onion
3 cloves garlic
a dash of cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground celery seed
1 c milk
1-14 oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 c Miracle Whip (another grocery item left behind)
3/4 c grated cheese (I used moz)
~3 T flour
1/4 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp mushroom soy sauce
2 cans tuna (water packed)
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c edamame
1 package "bow tie" pasta
1. In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat, saute mushrooms, onions, celery until softened (about 5 minutes).
2. Add soy sauce and celery "powder."
3. Strain reserved mushroom "broth" and add to the veggies.
4. Add milk and salad dressing. Whisk together and reduce heat.
5. Pour the evaporated milk into a bowl, whisk in flour and dry mustard.
6. Blend the flour-milk mixture with the other ingredients in the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
7. Add cheese by the handful and whisk in until melted. Remove from heat.
8. Cook the noodles in a large pot of water to which the "water" from the cans of tuna are added. Cook the noodles until al dente.
9. Drain the noodles and cool in a pot of cold water (do not let the noodles cool for more than 4 hours or they will soak up all the sauce). Drain the noodles again and assemble the casserole, adding the tuna, peas and edamame to the sauce. Taste, if not "fishy" enough, add a splash of fish sauce.
10. Lightly grease a casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350. Mix the noodles in with the sauce, dump into the casserole dish. Dot with butter, sprinkle with dry bread crumbs, and top with additional cheese. Cover and bake about 35-40 minutes, removing the cover the last 5 minutes or so if you want it to brown more.