Casserole Week: Top Notch Tuna Casserole

 

It seems like tuna noodle casserole is one of the more popular comfort foods. A lot of people I’ve talked to grew up eating it—all in different versions. Even just typing “Tuna noodle casserole” in a Google search box brings up 1,090,000 results. Hello variety! And ever better, tuna provides these health benefits:

Heart

Tuna, like other fish, is full of omega-3 fatty acids. These help to eliminate erratic heart beats, and that lowers the risk of blood clots and heart attacks.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat that--when present in great amounts--contributes to high cholesterol. Eating tuna lowers the triglyceride content in a person to normal, healthy amounts.

Stroke

Since eating tuna helps prevent blood clots and also improves blood flow, it can help prevent strokes. Eating only 1 to 3 servings a month is enough to lower the risk of stroke in a person.

Skin

The omega-3 count in tuna is greatly beneficial to skin care. It helps to reduce inflammation, which helps reduce the risk of sunburn and skin cancer.

Liver

Tuna is a good source of selenium as well as omega-3. This is important in liver health, which helps to promote detoxification of the body.

Surprisingly, I had never had tuna casserole up until a couple months ago. After a few different versions, I settled on this one!

Top Notch Tuna Casserole

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked egg noodles

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/3 cup milk

1 can (12 ounces) tuna, drained and flaked

1 cup VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product—I used the Mexican spicy version.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained

1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 cup crushed potato chips

Paprika

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream and milk. Stir in the noodles, tuna, cheese, onion, pimientos and olives.

Pour into a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with potato chips and paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

 

What’s your favorite tuna noodle casserole recipe?