Dinner Tonight: Tuna Casserole

After three not-so-anticipated weeks on the menu, tuna casserole finally made it to our table. Hubby was not very excited about this meal because apparently the last time I made tuna casserole (probably about 2 or 3 years ago) it was a Rachael Ray Italian-style recipe and he hated it, so now he associates all tuna casseroles with that experience.

This time I didn't try to get fancy and just made a regular tuna casserole, after consulting my mother for her recipe and then tweaking it a bit for our tastes. I thought it turned out pretty good, but it was still just tuna casserole which isn't all that exciting I suppose. I'll list the recipe but to be honest I kind of made up the seasonings as I went along and the amounts are just estimates. Hubby likes it with cheese on top - I never would have tried this but it actually is kind of good. Cheese makes almost anything better.

My mom adds pimentos to hers - I knew hubby wouldn't go for that so I roasted some red pepper to eat with mine to get the same flavor (hence the strange red glob in the picture).

Tuna Casserole

2/3 lb egg noodles, cooked

Canned/pouched tuna (I used the family-size pouch since I had a coupon, about the equivalent of 1 large or 2 small cans)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 soup can milk

2 tsp dried chopped onion

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp hot sauce

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp celery salt

Salt & pepper

1 cup potato chips, crushed

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese. Pour in casserole dish, top with chips. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, add cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes more.

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Estimated cost of meal

Noodles: $1

Tuna: $2

Soup: $.50

Milk: $.15

Spices: $.50 (??? really hard to gauge)

Chips: $.40

Cheese: $.30

Biscuits: $1

Total: $5.85

Former life total: Dinner @ Waid's (can't really think of a good comparison, so just choosing one of our old standbys): $23

Leaner Life Savings: $17.15 or 75%!!!