I know. It doesn’t look the prettiest, does it. But BOY is it ever good!!!
I’m not a very good photographer to boot. I try, and have a lot of fun doing it, though! So I hope that my less than stellar photos never keep you from trying a really good recipe, such as this one!
Easy, delicious, and a perfect weeknight meal, just as a casserole should be! Ooey gooey, rich ‘n cheesy, with extra flavors of bacon and Ranch, and loaded with healthy broccoli and chunk white tuna! All tossed together with thick, homestyle, country dumpling noodles that taste just like Grandma’s! What’s not to love?
I mix everything up in a nice big bowl, fold in the cooked and drained noodles, and dump it all into my deep, cast iron skillet!
Pop it into the oven and bake!
Add more bacon on top at the end to make it pretty, bake a tad longer, and supper’s ready!
The only hard part? Waiting for it to cool down enough to set and eat!
We simply enjoyed this with a couple of pieces of buttered toast! Nothing else was really needed! But you could always add a tossed garden salad and some fresh fruit if you’d like!
A bit of a step above your regular, joe-average, tuna casserole, let me tell ya! We were definitely sad to see the bottom of the pan!
So, if you’re a bit tired of your old tuna casserole recipe, and want to try a different one for a nice change of pace, you just found it! I really do hope that you try this soon! The whole family is sure to enjoy!
1 can cream of chicken soup, can sub cream of mushroom if preferred (both work just fine)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup milk
1 (1 oz.) envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dips Mix powder
1 Tbl. finely grated parmesan cheese, I used 4C 100% Natural and that worked well
1/8 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
10 oz. Velveeta Cheese, cubed
1 (12 oz.) can white albacore tuna in water, drained well
1 Tbl. butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small or medium head broccoli, florets cut small and some of the stems chopped (approximately 21/2 - 3 cups or as desired)
2 1/2 strips crisp cooked bacon, chopped
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen Reames Homestyle Egg Noodles, cooked al dente
For Top:
1 Tbl. finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 strip crisp-cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces (more if you'd like)
Instructions
In large mixing bowl, combine well the first 8 ingredients. Microwave on high about 6 minutes, stirring well halfway through, then each minute to melt Velveeta. “Mostly melted” is fine. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Stir well, scraping sides, cover with a dinner plate and set aside.
Place cut up broccoli into a small bowl with 2 Tbl. water. Cover with a sheet of damp paper towel, microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until tender. (*Check stem pieces.) Fold into soup and cheese mixture, recover. Set aside.
While broccoli is cooking, in medium frying pan, melt butter and sauté onions until tender. Fold into soup/cheese mixture, fold in well-drained tuna, recover and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350º F. In large saucepan, bring water to a boil, add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions, about 20 minutes. Fold into soup/cheese mixture.
Spray a deep 2-quart casserole dish or 13×9 baking dish, or butter a deep "chicken fryer" cast iron skillet, and spoon/pour noodle mixture into prepared dish.
Cover with lid or foil and bake in 350º oven for 25 - 30 minutes until bubbly. Remove lid/foil, sprinkle with parmesan and bacon pieces, and bake another 10 minutes (uncovered).
Let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. *Especially if using a cast iron skillet as they hold the heat much longer. I let mine rest for 20 minutes before serving and the casserole had set up nicely.
Notes
*If you'd like, you can also add 1 small (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms, well-drained.
