Tuna Casserole

(Shared recipe submitted by Francine T. Ryan.).)

Fran writes: "I am sending you another recipe which is not only inexpensive to make, but most of us have the ingredients in our kitchen cupboard and it taste great. This recipe was given to me by a girlfriend I met in Fontana, CA. We were neighbors and we would always trade recipes. This particular time of the year happened to be Lent. Being a Catholic, I could not eat meat on Fridays so we had to become really creative with the fish, tuna, shrimp and such. Also, we were both going through some financially challenging times. Most of the time we had to go to food banks. She was very creative with all the ingredients we had between us. She passed this delicious recipe down to me and now I pass it to you. Her name is Deli and I have this recipe to this day (about 18 years) all torn, tattered and written in crayon on a small piece of scratch paper."

Ingredients

• 2 small cans or 1 large can of tuna
• 1 block of cheddar cheese (can use whatever cheese you prefer)
• 1 package medium-size shell noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 to 4 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1 small bag frozen or can of peas, drained

Drain tuna. Grate cheese. Boil noodles until al dente; drain.

To make the white sauce, melt butter; add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and a little bit of milk. Stir constantly until it thickens. Keep adding milk as it thickens, alternating with cornstarch if needed. Stir until thick and creamy. Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and a handful of cheddar. Mix noodles, peas, tuna, 1/2 of the cheddar cheese and the white sauce together. Put in a casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 30 minutes or until brown on top.

Notes: Sometimes I sprinkle canned fried onions on top...yummy. I serve it with hot homemade biscuits and a fresh salad. My family loves it.

Disclaimer: This recipe was submitted by a contributor and has not been tested by TerisKitchen.com.