Tuna Helper

8/6/2012

Tuna Helper

Oh stop gagging. You think I can't see the actual grimace on your face?  Well I can, so before you hit the delete key, give me a chance to tell you about the lowly tuna casserole.

For me, tuna casserole is a perfect 1950's comfort dish and one that I had growing up as a child.  Since the actual dish doesn't stick out in my mind I'm pretty sure that Mom just threw cans of tuna together with noodles, some kind of sauce and voila - dinner.  Even so, it is a dish that remains near and dear to my heart.

Today, I buy Tuna Helper (again stop with the face); but, what's in the box is not necessarily what you get.  Nope.  To make good Tuna Helper get 2 cans of tuna (a really required ingredient) - and open up the box of hydrogenated sauce.  Add the other required ingredients and then get creative.  

You can and should add some combination of: extra veggies, celery, onion, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, tomatoes and chilies, onion rings or shredded cheese. I almost always add a "heat" element to the dish such as the tomatoes and chilies.  If you add sour cream and/or soup you will get a super creamy texture and at the very end if you add perhaps Monterrey Jack cheese and toasted onion rings, you will have a home run.  

Don't get me wrong this isn't a dish I would serve company; but, my boys and Jeff never and still don't have any trouble getting tuna helper down.  Don't settle for what's in the box - think outside the box - and you might be really surprised with what you end up with.  Go on, give it a try.  Unlike yours truly you don't have to tell your friends that you buy Tuna Helper!  Your secret will be save with me.

For me the best part of Tuna Helper came this morning while I packed my lunchbox - and put in a container of tuna helper, which will heat up just fine at 12:00.

Three cheers for the lowly canned tuna!

P