This recipe came about after I threw the remainder of a batch of fresh salsa (chopped tomato, onion and jalapeno) into a tuna casserole I was making. The results were so tasty, they were worthy of becoming a family dinner “repeat”.

Tuna Casserole

Tuna Casserole with Salsa

3 1/2 to 4 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 or 3 – 5oz cans chunk tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup chopped celery, or 1 large stalk (opt)
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped onions
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 green jalapeno pepper (or more – to taste), finely chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. (or a good squirt) regular prepared yellow mustard
1 to 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Grease a 2 qt casserole. Put a pot of water on to boil to cook the egg noodles. Chop celery, onions, tomato and jalapeno. Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Saute onions and celery until transparent over medium to medium-high heat. Don’t forget to boil the noodles – about 7 minutes should do it – then drain in a colander, and put them in the casserole dish. Add the tomato and jalapeno (or leftover fresh salsa, as the case may be…) to the onions and celery. Stir and cook a couple minutes until onions, celery and tomatoes are soft. Stir in flour. Add milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring as needed to prevent sticking. Add tuna to sauce (or, you can add later when you stir everything together). Pour over noodles in casserole. Add sour cream and mustard to the mix and stir it all together. Sprinkle grated cheese on top, cover, and bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes.

(Alternately, you can prepare ahead of time and put the unbaked casserole in the fridge to bake later). 

This recipe serves approx. 4 – 6 people, depending on size and hungriness.  :)   A 2qt casserole easily handles this recipe, so you could make a bigger batch and it would still fit.  I serve with a side or two of vegetables, a green salad, and maybe some whole wheat bread.  A side of fruit or fruit salad would also go nicely, I think.

Something to try:  instead of the celery, or in addition to, you could add sliced or diced zucchini (saute with the onions), green peas, carrots, or another (cooked) vegetable your family likes.