Yes, you can get tuna casserole on the table in less than 30 minutes without sacrificing taste!
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teas. garlic powder
- 1/2 teas. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teas. salt
- 1/2 teas. fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups elbow macaroni , uncooked
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1 cups cheese (Cheddar, Colby, Gruyere) , shredded
- 2 (5 oz.) cans tuna in water
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 12-15 Ritz crackers, crushed
Optional add-ins
- onion
- celery or broccoli or peas (pick only one)
Instructions
Melt butter in a medium pot or large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring well to make sure it is smooth.
Add about 3/4 cup of milk and mix into butter mixture
Add remaining milk and mix well. Then add water and seasonings.
Add drained tuna and macaroni and mix. Stir occasionally as it comes to heat.
When you see wisps of steam as you stir, lower the heat down to medium low.
Stir regularly as it cooks for 9 – 10 minutes (it will bubble gently), or until the sauce thickens and the macaroni is just cooked – tender but still firm. It should still be saucy at this stage and thinner than you want.
Take it off the stove and stir the cheese in quickly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. In this step, the sauce thickens and reduces considerably.
If you like a crumble topping, in a small pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add 12 – 15 crushed Ritz crackers. Stir constantly until lightly browned. You can also add some Parmesan cheese if you like.Sprinkle topping on the tuna casserole.
Serve immediately!!
Recipe Notes:
Take it off the stove before the sauce reduces so much it disappears! The liquid to pasta ratio is such that by the time the liquid reduces down to make a sauce, the pasta is just cooked.
* Pasta keeps cooking in the sauce after you take it off the stove. So take it off when it is still a teeny bit firm!
* The sauce thickens ALOT after you take it off the stove when you stir the cheese in and simply by stirring it. It is better to take the pot off the stove too early than too late.
* If you take the pot off too late at the sauce becomes too thick, just add a splash of milk or water. Easy fix!
* If you take it off too early, just pop it back on the stove.
