Old-Fashioned Tuna Casserole

To Make or Not to Make

Grandma’s box was a bit of a mess when I discovered it the storage bin. Recipe cards for main dishes were mixed with desserts and breads, and this unorganized state meant I had to scour the whole box if I was looking for a particular recipe. One day, I decided to set it all straight and categorize the recipes. 

While I was at it, I separated those that were cut from a newspaper or written by someone else, figuring if Grandma had taken the time to write out a recipe, it meant something to her. 

I also set aside some that I would never make, either because the ingredients were impossible to find (Sticky Gum Salve, for one) or because they were unsafe. One of those was Frozen Lemon Crunch. 

it sounded interesting, but it contained two raw eggs. Nope, not gonna do it, Grandma. 

I also tasted a few recipes with my eyes and set them aside because I knew they would be gross. Shrimp in lemon Jello, anyone?

Nope, nope, nope. 

Today’s recipe was almost one of the set-aside ones. Normally, I have nothing against Tuna Casserole, but this one was weird. The ingredients sounded like the kind of tuna salad that's served cold between two slices of bread. Also weird--it contained more eggs than tuna. And there were no noodles. I thought all Tuna Casseroles had noodles in them. 

After much waffling, I decided to just do it. I could always order pizza if the dish turned out to be inedible. And so I began. 

How to Make Old-Fashioned Tuna Casserole

The first order of business was to hard boil the eggs. I used the 5-5-5 method as described in this post. In brief, you cook the eggs for five minutes in a pressure cooker with a cup of water in the bottom of the pot.

Let the pressure release naturally for five minutes. Then plunge the eggs into ice water for five minutes. 

After their ice bath, they peel easily and are perfectly cooked every time. 

I chopped the eggs with my Vidalia Chop Wizard, but a rough chop with a knife would be fine.  

I then began piling all the ingredients in a bowl, starting with the eggs and the tuna. 

As I did, I could see the calories from fat adding up. All that mayo--ugh.  

And evaporated milk too. 

I had never been more tempted to fiddle, but I had vowed to make the recipes as written, and I also wanted to try it as my grandma would have tasted it. 

The grated onion also gave me pause. 

 How does one grate an onion without ending up with onion shrapnel and onion mush? If you figure it out, let me know. 

I stirred it all together and scooped it into an 8 x 8-inch dish for half a recipe.  

A full recipe would require a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and feed A LOT of people. 

The directions for the topping were vague. Buttered crumbs? What kind of crumbs? And how much butter? I grabbed a sleeve of Ritz crackers, emptied it into a bag, and crushed them with a rolling pin. 

I then added two tablespoons of melted butter, which only slightly moistened the crumbs, but I figured we already had enough fat in the casserole to keep our tongues happy. 

The dish went into the oven and came out 30 minutes later looking toasty brown and bubbly. It was time to give it a try.  

The Verdict

To keep to tradition, I cooked some egg noodles, heaped a spoonful of the tuna casserole over top, and took a bite. Looking around the table, I searched the faces of my husband and my mother to see if they thought the same as me.  

We all agreed--it was delicious. The crumb topping added the perfect crunch and the eggs counteracted some of the fishiness that tuna casseroles sometimes have. The eggs also added some badly needed heft. It was honestly the best tuna casserole I’ve ever had. 

The noodles I'd cooked to serve as a base worked well, but this casserole would also be good over rice, baked potatoes, or toast. The biggest downside to the dish is all that fat. Next time, I intend to fiddle with it to see if I can lighten it. Will it still taste as good? We shall see, but either way, into the digital box it goes.     

To try it for yourself, click on the link below the recipe card.