It’s been a long time since I tried to whip up a good old tuna noodle casserole. I used to make it a lot early on in our marriage, though, and my husband always enjoyed it. As you can imagine,  when he came home on his lunch break to this tuna casserole the other day he was eager to dig right in. Do you have foods that remind you of a different time of your life? This is one of those for us.

I’ll tell you what I love about making the tuna noodle casserole this way. Everything is made on the stove-top instead of the oven, which speeds things up a little. I also love that this recipe is simple. I paired this recipe down to just 10 ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen.

What do you put in your tuna noodle casserole?

Sometime I add frozen peas, which is a typical food associated with tuna casseroles. I didn’t this time because I forgot that I had already used our peas in another recipe a couple of weeks before… which means I didn’t buy any when I was at the store. If we had peas in the freezer I would have used them, but this skillet casserole tastes great either way. Another way to change up the recipe a tad is to add some chopped fresh parsley. Back in the day I used to crush round buttery crackers and sprinkle them over the top and my husband used to love that too.

If you add extra ingredients to your tuna casserole feel free to drop us a comment below this post and tell us about it! Who knows? You may just inspire someone.

Here is what we used:

3 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth, divided
4 ounces (about 2 cups) uncooked egg noodles
Cooking spray
1/2 onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fat-free milk
2 (4 ounce) water packed tuna, drained
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
Optional ingredients: frozen peas, parsley, or butter cracker crumbs

Here is what we did:

Cook the egg noodles in the water and 1 cup of the chicken broth, according to the egg noodle package directions. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with cooking spray . Cook onion in the skillet 4-6 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Melt butter in with the onions and garlic. Add flour and Parmesan cheese and mix into the butter.

Slowly whisk in the milk and remaining chicken broth. Continue whisking until smooth. Cook 3-4 more minutes, or until the sauce thickens, whisking throughout.

Drain the cooked egg noodles and add them to the skillet, along with the drained tuna. Toss the noodles and tuna in the sauce, mixing well and heating throughout.

Sprinkle with the cheese and cook 1-2 more minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt.

Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings.
One serving is 3/4 cup.
One serving is 8 Green, 8 Blue, and 8 Purple Points.

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Skillet Lightened Up Tuna Noodle Casserole

8 Green, 8 Blue, and 8 Purple Points per serving

Makes: 4 servings

Calories: 301

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 (15 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth, divided
• 4 ounces (about 2 cups) uncooked egg noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 2 (4 ounce) cans water packed tuna, drained
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
• Optional add-in ingredients: frozen peas, parsley, or butter cracker crumbs

Instructions

• Cook the egg noodles in the water and 1 cup of the chicken broth, according to the egg noodle package directions. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with cooking spray . Cook onion in the skillet 4-6 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
• Melt butter in with the onions and garlic. Add flour and Parmesan cheese and mix into the butter. Slowly whisk in the milk and remaining chicken broth. Continue whisking until smooth. Cook 3-4 more minutes, or until the sauce thickens, whisking throughout.
• Drain the cooked egg noodles and add them to the skillet, along with the drained tuna. Toss the noodles and tuna in the sauce, mixing well and heating throughout.
• Sprinkle with cheese and cook 1-2 more minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt.
• Serve warm.