Tuna Casserole
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
I think that insufficient attention has been paid to the classic all-American cuisine that many people alive in the United States today grew up eating. While it's possibly true that American cuisine lacks the sophistication of the French, the balance of the Chinese, the fragrance of the Thai, and the elegence of the Japanese, there is nonetheless a warm, comforting quality to American food that is rarely found in other cultures.
American cuisine is largely cuisine of the middle class. Food that is inexpensive, easy to prepare, that cooks up quickly, and is tasty and filling. This makes sense when you consider that for much of the twentieth-century, middle-class Americans of both sexes worked long hours for modest pay. Unlike our European counterparts, American industry has little respect for family life, so we've had to make due as best we can. When both parents work outside the home, there is litle time to prepare coque-au-vin.
There are few dishes that sum up the American values of cooking as nicely as Tuna Casserole. (Others may include meatloaf, chili, or scalloped potatos.) Tuna Casserole is a "one-pot meal"; that is to say it requires a miminum of cooking preparation or tools. It can be made quickly, which is a reflection of the American values of speed and ease. Its ingredients are modest, reflecting our love of thrift. It is smooth in texture and creamy in flavor, reflecting our love of ease and relaxation, a small taste of the good life after a hard days work at the plant.
Every family has its own recipe, but most are very similar in concept: a cream sauce poured over canned tuna, cooked pasta, ocassionally vegetables, topped with cheese, and baked until bubbly.
If you have never tried Tuna Casserole, may I suggest the following recipe as a base for your own family tradition?
Preheat oven to bake at 350 degrees.
1 can tuna, water packed
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 bag frozen mixed vegetables, preferrably the ones with the little perl onions... mmm, onions...
2-2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
grated cheese
pepper to taste
Mix the drained tuna, soup, veggies, pasta, and black pepper in a casserole dish; top with cheese. Cover and bake until bubbly and the cheese is just barely starting to brown at the edges. Serve and enjoy.
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While your casserole is cooking, may I recommend a short meditation? Sit down in your easy chair, lean your head back and close your eyes. Imagine yourself in a factory; the smell of metal, the sharp burn of sparks eating through your coveralls. Feel the sweat drip down your dirty forehead into your eyes, stinging. Notice how your back aches when you bend over to lift the 30 pound metal pieces onto the next track. Feel your chest constrict when you try to take a deep breath. Hold it, then release slowly. ~~~ Now feel the softess of the chair beneath you. Feel your back muscles relax. Notice how good your skin feels after a long, hot shower. You worked hard, and now you're one step closer to sending the kids to college. Smell the food cooking in the kitchen. Imagine the first warm bite, filling your mouth, then slowly warming your belly. It's 1979 - realize for one moment how lucky you are to have a job and a meal. Hold it, then release slowly. Welcome to America.
American cuisine is largely cuisine of the middle class. Food that is inexpensive, easy to prepare, that cooks up quickly, and is tasty and filling. This makes sense when you consider that for much of the twentieth-century, middle-class Americans of both sexes worked long hours for modest pay. Unlike our European counterparts, American industry has little respect for family life, so we've had to make due as best we can. When both parents work outside the home, there is litle time to prepare coque-au-vin.
There are few dishes that sum up the American values of cooking as nicely as Tuna Casserole. (Others may include meatloaf, chili, or scalloped potatos.) Tuna Casserole is a "one-pot meal"; that is to say it requires a miminum of cooking preparation or tools. It can be made quickly, which is a reflection of the American values of speed and ease. Its ingredients are modest, reflecting our love of thrift. It is smooth in texture and creamy in flavor, reflecting our love of ease and relaxation, a small taste of the good life after a hard days work at the plant.
Every family has its own recipe, but most are very similar in concept: a cream sauce poured over canned tuna, cooked pasta, ocassionally vegetables, topped with cheese, and baked until bubbly.
If you have never tried Tuna Casserole, may I suggest the following recipe as a base for your own family tradition?
Preheat oven to bake at 350 degrees.
1 can tuna, water packed
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 bag frozen mixed vegetables, preferrably the ones with the little perl onions... mmm, onions...
2-2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
grated cheese
pepper to taste
Mix the drained tuna, soup, veggies, pasta, and black pepper in a casserole dish; top with cheese. Cover and bake until bubbly and the cheese is just barely starting to brown at the edges. Serve and enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While your casserole is cooking, may I recommend a short meditation? Sit down in your easy chair, lean your head back and close your eyes. Imagine yourself in a factory; the smell of metal, the sharp burn of sparks eating through your coveralls. Feel the sweat drip down your dirty forehead into your eyes, stinging. Notice how your back aches when you bend over to lift the 30 pound metal pieces onto the next track. Feel your chest constrict when you try to take a deep breath. Hold it, then release slowly. ~~~ Now feel the softess of the chair beneath you. Feel your back muscles relax. Notice how good your skin feels after a long, hot shower. You worked hard, and now you're one step closer to sending the kids to college. Smell the food cooking in the kitchen. Imagine the first warm bite, filling your mouth, then slowly warming your belly. It's 1979 - realize for one moment how lucky you are to have a job and a meal. Hold it, then release slowly. Welcome to America.
