For dinner tonight I made what we refer to as "Quick and Dirty Tuna Casserole." Totally a stovetop thing. It's easy to make, reheats well, and tastes even better the second day. There is no formal recipe - this one is more of a "What's in the cupboard?" kind of thing. This sounds harder to do than it is, but once you figure out the process, it's quick and very easy.
Boil the pasta of your choice, with salt and olive oil in the water. When it's just about El Dente, take it off the burner and drain it. Do not rinse it. Turn down the burner about halfway to a medium heat, put the pot back on the heat, then transfer the drained pasta back into the empty pot. The pasta will continue to cook as you go along. Add a can of Cream of (Whatever) soup. Tonight I used Cream of Celery because that was what was in the cupboard. Add a soup-can of milk. Regularly stir the mixture as it heats up, (to keep the milk from scorching), and season with your choice of whatever you like. I used dehydrated onion, garlic powder, Old Bay, and salt & pepper. When it's warm enough and seems well mixed, stir in a few cups of frozen (or drained canned) green peas (or any other veggie you might want in it - frozen broccoli, green beans, or corn also works well.) When that is heated up, stir in a can of drained tuna. I use a fork to break up the tuna into flakes and smaller chunks as they come out of the can, right into the pot. Stir and keep heating. Once it all looks just about warm enough, a sample tastes right to you, it's "loose" enough to not turn to a brick when the pasta starches cool down, I like to stir in a couple of cups of grated cheddar cheese. Once the cheese is melted and things are well mixed, it's ready to serve.
If you want to make extra, to freeze and reheat for lunches or whatever, you can easily double the pasta, canned soup, and tuna, add extra milk in proportion, add additional veggies to it, or maybe even do a blend of your favorite cheeses. You can make this as fancy as you might want - for example you could throw it in a casserole dish with some extra cheese sprinkles, and bread crumbs or potato chips crumbled on top, and bake it till it's bubbling and lightly browned on top. You can also use canned chicken, if you prefer. And even without any tuna or chicken, it makes a great side dish.
You can't mess this up. It's quick and dirty, remember?
Dave
