Learn an Updated Version Tuna Noodle Casserole

Series Summary

The mere mention of a casserole brings to mind the warm homeyness of mom's cooking wafting in from the kitchen. These meals are often cooked in large, deep dishes can contain a mixture of vegetables or meat, pasta or rice and a sauce. Casseroles are cooked slowly and come out thick, melty and delicious. Some of the most popular casseroles in the United States include green bean casserole, broccoli and rice casserole and macaroni casserole.

Perhaps not as popular as those mentioned above, but possibly the greatest casserole of them all is the tuna noodle casserole. In this free series of home cooking cuisine videos, our professional chef shares her recipe for this outstanding dish. She first discusses the history of the casserole and tells you some of their common characteristics: a starch, a protein and a binding agent. Yes, your tuna masterpiece contains all of these, with the additional bonus of collard greens and bacon. Our expert then tells you how to saute the bacon and onions and prepare the roux for your casserole. Enjoy!

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village, I am Laura Banford and I am going to show you how to make an updated Tuna Noodle Casserole. Today we are going to make an updated Tuna Noodle Casserole with collard greens. We will talk about collard greens a little bit later but I am very excited about this Tuna Noodle Casserole. Casserole's go back all throughout the past century, the 1900's. They really came popular in the 50's and 60's. A casserole includes in general a starch, a protein and a binding agent. Starch is often noodles. Sometimes it is potatoes but often some kind of pasta. The protein could be chicken or meatballs or you know ground beef. In this case, it is tuna and the binding agent is going to be a roux; a lightened up roux made with 2 percent milk and some really nice aged cheddar cheese. It's a lighter version of your childhood favorite and that is why I like it. Today we are going to be using a special kind of pasta, cherry tomatoes to brighten it up to add color and flavor and I am very excited about it. Come back in the next clip when I show you the equipment you are going to need to make your updated Tuna Noodle Casserole. "