Tightwad Tuna Casserole

From the famous Tightwad Gazette, this is the tuna casserole that my mom made while I was growing up. I have found a few ways to make it even more tightwad-y.

Instead of using a canned cream soup I make a mock cream soup using the tuna juice from the drained tuna.

A note on using tuna juice for cream soup:

If I am using tuna canned in water, I will make a roux with butter and flour to thicken the soup. 

If I am using tuna canned in oil, I will thicken the soup with a flour and milk slurry. 

  For the topping the original recipe calls for soft bread crumbs and butter. I found these herbed stuffing mixtures on sale after the holidays for 69¢ a bag. I crumble this dry mix over the top for the topping. I don't feel the need to add butter. They have enough flavor and crunch without the butter.

  I learned from my mom to add frozen peas. My mom has never thought a meal is complete with out a vegetable. That is a good lesson. 

I always add the peas after the casserole is cooked to each plate. Some people like the peas mixed in and some like them to the side. Okay, the truth is that most the people in my family don't like peas period, so I serve them on the side and mix them in to my serving because that is the way I like them.

My Tuna Casserole Recipe 

7 oz. Pasta 

1/2 c. Milk or Broth

1/2 c. Mayonnaise 

1 c. 4oz. Melty Cheese, chunked 

1 10oz. Can Condensed Cream Soup -OR-

(Mock Cream Soup: 2 T. butter browned, add 2 T. flour cook for a minute add tuna juice and enough broth or milk to equal 2/3 c. of liquid. Season with 1/2 tsp. onion powder, salt, pepper, and 1tsp. each of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.)

1/2 tsp. Dill weed

6-8oz. canned Tuna, drained

Topping

Prepare pasta, follow package directions; drain set aside.

 Make mock cream soup, add milk or broth, mayonnaise, cheese, dill and tuna. Heat and stir until cheese is melted.

 Mix sauce into the cooked pasta. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle topping over and bake at 350° F. for 30 minutes. 6 servings.

Amy Dacyczyn uses this recipe to give a lesson on Tightwad cooking. The lesson can be found on pgs. 209+210 of The Tightwad Gazette copyright 1992. The original recipe is designed to be a time saving recipe. Amy altered it to make it more frugal, in so doing the results cost more time. I have found this to be true in many, many cases. You either pay with money or time. It's a trade off.

Amy's prices are lower than you can find today, of course. I find it interesting to see what prices used to be for pantry staples. I, also, find it fun to see how close I can get to the old prices.  

For cheese now days I like to buy it for $3/lb. It is hard to find it for that price where I live, but it is possible. In this recipe, though, I always use the melty processed cheese. I don't buy it often. Usually, it goes on sale around Superbowl Sunday and I buy a few blocks.

Back in Amy's day powered milk was cheaper than regular milk so she uses it for everything. I don't think powdered milk is cheaper than regular milk nowadays, thankfully, because I don't like the powdered stuff.

Amy always uses margarine. I won't buy margarine. If our finances are too tight for butter I will use chicken fat that I save in a jar in the fridge.

Original Recipe:

Mix and Match Seafood Casserole 

4-5 oz. Pasta

1/2 c. Dry White Wine or Milk

1/2 c. Mayonnaise  or Salad dressing 

1 c. Shredded American Cheese 

1 10 3/4 oz. can Condensed Cream of Celery, Shrimp, or Mushroom Soup 

1/2 tsp. Dill Weed

6-8 oz. Canned Seafood (tuna, salmon, crab, or shrimp), drained

Topping (below)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare the pasta, following the directions on the package; drain and set aside. Mix white wine with mayonnaise. Add cheese, soup, and dill. Gently combine the noodles and the seafood with the most ingredients. Pour the mixture into a1 2/2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, top with Topping, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot. 

Topping: Stir 2 TBS. melted butter into 1 cup of soft bread crumbs. You can also try 1 cup of crushed corn chips, cow meeting noodles, or french-fry onions, or 1/2 cup sliced almonds.

How Amy Dacyczyn changed it: 

Pasta: We use any pasta purchased on sale. We get it for 33¢/lb. I increase it by 2 oz. because the recipe makes too much sauce. 

Milk or Wine: Wine is more expense, but I like the flavor .

Mayonnaise or Salad dressing: Buy store brand for 99¢ per quart. You can make your own mayonnaise but the savings is marginal, and depends on the price of eggs. 

Cheese: Use any mild cheese purchases on sale. We always buy it for less than $2/lb. Shredded is usually more expensive, but not always. 

Condensed Cream Soup: costs 69¢ to $1.11 depending on type. Instead I make a mock cream of celery soup that costs 15¢. Melt 2 TBS. of margarine in sauce pan. Saute 2 TBS. chopped celery. Blend in 2 TBS. flour. Add 1/3 cup dry milk powder and 2/3 cup vegetable broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until smooth. 

Seafood: Tuna is the obvious choice. We stock up when it goes on sale for 44¢ per can.

Topping: Make your own bread crumbs. Save all your crusts, cereal, and cracker crumbs. Store in a bag in the freezer. Process in a blender or food processor. 

And that concludes our lesson on tightwad-ary for today. Go forth and save money while you feed your family!