MOM'S TUNA CASSEROLE!! PANTRY POWER!! SHELF COOKING!!

Today I am sharing the original pantry meal that I grew up with! My Mom's tuna casserole. This one is a little unconventional but it is delicious. It is simple to make and it is easy enough for your kids to make on their own, with supervision. A great way to put a budget friendly meal on the table that is sure to satisfy both their hunger as well as your desire to save money and pull from what you have. This is a favorite of my father's as well as the rest of my family and I hope that you will find it to be the same for you!

I recently put a question out on my YouTube community page, instagram and Facebook and asked if you would like to see some more pantry style cooking and recipe videos. The response was overwhelmingly YES! So here we are. I will be planning to share more practical recipe and information videos including stocking a pantry on a budget as well as fill a request for information about those dates on your food and packages. What do they really mean?

I digress. Today we are making a simple, delicious and budget friendly recipe that uses 95% pantry items that you can put together in no time! Tuna casserole is propably something that every mom has made. My mom's is a little different. It starts with a box of macaroni and cheese. I prefer the thick and creamy variety and it is simply made according to the directions on the box.

To that .37 cent box of mac and cheese we are going to add one can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of sliced mushrooms, a can of sliced ripe olives as well as two cans of the tuna of your choice. I prefer albacore which is a little more expensive than chunk light which would make this casserole a little cheaper, but the flavor, taste and texture of the albacore is something we prefer over the less expensive variety. We are also going to add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese as well as a cup of crushed potato chips. If you don't have chips, use some buttered breadcrumb or some crushed corn flakes that have been tossed in a bit of melted butter. Any of those will give you the crunchy topping you are looking for here.

This all gets mixed together, with the exception of half the cheese and the chips. Poured into a baking dish and then topped with the remaining cheese and the crushed potato chips. Then it gets popped in the oven for about a half an hour until browned and bubbly.

We serve this with our favorite side which is one can of green beans mixed with one can of stewed tomatoes which adds a great accompaniment to the creamy, cheesy casserole. This will serve six people generously and with the addition of the vegetable side dish and maybe some biscuits or bread if you desire, no one is walking away hungry!

The cost breakdown here goes as follows: NOTE: I used all store brand ingredients and they came from Walmart.

Great Value Thick and Creamy Mac and Cheese: $0.34
Great Value Cream of Mushroom Soup: $0.57
2 cans Great Value Albacore Tuna: ($1.12 each) $2.24
Great Value Mushroom Stems & Pieces: $1.25
Great Value Sliced Ripe Olives: $0.67
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese: $1.33
1 cup crushed potato chips: $0.25
1/2 stick butter for mac and cheese: $0.34
1/2 cup milk for mack and cheese: $0.18
Total cost: $7,17

NOTE: In the video I mentioned that the cost breakdown was $7.35. I miscalculated on the part of the milk and actually doubled the amount. This breaks down to approximately $1.20 per serving if serving six people. The cost of the vegetable side dish was $1.17 for the whole bowl. In my opinion this is a champion pantry meal that really hits all the notes of being budget friendly as well as being family friendly! If you are not keen on tuna, you could certainly make this casserole with chicken or ham as well!

I hope you give this recipe for my Mom's tuna casserole a try sometime soon and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

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