My mom’s infamously easy tuna noodle casserole was, hands down, a top five most frequently requested meal of my childhood – lucky her! I carried the recipe in my ‘first time living alone’ box of tricks when I left for college. And I continued to whip it up until gluten-free ruled my life. The recipe was nixed from memory upon reading the ingredients of every cream of mushroom soup can I could find.
Although I rarely eat gluten-free at restaurants since finding out I’m not officially intolerant, I steer clear of bringing glutenous groceries home. In my opinion, gluten in the average American diet is beyond excessive and not as necessary as your handy dandy food pyramid makes it seem.
Off my soap box, back to the meal…
Every few trips to the market, I head to the gluten-free aisle to grab a bag of brown rice pasta. Most of the items on that aisle, though gluten-free, tend to be super processed and hokey, so I grab what I need and go. This time… I noticed a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup and my most memorable cozy, comfort meal came to mind.
Mom’s Recipe – Altered (2 servings)
4 oz. of Gluten-Free Elbows
1/2 Can of Gluten-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
2-1/2 oz. of Albacore Tuna in Water, Drained if Canned
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
Boil noodles per package instructions. Mix noodles, soup, and tuna together and pour into an oven safe bowl (I used a pie plate). Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.