Tuna Casserole - History

History

Casseroles became a very popular household dish in the 1950s for a number of reasons; mainly the ingredients were cheap and easy to find at the store: a can of tuna, a can of vegetables, a can of soup, and a package of egg noodles and after 35 minutes is a prepared family dinner. Tuna casserole could also be frozen or refrigerated and then reheated to be eaten as a left over the next day. Tuna casserole is a very popular dish to take to pot lucks or in small communities, to be taken to the home of someone who is sick as a gesture of kindness.

While every tuna casserole is different, historically, tuna casserole is made with a twelve ounce package of egg noodles, one quarter cup of chopped onion, two cups of shredded cheddar cheese, one cup of frozen green peas, twelve ounces of canned, drained tuna, two 10.75 ounce cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, two ounces of sliced mushrooms and one cup crushed potato chips. The cooked noodles, onion, cheese, peas, tuna, soup and mushrooms are mixed in a 9x13 baking dish, with the potato chips and more cheese sprinkled on top, and then cooked at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) for fifteen to twenty minutes. A typical serving of tuna casserole contains 611 calories, 26.2 grams of fat and 103 mg of cholesterol.