All American Classic Tuna Casserole

After the holidays and all my birthday travels I feel it's appropriate to return to an American Classic (at least in my house) the Tuna Casserole. 

This is a time tested, mother approved recipe that has withstood years of change and growth. And the great news is that it takes less than 15 minutes to pull together and only 20 minutes in the oven! Plus the ingredients are cost effective. All we are talking about is some tuna, noodles, milk, cheese, and a few veggies.  All in all only 10 ingredients!

If you are anything like me you are looking at your credit card statements and bank account wanting to know.. 

Gurl! Who the hell decided that you could spend all of your money? I have no answers for that question other than I will have to plea temporary insanity and make some delicious Tuna Casserole and share the recipe with you as a way of paying it forward.

This recipe includes a brand new product called Philadelphia Cooking Creme. I have had the opportunity to make How To videos for this product and I can't believe how easy it makes doing just about EVERYTHING! With the exception of making your spouse or children do house work (sorry about that!) Go to the store and find this product you won't regret it! You can also check out the website for Real Women of Philadelphia and join the conversation!

Feel free to check out my video for this recipe on my YouTube channel.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it doesn't matter if you don't have spagetti noodles you can use any kind. You can also substitute the brocoli for corn, or add edemame or green beans. This is a classic that uses whatever you have on hand. No need to rush to the store to pick up additional annoying ingredients like Hungarian Paprika. 


Nope. Just use what you have and keep it simple and delicious! Not to mention it's packed with 22 grams of protein which is sure to keep you and your family going!


***Note: If you want to further reduce the fat I would use fat free milk instead of half and half, you could also substitute 4 eggs whites or egg substitute in place of the eggs, and you can always use low fat cheese!

Bon Appetite!

Classic Tuna Casserole

1/2 box thin spaghetti noodles (or your favorite noodle)
1 cup celery; diced
1 cup onion; diced
4 cloves garlic
2 cups frozen broccoli; diced
10 ounces Philadelphia Original Cooking creme
1/2 cup fat free half and half
2 eggs 
1 (16 ounce) can chunk light tuna packed in water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook half of a box of spaghetti according to the package directions. Then drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet saute the celery, onion, garlic, and broccoli using a little dab of olive oil to coat the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until onions become translucent. Then remove from heat.

3. Then in a medium size bowl combine the Philadelphia original cooking creme, half and half, and two eggs. Stir together with a whisk until combined and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Next in a large bowl combine the sauted vegetables and the drained chunk tuna with the cooked noodles and toss together to combine. Then pour the veggie and noodle mixture into a sprayed 9 X 12 baking dish.

5. Pour the cooking creme mixture over the top of the noodles and press the noodles down into the cooking creme. Top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Then bake it for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

6. Then serve immediately with some fresh bread or (as my grandmother would have) some saltine crackers. Am I the only one who pretty much grew up on saltines?Except now (I kid you not) we have Wheatines!

Servings: 6

Nutritional Skinny:


283 calories / 9.6 g fat / 28 g carbohydrates / 4.7 g fiber / 22 g protein

Mental Health Benefit: Tuna packs a powerful protein punch and as we have been hearing over and over again, lean protein is key to keeping us moving. We need protein to keep our energy up and stop it from spiking up and down leaving us feeling drained. Tuna is the perfect solution offering 13 grams or protein with every serving and only a half a gram of fat. Not to mention it makes this casserole delicious! And life is way to short to spend it tired! Let's enjoy these long winter months filled with short cloudy days. We can nestle into a nice helping of soothing Tuna Casserole and remember where we came from!