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A plate of homemade tuna helper with pieces of tuna, green peas, and carrots, garnished with chopped parsley, with a fork on the left side of the plate.
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5 from 5 votes

Homemade Tuna Helper

Tuna pairs up with veggies, cheese, egg noodles, and more, to make this cozy tuna noodle casserole. It's a tastier alternative to boxed tuna helper but is just as easy to prepare.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: copycat, pasta, seafood
Servings: 4
Author: Bella Bucchiotti

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1 ½ Cups Half & Half
  • 1 sweet onion medium, diced
  • 3 Cloves garlic minced
  • 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • ½ Teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Cups chicken broth
  • ½ Teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Cup frozen peas and carrots thawed
  • 1 Can tuna 12-Ounce, chunk white albacore, drained
  • 1 ½ Cups asiago cheese freshly grated
  • 12 Ounces wide egg noodles
  • parsley fresh chopped, optional garnish

Instructions

  • Bring a 5 or 6-quart pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles following the package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to a bowl.
  • In the same pot, turn down the heat to medium and add the oil.
  • Sauté the onions for 4 or 5 minutes until starting to soften and become translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
  • Next, add the flour and seasonings then stir. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring all the time.
  • Slowly pour in the chicken broth and keep stirring until well blended without clumps of flour.
  • Stir in the Half & Half and turn down the heat to a low simmer. Continue to cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has a gravy consistency.
  • Stir in the cooked noodles, thawed vegetables and tuna. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

Grate your own cheese: Because pre-shredded cheese has anticaking agents to stop the shreds from sticking together, they don't melt as well. For this reason, it's best to grate your own.
Make it your own: Change the pasta, the cheese or even the protein, add some mustard or lemon. It's fun to put your own stamp on this easy tuna noodle casserole!
Don't overcook the noodles: Slightly al dente noodles are better than too-soft ones.

Nutrition

Calories: 753kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 1501mg | Potassium: 582mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 696IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 607mg | Iron: 3mg

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