Tastes Like Vintage: Perfect Tuna Casserole

Tweet

Vintage tuna labels by Booth88

Was there ever a mid century dish so loved or loathed by so many as tuna casserole? Put simply, hot tuna, the casserole not the blues rock band, generates a definite opinion. There are no undecided eaters in the middle. A casserole case study from my loyal spouse's youth--he hated tuna casserole, his two brothers loved it. Hence, he spent much of the 60s and 70s sentenced to a weekly plate of tuna casserole requiring multiple glasses of milk to wash it down.

Loyal spouse's mother served the classic tuna NOODLE casserole. Also common was the tuna POTATO CHIP casserole. At one of my friend's houses, many afternoons of discussing the merits of each Monkee extended into the evening if I was invited to stay for supper. Her mom served tuna casserole in baskets made of potato sticks. I didn't like the casserole, but heavens those baskets were delicious.

Vintage Pyrex bluebird casserole by VintageResolution

Tuna casserole is definitely one of the stalwarts in the canned-soup-as-sauce pantheon. So it's only fitting that this week's recipe is from a leaflet titled Wonderful Ways with Soups...from Campbell's. The leaflet lacks a publication date, but since the mail order address for the full 64 page edition (at the cost of one thin dime) lacks a zip code, we can assume it was pre-1963.

Since we're about vintage, we stick with tradition here. However, if you'd like a updated and renovated version that pays homage to the classic, you can find food writer Ellen Brown's interpretation on NPR's food blog, the salt. It may have porcini mushrooms, but traditionalists will be relieved to hear it's still got the potato chips.

Perfect Tuna Casserole

Vintage French Campbell's bowl by StellaByStar

1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of celery or mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 can (7 oz) tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup cooked peas or green beans
1 1/4 cups slightly crumbled potato chips

Blend soup and milk; stir in tuna, peas and 1 cup of potato chips. Spoon into a 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle top with remaining potato chips. If desired, use whole chips on top of the casserole rather than crumbled. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) about 25 minutes. Makes 3-4 servings.