Do they still make tuna pot pie?
It was a staple when I was a kid. I don’t remember what brand mom got. Could’ve been Banquet, could’ve been Swanson. I can’t remember the last time I saw tuna pot pie in the store.
I’ve never seen it, but I’d buy it.
My college dining hall used to do a clam pot pie that I kind of looked forward to. I’d buy that, too.
I remember it. The thing is you can make a really good pot pie out of tuna, but you can make awful too. The chicken and beef pot pies usually are edible regardless
Never saw tuna pot pie in a store but I like to make a really simple one at home using canned tuna, good quality mushroom soup, nice veggies (preferably fresh) and bisquick. You can grate some cheddar cheese on top. Really easy to do and awesome.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a recipe.
I remember several years back there was a Tuna Helper pot pie with a top and bottom biscuity crust. It was tasty for a Helper meal.
Sure Thudlow. Now bear in mind that this is a made up recipe that I vary depending on what I have on hand. Bisquick however is virtually fail-proof as you may know.
So if I’m not feeling lazy I saute mushrooms, a veg like broccoli or maybe leeks in some butter or margarine. If I have sherry or madeira I add a little bit of this optionally though not too much–a splash (no more than a quarter of a cup).
If I do this first step I remove from heat and add two cans of drained white albacore tuna directly to this mixture.
Then I add good quality mushroom soup (Campbells will do in a pinch) using a little less water or milk than the recipe calls for to make a thicker consistency than soup.
If I’ve skipped the sauteeing step described above at this point I would add broccoli and tuna directly into the soup mixture without any prior cooking and without wine.
If I want to add grated cheese I do it at this point just folding it into the mixture. Cheddar is very nice but you can also use any sharp hard cheese such including swiss, if you like it. A half of a cup should do–though reserve some for sprinkling on top at the end.
Pour this mixture into a square glass baking pan that you’ve greased with butter or margarine.
Add some of these seasonings depending on your taste preference. Pepper for sure. Salt only if you haven’t added a lot of cheese (and make sure your mushroom soup isn’t already salty–I hate too much salt). Possibly one of the following: nutmeg, or curry power or both. (Fresh tarragon can be very nice and if you have this on hand you can add this at the saute stage.)
At some point you’ll want to pre-heat your oven to the temperature recommended on bisquick box. (Somewhere between 350 and 425–I’d have to check the box.)
Unfortunately, I don’t have a box of bisquick handy right now but there are various recipes for a casserole topping usually on the box. It’s generally a cup of bisquick and some milk and then an egg. But here is my crucial secret:
add more eggs than the recipe calls for. I always add at least three and often four–this makes your topping lighter and more souffle-like. So long as you add the right amount of bisquick and milk you won’t end up accidentally making an omelette even if you go to four eggs. I almost always do!
Now pour the the bisquick mixture right over the top of the tuna mixture–do not mix–and then bake according to the bisquick instructions.
It’s done when the bisquick topping is cooked through (again the box should give you a guide to time but I generally check). If you’d like to sprinkle more cheese on the top add it for the last five minutes.
Voila…
Here’s a healthier alternative: Trader Joe’s makes a very nice whole wheat baking mix which also tastes very nice.
So I’m not crazy; it really has disappeared.
When I was a kid, sometimes I’d make creamed tuna on toast. Basically, SOS with tuna instead of chipped beef. And I do mean basic. I was a kid. A gravy made with flour and milk, with tuna mixed in. Maybe now I could make a Béchamel and mix in some potatoes and carrots and peas and onions, and bake up a pie using frozen pie crust.
It sure would be handy though, if I could just get a factory-made one for 89¢ out of the frozen food section.
I know it’s not exactly the same, but Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones brands of frozen entrees both make a tuna noodle cassarole that are pretty tasty for a quick meal when you are in a rush.
I always sass them up with some shredded parmesan, a dash of worcestershire sauce and a good shot of Tabasco, as like most frozen foods it can be quite bland without a little doctoring.
I dont think I have ever seen a tuna pot pie…
Here’s what I do (for two):
Ingredients: noodles, tomatoes*, 1 Can tuna**, cheese***.
Burner 1: water + salt - heat to boiling
Burner 2: Big ass can of tomatoes + any garlic/chile/onion powder/ dried herbs etc.
When then water is boiling, throw in 8oz of pasta (short like penne) and boil for 50% of what it says on the packet. Drain.
Let tomatoes simmer at max rate. Let’s say 15 minutes as the oven warms up.
Put oven onto 350
Mix canned tuna, tomato glop and mostly uncooked pasta in an oven proof dish.
Slap on the cheese.
Throw in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Eat. Repeat.
NB: if the destination has an oven, makes a great pot luck.
*assuming you’re in the US, only domestic canned tomatoes, not anything imported. Petite diced works well. Drain the can if you like a solid block o’casserole.
** If you like actually like tuna, you could go with fresh, but sauté before adding. Despite being a SD food snob, I much prefer canned (with EVOO, natch :D)
*** cheese should be kinda flabby. Mozzarella, generic pizza blend, cheap cheddar etc.