The Celebration of No Assumptions

Tuna Romanoff Casserole straight from South Texas

Sometimes, women’s recipes of celebration take a decisively Americana turn circa Betty Crocker 1950’s. At a recent book club, the conversation turned to family recipes, things we loved that our mothers cooked as kids and how those meals still mark occasions when we get together.

I’ve known Elma, our hostess, for years. As one of 6 children who was raised in a small South Texas border town in the 1970’s and 80’s, I always assumed Elma was raised on Mexican food prepared from recipes that were passed down by generations of women with a pit-stop on Elma's family table on the road to the next generation. I was wrong. Like, really wrong. 

Elma said that she “had my fill of traditional Mexican dishes at my grandparents house on the weekends. But, at dinner time in my childhood home, American food ruled. When my parents married, my Mom could not cook at all. Nada. Not even make coffee.  She learned to cook from the 1968 edition of the Better Homes New Cookbook.That red and white checkered cookbook (and later other Betty Crocker cookbooks &recipes) became the heart of our family meals. We ate spaghetti, crispy tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, meatloaf, sausage & sauerkraut, scalloped potatoes, and LOTS of casseroles.” Because let’s face it, when you need to feed a crowd – Eight.People.Every. Day. - you need a rotation of simple dishes and a casserole is the perfect one dish meal.

So, when a new casserole was introduced into the rotation, it got noticed. At some point, Elma’s mom added tuna casserole – and for some reason called Tuna Romanoff – to the rotation. No one knows where the recipe came from and I quizzed Elma about why it’s called Tuna Romanoff. That remains a mystery. But what is known is that Tuna Romanoff quickly became a favorite and one that all of her siblings thought was the jackpot of the dinner carousel. 

Now, when Elma and her siblings get together, and with the addition of husbands and children, this is a big group, it’s the meal that binds the family together. Although the spouses think “we are totally weird and don't get how we could go so crazy over a tuna casserole. For us, it is comfort food which brings back heart-warming and joyful family memories.”

Elma made me promise I would make this if she gave me the recipe, and I did. With our little family of four, this was a huge hit with very few leftovers.

The Organization:

Elma, her husband, James (my brother from another mother), and several of my friends sit on the board of Avance. Avance is a national organization with local affiliates that give predominantly Spanish speaking parents tools for parenting and provide early childhood development and family support. Avance helps parents "play an important, proactive role in counteracting risk factors that lead to school underachievement." They provide parenting classes, ESL and give parents necessary resources. With early childhood development, Avance helps pre-k aged kids be school ready to ensure they succeed once in school. They help kiddos with things we take for granted like being reading ready, knowing their letters and numbers while giving them the confidence to be in school full time. I've been to several Avance events and am so impressed with the organization, it's effectiveness and the parents who participate in the programs. But more importantly, seeing these young children brimming with so much confidence and the seeds already planted in their minds that they can achieve anything makes supporting Avance as fulfilling as the most delicious casserole. 

Tuna Romanoff

(as made by Elizabeth Cantu & modified by Elma Cantu Aldrete)
Yields 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons light butter
• 1 cup white onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped (I added this) 
• 1 can low sodium Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 - 8 oz package light cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup of 1% milk
• 1 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives
• 1 cup frozen peas (I added this) 
• 8-10 oz egg noodles cooked al dente and drained
• 3 1/2 cups Rice Chex cereal (crushed to 2.5 cups)
• 18 oz of canned or packed tuna drained and flaked
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

What to do:

1. Melt butter in large skillet. 
2. Add onion and carrots and saute in butter about 5 minutes.  
3. Add soup, cream cheese, frozen peas and milk.  
4. Heat and stir over low heat until smooth. 
5. Remove from heat. 
6. Stir in olives, noodles, tuna, and 1 cup Chex crumbs.  
7. Turn into 13x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam or equivalent.
8. Sprinkle with cheese and then remaining Chex crumbs.*
9. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

* I prepared the casserole up to this point and then put it in the fridge to be baked the next day. I had to cook it for about 10 extra minutes but it was perfect to make on a Sunday and cook Monday for dinner. I served it with a salad and it was a simple but filling dinner. 

What to do in Photos:

Cooked egg noodles.

Chopped carrots

1 brimming cup chopped onions

1 cup sliced pimento olives

1 cup frozen peas

Drained and flaked tuna 

Onions and carrots into the pan with melted butter

Saute 5 minutes

Adding in the soup, milk, cream cheese and frozen peas

To crush the Rice Chex, I used the small bowl to crush the Chex
in the larger bowl 

Crushed Chex

Adding the soup mixture to the noodles
along with the Chex

Stirring it all together

Into the casserole dish

Close up of the casserole before cooking 

Out of the oven and ready to serve! 

Ready to eat!