Sunday: Easy Jambalaya

Quick and Easy Jambalaya

1 box Jambalaya mix, like Zatarain's or Tony Chachere's
1/2 pound cook chicken breast, shredded or cubed  OR 1 can of chicken
8 oz fully cooked sausage, cut into 1" circles
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well


Basically, you're going to follow the directions on the box but add in the sausage, chicken, and tomatoes before heating.

Tips and Variations

• Use chicken, sausage, diced ham, shrimp...the list is endless.  Make any combo you like.  You need about 1 pound of meat and/or seafood...and it should be precooked.   (and shrimp or crawfish should be peeled)
• Try different kinds of tomatoes.  Chili-ready tomatoes add heat and Diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onion adds veggies that go with Jambalaya .
• Try 99% fat free turkey sausage  and a low sodium jambalaya mix to make a healthier version
• Substitute chicken broth for water for a more home cooked flavor.  Even substitute half of the water adds a ton of flavor.  Use low sodium, 99% fat free chicken broth for a healthier way to get full flavor.

***********************

This meal only takes about 30 minutes and only costs about $5!  YAY!

Plus, you should have about half of the precooked sausage left over to use in a recipe later in the week, like Red Beans and Rice or sausage on hoagies.

Happy Eating!

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Easy Stuffed Pasta Shell Dinner for 2

The Basic Ingredients:
14 large pasta shells
1/2 small container of cottage cheese
1/2 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 egg
Garlic and seasonings, to taste

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I'll be honest here.  I thought stuffed pasta shells were beyond my abilities.  Did I seriously think I could do it in an hour?  Well, turns out, it takes about an hour and ten minutes, which isn't bad when I'm craving Olive Garden but not willing to drive there and then pay the price...in dollars, time, fat, and calories.

So, my recipe is technically enough for 3 - 4 servings.  We each ate 4 - 5 shells for dinner and then I packed 4 shells for lunch...  The recipe is basically taking half of everything -- half of the box of shells, half of the spaghetti sauce, half of the cottage cheese, half of the cheese.  So, I'll be honest, it's real easy to double.  :)

Also, just for fun, I used a 8x4 pyrex dish to bake this.  It ended up being the perfect size for this recipe.

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to directions.  When they are done, drain well and then run under cold water to stop the cooking process.  This also cools them for handling.  Lay on a paper towel to wick away extra water.

In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, half of cheese, egg, and seasonings.  Mix well.

Pour about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce into a baking dish and lightly coat the bottom.

Fill each shell with the cheese mixture and place in baking dish.  (For my shells, it was about a regular eating spoon's worth per shell).


Top with spaghetti sauce and cheese.  Bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Variations and Tips

• Not a fan of Cottage Cheese? Use Ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese.  Add Parmesan cheese to the cheese mixture instead of or in addition to the mozzarella.
• Need the meat? Use a meat sauce or brown up sausage or beef and mix into your cheese mixture.
• Need more veggies?  Add frozen spinach...thaw and drain well, then add to cheese mixture.  Or use a chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce.
• Serve with a salad and bread sticks or garlic bread to complete your Olive Garden Experience at home.

Got your own Stuffed Pasta Recipe? Comment!

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole
1 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenderloins
2 cans cut green beans, well drained OR 18 oz frozen green beans, thawed
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup OR 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 cup milk
Black pepper, to taste
1 and 1/3 cup french fried onions
Garlic and seasonings, to taste

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Most people have had Green Bean Casserole during the holiday season.  I'm here to insist that this is a four season food!

C'mon, people, it's a cheap and easy comfort food!!  Why hide it away for just Christmas and Thanksgiving?

Okay, so Baked Chicken is easy and Green Bean Casserole is easy.  Combining these great foods, super easy!

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  In a lightly greased (sprayed with Pam, lined with foil, whatever you do to keep things from sticken) 9x13 baking dish, place your chicken.  Season to taste.

Combine soup, milk and pepper in a bowl; stir until blended. Stir in beans and 1/2 to 2/3 cups of French Fried Onions.

Pour soup combination over chicken.  Top with remaining French Fried Onions. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before eating.

Variations and Tips

• Check out the French's site for more Green Bean Casserole ideas!
• Use cooked chicken that's been shredded, cubed, or cut into strips instead of chicken breasts.
• Try adding 1/3 cup of sour cream to the soup mixture.  Yummy.
• If using Campbell's Healthy Request Soups to cut down on fat, calories, and MSG, use less milk.  Healthy Request soups are usually "soupier" than their original counterparts.

Got your own Green Bean Casserole dinner idea? Share it!

Jen's Easy Veggie Soup

Easy Vegetable Soup
1 - 1.5 lbs ground hamburger
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can crushed (or diced) tomatoes
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (carrots, corn, green beans)
Chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garlic, to taste


Fry hamburger meat and drain. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Add chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper -- I usually sprinkle the whole top of the mixture with chili powder, then stir, and add the other seasonings. Heat through.

Variations

• Why use hamburger meat? Use ground turkey or sausage. Go meatless. It your super easy soup, eat it how you like it.
• Use fresh or canned veggies, or add veggies to the frozen. Without draining, add a can of corn or green beans. Fresh or canned potatoes are yummy, too. And I absolutely love to add 1/2 a head of cabbage to my soup.
  
• Use Rotel tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes for some real kick.
• Instead of tomato sauce, try tomato juice. Chicken or veggie broth is also good.
  
• Serve with cornbread! Jiffy cornbread is always my quick and easy go-to when I make veggie soup!
  

This makes a lot of soup. If you don't plan on eating leftovers the next day, this freezes really well. If you added potatoes, the texture may become grainy after freezing and reheating, however.

Love it? Hate it? Got your own variation? Post your thoughts.

Easy Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 to 1 stick butter or margarine
Garlic Salt, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Cajun or All-Purpose seasoning, to taste

Easy, fast, and cheap! That's my kind of dinner!

I put 1 lb of shrimp, but honestly I'm not sure. You want enough to serve 4.

To save time, I bought individually frozen shrimp. Mine was great: thaw by running under cold water for 5 minutes and you're ready to go. If buy by frozen shrimp, thaw according to directions on package.

Once shrimp is ready, melt butter/margarine in medium to large pan. I melt a whole stick because we like the seasoned butter over baked potatoes. Feel free to use more or less butter.

Add shrimp to pan. Add Worcestershire and seasonings. Cook on medium-low until shrimp is heated through. My shrimp only needed to cook about 3 minutes.

Serve with salad and bake potatoes for a complete seafood meal.

8 minutes and $8 for a seafood dinner? Love it!

Fiesta Rice

Fiesta Rice

Fiesta Rice is really easy. Pair with a black beans and you've got the perfect side dishes for your Mexican meal.

Brown rice works best for texture (and is healthier anyway). Because there are only two people in my home, I like to use 1 tub of Minute Ready to Serve Rice . It says it's only 1 serving but I find for this recipe it's perfect for 2.

The two recipes below use ingredients that are probably sitting in our fridge or pantry when preparing for a Mexican dish!

Recipe 1
1 tub Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice, fixed according to directions
1 jar chunky salsa

Pour rice into bowl. Mix a few of tablespoons of salsa into the rice and reheat. You'll be surprised by how good it is.

Recipe 2
1 tub Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice, fixed according to directions
2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1/4 (or so) teaspoon of Taco Seasoning
a pinch of garlic salt

Pour rice into bowl. Add all ingredients, mix well, and reheat.

This recipe tastes a lot like Applebee's fiesta rice that comes with Fiesta Lime Chicken. To make it more authentic, shop up some red and green bell pepper, add a little oil to a pan, and heat until veggies are slightly soft. Then add a spoonful or two of sweet kernel corn.


Got your own Fiesta Rice recipe or other Mexican sidedish? Share with me.

My Mamma's Enchiladas

Easy Enchiladas

1 lb hamburger meat
Taco seasoning
1 small can enchilada sauce
4 - 8 oz of shredded cheese (half a bag)
1 package burrito size tortillas, corn or flour

Mexican made easy is my new middle name! I like my Mexican recipes because I can mix them up and use all of my left overs each week. Made Taquitos and now have half a bag of cheese, most of a package of taco seasoning and 4 tortillas? Well, Mexican Pie, Mexican Dish, or Enchiladas are your quick and easy answer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make filling: Cook your hamburger meat and taco seasoning according to directions.Mix 1/4 to 1/2 of enchilada sauce with taco meat. Stir in half of shredded cheese.

Put tortillas between two damp paper towels and heat in microwave for 1 minute, or until warm and pliable.

Spoon filling into middle of tortilla. Fold sides toward middle. Place seam side down in a baking dish or cookie sheet lightly covered with non-stick cooking spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Top tortillas with remaining enchilada sauce. Bake for 15 minutes. Last 5 minutes of baking, top with remaining cheese.

Variations

• This can be vegetarian, chicken, or hamburger. Use Spinach and use a sour cream sauce. Use left over canned chicken. Add black or refried beans for a beef and bean enchilada.
  
• For spice, add a well drained can of Rotel tomatoes to your filling.
• Make a white enchilada sauce from cream of chicken soup and sour cream to use instead of store bought red sauce.
  

Got your own Mexican recipe? Share it!

BTW: This recipe was HUGE hit with my hubby. He ate two for dinner and polished off the rest the next day at lunch. He said he liked it better than restaurant enchiladas!!! Cheaper and better than dinner at a restaurant? Can't be that.

Easy (baked) Taquitos

Taquitos

1 ( 10 - 12 oz) Can Chicken
1/3 cup of Salsa
shredded cheese
Taco seasoning, optional
1 package 6-8 inch tortillas, corn or flour
1 microwave safe pie plate
Cookie Sheet
SaranWrap

So you made Mexican Pie, it was great (you'd know that if you tried it), but you're now stuck with an open packet of tortillas. Taquitos/Flautas are an easy and quick way to use up the rest of your salsa, tortillas, and cheese.

First, mix can of chicken with salsa. Make sure to shred the chicken as you mix it. Put this in the fridge to sit for 10-15 minutes.

The last five minutes of your wait, preheat your oven to 375 degree. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Put tortillas between two damp paper towels and microwave for one minute, or until tortillas are warm and pliable.

When chicken/salsa combo is ready, take out of fridge and drain well. Then add a good handful of cheese and 1/4 tsp (or more) of Taco Seasoning. To be honest, I used more like a tablespoon of taco seasoning, but I like stuff spicy. Mix well.

Put a good spoonful or two of filling mixture on the edge of tortilla. Roll tortilla into a tube and place seam side down on sprayed cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

When all tortillas are rolled, spray tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with enchilada sauce, sour cream, or salsa.

Will make 6-8 taquitos, depending on size of tortilla and how generous you are with filling.

Variations
--The fun part.

• Hate canned chicken? Use shredded pork or fry up some hamburger meat instead. Cooking is all about you. Make it vegetarian with bell pepper, onion, and beans, if you want!
  
• Serve with black beans, pinto beans, ranch-style beans, or fat-free beans and Fiesta Rice (see recipes)
  
• For a spicy pie, use a can of Rotel tomatoes in addition to salsa. The easiest way to spread Rotel tomotes is to mix them in with the meat.
  
• Use prepared cresent rolls or bisquick mix instead of tortillas.
  
• Try nacho cheese inside the pie instead of shredded cheese. (Think Cheesy Beef and Bean burrito!)
• Make low fat by using low-fat cheese and smaller tortillas (or carb-smart tortillas).
  

This is probably going to become the NEW favorite for quick Mexican food in my house! It's not as fast as Tortilla pie, but it's so yummy.

Got your own Mexican? Talk to me!

10 Minute Mexican Pie

Mexican Pie

1 Can Chicken
1 Can Low-fat Refried Beans
1 medium jar of Salsa
4 - 8 oz of shredded cheese (half a bag)
1 package burrito size tortillas, corn or flour
1 microwave safe pie plate
SaranWrap

This is SO EASY! Place a tortilla in the bottom of the pie plate; it will fold up the sides a little, like a pie crust.  If you're concerned about the tortilla ripping, pop the plate and tortilla into the microwave for 10-15 seconds.  This will make the tortilla more pliable.

Layer chicken, salsa, beans, and cheese. Add another tortilla. Layer other ingredients again. Optional: Top with third tortilla. Cover entire pie plate with SaranWrap. Microwave for 8 minutes.

Optional: For a crispier top, remove SaranWrap and put under broiler for 2 minutes.

Cut into slices and serve warm. To keep with the pie theme, put dollops of sour cream on each slice. For extra pizazz, sprinkle diced tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese over the top of the pie.

Variations

• Hate canned chicken? Use hamburger instead. For extra flavor, turn it into a taco meat pie.
• Make a 7-layered burrito inspired pie! This can be vegetarian, chicken, or hamburger. Cook Mexican dirty rice according to package or make your own with this recipe. The tortilla layers will be the same; but for the inside layers, layer refried beans, rice, cheese, chunky salsa, diced tomatoes, and meat (if used). After cooking, dollop the top of the pie with sour cream and guacamole and sprinkle shredded lettuce over the top
  
• Use your bean! Use black beans, pinto beans, or ranch-style beans instead of refried beans.
• For a spicy pie, use a can of Rotel tomatoes instead of (or in addition to) salsa or regular diced tomatoes. The easiest way to spread Rotel tomotes is to mix them in with the meat.
  
• Use prepared cresent rolls or bisquick mix instead of tortillas. Also, try crushed tortilla chips or Fritos.
• Try nacho cheese or left over queso dip inside the pie instead of shredded cheese. (Think Cheesy Beef and Bean burrito!)
  

This is a new family favorite because it's so fast and so GOOD! I also love how easy it is to switch up without added too much time.

Got your own Mexican Pie recipe? Share it!

Easy Baked Chicken with Gravy

Baked Chicken with Gravy
1 - 1.5 lbs of Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or strips
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk or water
Garlic salt (or Garlic powder), to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, mix soup, milk (or water), and seasonings. Place chicken in a lightly greased (or buttered) baking dish. Pour soup mix over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes (up to 1 hour), or until chicken is fully cooked.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Variations

• Brown Gravy is a yummy addition. Mix in a packet of Brown Gravy with your Cream of Mushroom Soup to change it up.
  
• Mushroom Gravy could also be used instead of cream of mushroom soup.
• Hate mushrooms? Try cream of chicken soup! Be really crazy and try Cheese Soup or Cream Spinach!
  
• Many soups have MSG. Look for a soup that doesn't include this ingredient, like Cambpell's Healthy Request soups.
  
• Pan fry or quick grill the chicken first to brown the outside. The chicken will cook fully in the oven.
• Throw in a bag of colorful fresh vegetables from the beginning (or frozen vegetables when 20 minutes are left) to add a greater healthy twist to this meal.
• Class it up! Mix 1 pkg Onion Soup mix and 1 small container of soup cream into the Cream of Mushroom Soup. Use chicken broth instead of milk. Quick fry Chicken in a little cooking sherry (or butter and chicken broth) with Basil and Parsley, in addition to the other seasonings. Outside of chicken should be browned. If inside of chicken is not cooked through, it will finish cooking in oven. Put chicken in a buttered casserole dish, cover with soup mixture. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with (or over) Wild Rice.
  

This meal really takes you about 3 minutes to prepare, especially if you are using box mashed potatoes or minute rice. Serve with steamed broccoli or carrots...or add salad to bring some crunch and color.

This meal gives you amazingly moist, seasoned chicken. I cannot explain how happy I was to try this recipe.

Got your own quick baked chicken dinners? Share your comments and recipes below.

Fast and Easy Chicken Rotel

Chicken Rotel
6-12 oz pasta, cooked
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 - 1.5 lbs cooked chicken, in bite sized pieces
8 oz Velveeta, cubed

Mix all ingredients. Heat until all Velveeta is melted and mixture is creamy and heated through.

Variations

• 
  
  Buy Tyson trimmed and ready boneless, skinless chicken strips for a quick cooking chicken. I throw them in a pan with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then cover with Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 5-10 minutes. Then cut into bite size pieces. This method works for any boneless, skinless chicken but the time will vary based on the size of your chicken
• 
  
  Use your left over chicken from last night OR boil a whole chicken, covered, for about 40 minutes instead of the method above.
• 
  
  Don't like Chicken? This recipe is good without it.
• 
  
  Boil your noodles in chicken broth instead of water for that homemade, took all day flavor.
• 
  
  Rotel Tomatoes too spicy? Leave 'em out! Don't use any tomatoes...or try a different flavor. Italian tomatoes are different and yummy in this.
• 
  
  Cream of Mushroom Soup can be used instead of Cream of Chicken Soup. Healthy Choice soups are "soupier" than regular soups.
• Want to really blow people's minds? Cook the chicken and pasta, then pour everything into a casserole dish and bake at 350 until bubbly (about 20 minutes). They'll think you boiled the chicken for 40 minutes, too. Heck, if your baking a casserole, you probably did boil the whole chicken.
  

Hamburger with Gravy

Hamburger with Gravy
1 - 1.5 lbs of ground hamburger (or ground chuck)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Worcester's Sauce
Garlic salt (or Garlic powder), to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Fry hamburger, like if you were frying for spaghetti or taco meat. After meat is fully cooked and drained, add soup. If soup is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin. Season with Garlic, salt, and pepper. Add Worcester's sauce, about 1 turn around the pan. Stir everything together and heat until warmed through.

Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or toasted bread.  Turn it into Beef Stroganoff by serving over wide Egg Noodles.

Variations

• I got this idea from my favorite homemade burgers. You don't have to crumble the hamburger meat. Crumbling the meat is just faster. This recipe is just as great if you add the salt, garlic, and Worcester to the meat and then form into patties. Serve with gravy on thick, toasted buns.
  
• Going for burgers instead of the meat with gravy? Add some steak fries on the side.
  
• Brown Gravy is a yummy substitution. Try frying some onions with garlic and butter, then adding the meat and then the brown gravy. Heaven!
• Mushroom Gravy could also be used instead of cream of mushroom soup.
  
• Many soups have MSG. Look for a soup that doesn't include this ingredient, like Healthy Choice soups. Just remember to add salt and pepper for your tastes.

This meal really takes about 10 minutes, especially if you are using box mashed potatoes or toasted bread. Serve with broccoli, carrots, or a salad to add some crunch and color.

Without significant sides, this only serves 2-3 people. With sides, you can comfortably feed 4 or more.

Got your own quick hamburger dinners? Share your comments and recipes below.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

(Beyond Easy) Easy Chicken and Dumplings
1 - 2 cans Chicken Broth  OR 1 can Chicken Broth, 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can cooked chicken
1 can biscuits
1 - 2 Tablespoons butter
Pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil. While waiting, open and drain chicken. Open canned biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters or strips. Add butter, biscuit pieces, and chicken to broth. Pepper to taste. Boil for 10 - 15 minutes. Dumplings will be ready when biscuits are "done" on the inside (they will look bread-y).


The starch from the "dumplings" will make the broth thick.

Edit:
To keep the chicken from sticking and burning to the bottom of your pot, put in the biscuits first and then put the can of chicken on top. The chicken will hold the biscuits down and will eat up from the cooking biscuits.

Also, covering speeds up the process. And, do not touch the pot once it's covered. I used to have to stir several times as this cooked, to keep the chicken from sticking, but then I found the gem of advice above that I have passed on to you guys.

Variations

• Hate canned chicken? Reminds you of tuna? Use your left over chicken from last night or boil up some boneless, skinless chicken breast/strips in about 15 minutes and then cut into chunks. OR boil a whole chicken, covered, for about 40 minutes.
  
• Use cream of chicken soup and 3/4 c water instead of chicken broth for really thick dumplings. Some people even just use milk and flour for the sauce.
  
• No biscuits? No problem. Use a box of lasagna. No noodles? Use 1 package of tortillas. Just cut the tortillas into strips and drop into the boiling chicken broth. Once their soft, they are ready to eat.
• For a SUPER fast dumplings, heat your favorite soup to boiling and drop in quartered biscuits; cover and let simmer/boil for about 10 minutes. Vegetable soup with Chicken lends itself to this. For me, though, this is not really Chicken and Dumplings....but it is good eats.
  

I really like this recipe because it's really easy and really fast. This is another one of those comfort foods. I always use plenty of pepper for flavor and serve with green beans or peas and carrots.

Have your own Chicken and dumplings recipe? Are your dumplings more noodle than dumpling? Do you know a quick and easy "handmade" dumpling recipe? Leave some comments.

Super Easy Chili

Mom's Easy Chili
1 - 1.5 lbs ground hamburger
1 can kidney beans
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can crushed (or diced) tomatoes
Chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
rice, optional
sour cream, optional
cheese, optional

Fry hamburger meat and drain. Drain beans and add to meat. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Add chili powder -- I usually sprinkle the whole top of the mixture with chili powder, then stir, and repeat. Heat through. Serve with rice, sour cream, and cheese.

Variations

• Why use hamburger meat? Use ground turkey or sausage. Go meatless. It your super easy chili, eat it how you like it.
• Kidney beans are traditional but in no way the only chili bean. Pinto beans work well. Ranch style beans (pre-seasoned pinto beans) add a little extra something. Use a combination of beans or no beans at all.
• Feel free to throw whatever is in your pantry into your chili. Got some leftover fried potatoes? Need to use up some plain macaroni? Really love corn?
  
• Use Rotel tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes for some real kick.
• Leave out one or both cans of tomato sauce for a thicker chili.
• Serve your chili over mashed potatoes instead of rice to switch it up a bit.
  

I really like this recipe because it's really easy and really fast. Chili is so easy to change up that it is a staple food in the winter AND it really tastes better the second day, so there's always a reason to make extra.

Love it? Hate it? Got your own variation? Post your thoughts.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I'm having to follow this strict diet for a month to see what foods trigger my migraines. I'll share the list at a later date...let just say that it takes all the fun out of food.

So, I've had to update several of my favorite recipes to fit the diet restrictions. Then we add that I hate taking more than 45 minutes to make a meal. I'm only cooking for 2 and most nights I have a headache, so I don't want to stand over a stove and handle hot and/or sharp objects.

I've decided to share the recipes that I update so that others can enjoy them too. Tonight, I'm sharing a comfort food staple. This recipe will feed 4-6 people.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

• 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
• 8 oz (1 box) macaroni noodles
• 1.5 cups of of milk
• 4 - 8 oz Velveeta cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook noodles according to box. Cube Velveeta. Add soup, milk, and cheese to drained noodles. Heat through (until cheese is melted). Serve with favorite vegetable for a quick meal.
Can be cooked by stove top, microwave, or oven.

Now my favorite part.

Substitutions/Variations

• Many soups have MSG. Look for a soup that doesn't include this ingredient, like Campbell's Healthy Request soups. Just remember to add salt and pepper for your tastes. Also,  these soups are sometimes "soupier" than the original.  Adjust liquids to compensate.
• No Cream of Mushroom? Use Cream of Chicken. In a pinch Cheese soup will work.
• If you don't have tuna (or don't like it), use chicken instead.
• Feel free to substitute any type of noodle for macaroni, like shells or broken spaghetti. Egg noodles are especially good for Tuna Casseroles.
• No Velveeta? Use American cheese slices (about 8). Or use half Velveeta and half American cheese. If you can eat aged cheeses, experiment with your favorite cheeses.
• If you like a crunchy topping, try crumbled buttery crackers (like Ritz) or French fried onions.
• Need a veggie?  Throw in some frozen peas when you add the cheese or add canned peas just before everything is finished.  Green beans are also accompany this really well.
• Use low carb or gluten-free pasta, low fat/low sodium soup, low fat Velveeta, 1-2% milk, and tuna packed in water for a healthier version of this dish.

I love this meal because it's really easy to prepare and super fast to cook. In a pinch, add a can of green beans or open a bag of salad, and you have a complete meal. I also love that it can be made in a healthier way. Personally, I use Healthy Choice soup (then add salt), 2% milk, full fat Velveeta, and Tuna in water....I guess I'm splitting the difference.

Edit:
After months and months of cooking this, I've figured out that you don't need the milk unless your casserole is thick. Also, a couple of drops of Worcestershire mixed in with the cheese is yummy!
Got your own quick Tuna Casserole Recipe? Feel free to share!