Salmon Pasta Casserole

Salmon Pasta Casserole

I was inspired to make my pasta casserole after the dinner at Ma Maison. I used to make tuna noodle casserole very often when in Canada. It is such a simple recipe and yet it can fill the tummy very well. A one-dish meal. Actually most of the food I cooked in Canada is of the "one dish meal" kind as I lived alone for some of the years, and friends are not that nearby.

Digging through the larder, I managed to find only 1 can of tuna, but alas it is with oil, not what I wanted. The tuna I usually buy are in either chunks or flakes (I prefer flakes) in water. Lucky the salmon steak was already being defrosted so I substitued the tuna with salmon for the dish.

Close up of the casserole

So what is in today's casserole? I like to cook, based on whatever is available in the fridge. As I rarely cook, so I don't do the grocery, unless I know I am cooking. Today, I found the rest of the baby carrots so that went into the pot. Plus peas and corn nibblets. Red onion. Can of chicken mushroon soup and milk. Dumped everything together and put into the oven to bake. Topped with crushed crackers. I didn't add cheese topping as I didn't have mozzerella cheese and brie doesn't seem right. But I added a herbed cream cheese in it.

Recipe (you can always modify it)

Ingredients:
pasta (any kind, I prefer fusili) - enough to fill a casserole dish
1 can of chicken mushroom soup (I prefer campbellis) or any other cream soup
frozen peas and corns
onion, sliced and chopped
butter
milk
salmon (or tuna)

Method:
1. Boil water in pot and when boiling, add pasta to cook. Add carrots to soften them.

2. Melt butter in pan and sauteed the onion (usually I don't but since I am using red onion, it tastes better when cooked), then add the peas and corns to cook. Place in casserole dish when done.

3. Flake the salmon (it was defrosted in microwave, so it was partially cooked) and add to casserole dish.

4. Add the can of soup into the casserole and stir to mix them well.

5. Chop the carrots when cooked and add that and pasta to the casserole dish. Mix them all up, and add black pepper.

6. Pour in the milk, just enough to cover the mixture. Stir well.

7. Sprinkle the crushed crackers over it and put into oven to bake. I set it at 160C for 10mins.

Voila, it's done!