Friday

Skillet tuna noodle casserole (recipe in the comments)
Asparagus

Hot tea
Shortbread
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We saved this recipe for tonight this week as it seemed like a quintessential Lenten Friday meal. I happen to love tuna noodle casserole, but have never found a recipe that has enough kick for my adult tastes. Don't get me wrong - I'm not looking for this to be spicy, just more than tuna, noodles, peas, and cream of mushroom soup. We started with an Eating Well recipe that didn't include canned soup and altered it considerably to suit our tastes. I think I have previously fessed up to my dislike of mushrooms and they were a star ingredient in the original. We added spinach to the finish instead for bulk, color, and a bit of protein (not to mention an extra serving of leafy greens for the week!). Borrowing from a skillet turkey tetrazzini recipe we have, we added pimentos for a bit of flavor, yet more color, and added sauce thickening. Our end result was very good and we think with a bit more tweaking, it'll be the tuna noodle casserole we have been seeking! Our recipe (with a few additional suggestions) is the one posted. Let me know if you try it, as I'd love feedback!

NOTE: To make this the way we did you need a very large oven proof skillet. If you don't have an ovenproof skillet, you could make it without broiling the top and I think it would be fine. If you don't have a very large skillet, make it in a large Dutch oven.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Onion, cheese
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: There is a make ahead preparation listed at the end of the recipe, but you do need to bake it for 65 minutes just before serving.

Reaction
J: "This could be it."
M: "Shows promise as a grown up nuna and toodles."