Rethink Tuna Casserole By Turning It Into A Pot Pie

Tuna casserole is down-home comfort food at its best. A delectable blend of starch, protein, and plenty of umami flavor, you don't need much outside of a few staple pantry items — cans of tuna, condensed soup, and pasta — to create a memorable dinner. Still, this delicious formula translates well to more than just the humdrum casserole format. For instance, imagine taking that rich tuna, veggie, and sauce combo and adding a flaky pie crust to the mix, rather than plain Jane pasta.

This is the blueprint for a tuna pot pie. Like the original tuna casserole, there are plenty of canned goods present to make the meal sing, from cream of mushroom soup to a couple of tins of tuna. But in a marked departure from the bland egg noodles that normally punctuate the dish, a crisp, buttery pie crust comes to the rescue. Plenty can go into this bubbling mix, like green beans and carrots, as well as spinach and peas. Basically, with tuna as your protein and condensed soup as your makeshift sauce, you can pack anything you desire into this catchall pie. So how should you go about transforming a traditional tuna casserole into a revamped pot pie?

First, begin with any traditional tuna casserole recipe you like. Much of this base recipe you can keep, like the tuna, vegetables, and sauce element. The only part you don't need to keep is the starch, whether it's rice or pasta. If this mixture looks a bit dry, consider adding an extra can of condensed soup. Cream of mushroom, celery, or onion all work well in this instance. Sour cream or yogurt would also work in a pinch.

If you have any other odds and ends you'd like to add in, like wilting herbs and greens or leftover roast potatoes, feel free to toss them into the mix. The only new piece of this dish is the pie crust topping. For this, you can make your own rough puff topping or purchase a store-bought version, whichever you prefer. The point is to pair the creamy interior of a tuna casserole with a luxe pot pie crust. After you make this and take one bite, you'll understand why this combination is such a winning idea.