TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE FREEZER MEAL

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE FREEZER MEAL | Large Family Recipes

Jamerrill Stewart

Classic, simple, and easy homemade Tuna Noodle Casserole - perfect for now or as freezer meals for later.

2 1/2 cups of Tuna "Juice" The drained liquid from cans of tuna. I drained 80 oz of Tuna for this recipe.
7 cups of chicken broth
Optional 4 cups of water (I like to stretch things. As I mentioned in this video I wanted to make a full pot.)
3 cups of butter
2 cups of flour
1-5 oz can of Tuna Meat

80 oz of Tuna
Homemade Cream of Tuna Recipe or 4 Family Size Cans of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 - 16 oz boxes of Ziti Noodles
5 cans of sliced carrots
5 cans of peas
4 cups of preferred shredded cheese Cheddar, Mozzarella, Colby blend, or cheese of your choice

Melt 3 cups of butter over medium heat in sauce pan, stirring constantly.
Quickly add in 2 1/2 cups of Tuna "Juice" and 7 cups of chicken broth, then 2 cup flour
Stir constantly for 3-5 minutes
Stir in one 5 oz can of Tuna Meat
*At this point in my freezer cooking video I added in 4 cups of water to stretch my Cream of Tuna further. You can go for this step or omit it. I wanted my Cream of Tuna a little thinner so I could stretch it for as many casseroles as possible. *
At the end of the 3-5 minutes, you’ll have a Cream of Tuna that’s perfect for Tuna Noodle Casserole!

NOODLES
Cook noodles according to directions on package.
After draining noodles rinse with cool water to prevent further cooking.
CONSTRUCTING TUNA NOODLE FREEZER MEALS
Set out 4 to 5 9x13 baking pans.
In large stock pot or huge mixing bowl gently stir together homemade Cream of Tuna sauce, remaining 75 oz of drained tuna, 5 cans of drained sliced carrots, 5 cans of drained peas, and 4 lbs of drained cooked noodles. Fill each 9x13 baking pan approximately 3/4 full of Tuna Noodle mixture. Top each 9x13 pan with one cup of shredded cheese of your choice or additional topping.

Allow your meals to cool completely before placing in the freezer.
Wrap each 9x13 pan with two layers of foil.
Label the top of each pan with recipe name and date.
Wrap each 9x13 pan with a layer of plastic wrap.
Set each pan to freeze in the freezer. Do not stack the pans on top of one another until each pan is individually frozen.

Set the desired pans of Tuna Noodle out in the refrigerator the evening before you'd like to serve.
Preheat your oven to 375 (oven times may vary).
Remove plastic wrap and one layer of foil.
Place Tuna Noodle in preheated oven for 1 hour or until bubbly and hot. Remove last layer of foil and allow to cook for 10 additional minutes.
Allow your hot Tuna Noodle to slightly cool on counter for 5-10 minutes before serving.

If cooking your Tuna Noodle from completely frozen (this happens in real life :), remove plastic wrap and one layer of foil and place frozen Tuna Noodle in preheated oven at 400 (oven temps may vary). Cook for up to 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until hot and bubbly. Remove last layer of foil and cook uncovered an additional 10 minutes as needed.