CREAMY ALFREDO TUNA BAKE FREEZER MEAL!!

Nothing says comfort like a delicious casserole. This creamy alfredo tuna bake is a great way to have a delicious comfort food meal and make an extra to store in the freezer for another night. Prepping freezer meals does not have to be a marathon cooking session! It just means making an extra meal's worth when making your evening dinner or menu plan. Today I am making two of these. One for dinner and one for the freezer. It's that easy! When you plan ahead, you can get things done!

This creamy alfredo tuna bake is something I actually created out of an evening where I had no idea what to make for dinner and had not thawed out any meat and went to the pantry to see what I could create. I started with a noodle mix but changed up the pasta, only using the sauce packet. Threw in some canned tuna, mushrooms and parmesan cheese. Then I wondered how I could make this even more delicious and that is where the toasted buttered breadcrumb topping came in. The first time I made this in a skillet on top of the stove. The second time I turned it into a baked casserole and used the alfredo sauce as a base and it is what we are sharing today.

Note that one of these casseroles fed my family of four two main meals. So this easily serves 8 people a generous amount along with a side of fresh salad or steamed veggies and a biscuit or bread if that is what you like. We usually just have the casserole and some veggies and it is perfect for us.

This starts with 12 ounces or almost an entire box of rotini pasta cooked for 8 minutes then drained. I usually use the pasta pot to build the sauce and then mix everything up. I start this with a jar of alfredo sauce. Some milk, canned mushrooms with their liquid, some parmesan cheese and a good amount of Italian cheese blend. I use canned albacore tuna in water and recommend that using the water packed variety and not the oil packed for this casserole. This all gets mixed up. I like to break up the tuna so it is not to mushy. Nice chunks are preferred here. Then the noodles are tossed in and everything is mixed well and poured into a 9 x 13 casserole or foil pan.

Next comes the magic. The buttered breadcrumb topping really elevates this to a new level. This buttered breadcrumb seems so simple, but it really does amazing things for casseroles and even just steamed veggies. My grandmother used these often. They are even amazing tossed in with buttered noodles! Thats some good German engineering in the kitchen right there! I used a mixture of both regular and panko Italian seasoned breadcrumb but you can use what you have on hand. Dry breadcrumb is the best bet here. Toss the crumbs in some melted butter and toss over medium heat until toasted and lightly brown and they have attained a toasty aroma. Then sprinkle over the top of your casserole.

Now is when you decide. Will you bake this to eat now or freeze to eat later. If baking now, just pop in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. If freezing for later, simply layer some parchment on top of the casserole and cover with either a foil lid that fits the pan or tightly seal with two layers of aluminum foil. Be sure to label and write the heating instructions on top of the pan. Sometimes, if I have them on hand, I enjoy putting the wrapped casserole into a 2 gallon zip lock bag for longer storage success. If using the bag, your casserole will remain fresh in the freezer for up to six months. Without it will last for three.

To prepare after freezing you would simply pop the frozen casserole into a 450 degree oven for 1 hour. Then remove the foil lid and parchment and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Be sure the center is hot and the edges are bubbly. Then you are ready to enjoy!

Of course you can make these up into smaller portions to suit your needs. I would probably make this double batch into 4 8x8 casseroles next time and have them fresh baked each time. Although this is delicious reheated in a warm oven there is nothing like eating this fresh baked.

I hope you learned a thing or two about freezer banking on the fly! I hope you give this a try and I hope you love it!

Happy eating!

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