The Pastabilities are Endless

Pasta, pasta salads, and pasta casseroles - from greek pasta salad to pasta pizza casserole – the possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can do with pasta in the kitchen. Enough said, let's get busy!

I would like to share a favourite of mine, as well as some simple substitutions that can be made to turn the dish around. You might even gain your own ideas for substitutions as we go along.

What I am starting with is a tuna pasta salad, which I will guide toward turning this dish into a tuna pasta bake, as well as toward a traditional pasta salad and a vinaigrette pasta salad.

The Recipes

Ingredients (Tuna Pasta Salad):
pasta noodles, of choice
white onion, diced
celery, chopped
one can white chunk tuna in water, drained
Hellmann’s mayonnaise
salt, to taste
lemon pepper, to taste
oregano, to taste

In a saucepan, boil your pasta noodles, adding salt to the water. Cook el dente, and drain. Allow your noodles to cool, you can hurry this process by running them under cool water, or by putting them in the refrigerator momentarily. Once your noodles have cooled, add your onions, celery, and tuna, mixing well. Mix in Hellmann’s mayonnaise and add salt, lemon pepper, and oregano to taste. Lemon pepper is my not-so-secret ingredient that gives this dish a beautiful taste. You can never go wrong when pairing seafood and lemon flavours.

Turn your tuna pasta salad into a tuna pasta bake by substituting the mayonnaise for one can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and milk, enough so that your pasta will not dry out as it bakes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and place in an oven-safe casserole dish. Mix in cheeses if desired, and top with bread crumbs (or I have even heard of people using potato chips), and bake until thickens and topping is browned.

Note: Accordingly,
you will not need to cool your noodles, and your noodles should be cooked a little less than el dente as they will continue to cook in the oven. Lemon pepper may also be substituted for a regular black pepper when making your cooked version.

Turn your tuna pasta salad into a traditional pasta salad by substituting the tuna with sliced red peppers and carrots.

Turn your traditional pasta salad into a vinaigrette pasta salad by substituting the mayonnaise for oil and vinegar, of your choice.

One thing you should not feel with all these substitutions, is confused. There are so many combinations that you can never truly go wrong,

Haley