Tuna Noodle Casserole (cheat version)

One time a few years back I was in a hurry to fix dinner. My daughter and niece were hungry and I didn't take the time to add bread crumbs and bake the tuna noodle casserole like you are supposed to do. I layered noodles, peas, tuna and cheese and zapped it in the microwave.

They loved it! They raved about it.

I have fixed it that way ever since.

The above dish has mushrooms added to it. Not my daughter's favorite, but I liked it just fine.

So, just cook the noodles as the package instructs. Layer noodles, peas, tuna and cheese. I use sweet baby peas and Velveeta cheese. The above dish has regular tuna (usually I use the albacore or chunk white) packed in water. I use Light 'n Fluffy extra wide egg noodles. I butter the casserole dish and sometimes add pats of butter in the layers. Sometimes I add a little milk so it is not dry. It usually is not dry.

Come to find out the girls hated it when the noodles get hard and crunchy. I don't like it baked anymore and I never did like the bread crumbs either.

This recipe is really quick. Ten minutes to boil the noodles, five minutes to layer and five minutes in the microwave. I open the cans of tuna and peas while the noodles are boiling and slice the cheese. I also butter the casserole dish while waiting for the noodles.

It is creamy and it is rich.