an hour and thirty minute meal for in-laws

After almost two months, am back with a few stories to tell.

We had hosted a few dinners in our little home, with the most recent one an exercise in innovation and speed as I only had an hour and a half to prepare. My hubby's parents, aunt and uncle came from Tagaytay and thought of passing by Makati. We invited them over for dinner and then made a quick mental scan of what we have in our cupboard, freezer and ref.

Had tuna and spaghetti in the cupboard, shrimp and chicken breast fillet in the freezer, some greens, green apple, and ceasar salad dressing. These became the building blocks of the 2 courses I prepared - salad and pasta. In the object of time and just making sure that we will serve something edible, we decided to order chicken from KFC. Dessert was a chocolate cake from Rustan's Supermarket, which I will talk about in my next post.

The salad and pasta were a hit. My hubby's aunt loved the pasta so much she asked for the recipe so she could prepare this dish when they go back home to Toronto.

Jotting down the recipe, I had to call it something. I came up with 'Tuna and Shrimp Pasta Casserole'. The basic recipe is from Irene, a friend from the office. She gladly shared with us her recipe for her easy to make but very tasty No Meat Fettuccine from her Lutong Tamad Series. Let me then share with you my version:

Tuna & Shrimp Pasta Casserole

3 big onions (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 cans cream of asparagus soup (or cream of mushroom)
250 – 500 grams of tuna (chunks in brine)
250 grams of shrimp (peel deveined)
2 small cans/boxes/pouches of tomato sauce
Olive oil for sautéing
1 small box of quick melt cheese (grated)
Dried ground basil/ coarsely chopped fresh basil (optional)
500 grams pasta (linguine/ spaghetti/ fettucini)
1 piece chicken bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta.
Saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil. Add tuna and chicken bouillon. Continue sautéing until bouillon melts. Add shrimp. Add tomato sauce when shrimp starts to turn pink. Bring to a boil. Add cream of asparagus soup. Season with salt (the bouillon is supposed to take care of the salty taste but add salt to taste) and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until mixture boils.

Mix sauce and drained pasta. Arrange in a casserole. Top with extra sauce. Spread grated cheese on top. Cover entire dish with cheese. Sprinkle a bit of dried ground basil or chopped fresh basil.

Cover dish and pop it in a microwave for about a minute on high or until cheese melts.

Or cover with foil and bake in a regular oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese melts and brown a little.


Will share with you the salad recipe on my next post.

Happy cooking and eating (while I am on a strict diet this week).