Tuna Helper
By mandywilks
@mandywilks (191)
9 responses
@Toadsticker (246)
• United States
1 Jan 11
You can buy it in a box from the store under the name tuna helper.
but
There is a homemade version that we around here call tuna helper also.
It is
-one can of tuna
-one can of peas
-one can of cream of mushroom soup
mix together with a bag of cooked egg noodles
This is the basic recipe but you can change it up depending what you have around the house.
@mandywilks (191)
•
1 Jan 11
IThanks a lot, I think I will try that as all those ingredients (if I use the low fat soup) would be great for my diet!!!
I may start a new trend in the UK who knows!!!!
@Toadsticker (246)
• United States
1 Jan 11
You may want to add i little milk or water when you mix them all together depending on how well you drained your noodles.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
2 Jan 11
Basically it's a quick and fairly easy side dish or meal if you make a couple boxes of it. Personally we do not care for it in our house. Really to make say the Tuna Helper you mentioned all you need is 1-2 boxes of mac'n cheese, a can of tuna & some peas. I don't really think it's worth the money or all the marketing on this product.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
2 Jan 11
I don't buy the Kraft brand at all. I buy what they sell @ aldi's wich is usually .35 a box so I could get 4 boxes for what you'd pay for one Kraft box on sale here. And one box would not fill my family it takes 2 or more.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
2 Jan 11
We actually eat these frequently.. Tuna Helper, Chicken Helper, and Hamburger Helper. My husband does not like tuna, so sometimes I will buy tuna helper but use chicken instead. I use ground turkey instead of ground beef because it's healthier and lower in fat. I know a lot of people say it's not worth the money.. but I think for most of them I cannot recreate those flavors! Some are simple enough, yeah, just mac n cheese with beef or pasta and sauce with beef.. but others, like the Philly Cheese Steak, or the newer ones like Lemon Herb and Honey Mustard.. I can't recreate those! Plus they're only $1.50 a box at Walmart (good Kraft Mac n Cheese is the same price almost, and a box of pasta and jar of sauce would cost more than that), and I almost always find a coupon for them, and it's easy requiring very few steps!
@mandywilks (191)
•
5 Jan 11
I think I can say with almost 100% accuracy thet we doin't have any at all here, but I shall try the home made version
@GardenGerty (157562)
• United States
1 Jan 11
Tuna helper is the commercial name for a boxed dinner that you add tuna to for a main dish. Usually it has rice or pasta, and a sauce, possibly a few vegetables. We do not eat pasta at my house, the rice ones are okay, but I had just as soon make my own meal. Cook some rice, add the tuna, possibly some vegetables and some sauce like an Alfredo sauce or a can or creamed soup. There are also Hamburger Helper and Chicken Helper, but as you can see, you can do the same without buying the product.
@mandywilks (191)
•
5 Jan 11
This is all very interesting, amazing the differences between the two countries.
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
4 Jan 11
it's basically a "food kit" you add canned tuna to.
noodles and a powdered sauce.
i usually dress it up the rare occasion i buy it by adding a few other things like peas,chopped onion,or whatever.it's supposed to feed a family(one meal),but without adding anything,i'd really get more than one box.
it's really not that bad,but some people don't care for it.
@mandywilks (191)
•
5 Jan 11
Sounds as if Tuna Helper is a bit like Marmite - you either love it or hate it!!
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
1 Jan 11
It is a brand packaged food product of boxed pasta bundled with packets of powdered sauce/seasonings. You mix them with tuna, water and milk to make a complete meal. You can make your own with the tuna, cooked pasta, seasoning and a white sauce. It is considered 'convenience' food when bought as boxed. But making your own is about a quick and tastes better since you add your own preferred seasonings.
@mandywilks (191)
•
1 Jan 11
A little like the boxed macaroni cheese mixtures then?
This is something we don't have here in the Uk (or as far as I am aware) thank you very much for your response.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
2 Jan 11
Pretty much that is exactly what it is. You get (in one box) the pasta/noodles and a seasoning packet. THen you add fresh tuna or chicken or beef..whatever meat it is for and just mix it all up and serve like you would a casserole.
I don't care for tuna, bu I have tried the beef ones and they are pretty good considering. I used to think that they were so expensive when I had 2 kids... I always did it all "myself"..buying the noodles, the seasoning mix the meat...but now as I only cook for 2...I compared ingredients..price and nutrition...and believe it or not...except for some extra salt in the box mixes..they are pretty much the same. Both use 1 pound of your choice of fresh meat that you cook yourself. The seasoning mix that comes with it would be about the same in price and ingredients as those Lawrys or McCormick/Shilling mixes you buy seperate. And enough noodles (they do rice too!) for four in the box or I buy a full pound of noodles and just use enough for 4 and stock the rest away for next time...same price...same taste...same ingredients...same nutrition.
So those that think that the box version is not as good price wise or nutrition wise...check it out again. They are so close to the same and if you are only cooking for up to 4...it is a better way to go.
@macdingolinger (10386)
• United States
2 Jan 11
I used to use it all the time! I don't use so much of the prepared stuff anymore btu it was good! It's basically a box meal that you cook but just have to add tuna to it. It's like a hot casserole or something like that. They are good (just too much salt for my diet!)
@mandywilks (191)
•
5 Jan 11
So Helper is like the trade name and home made recipes have been adapted from it!
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
1 Jan 11
I had no idea what this is, so I had to research it!
It is, apparently, using tuna to 'help out' other meals, for example, 'mac and cheese'. Here is a recipe: http://www.ehow.com/how_2311211_homemade-tuna-helper.html
I think it can also apply to a mixture of tuna with mayonnaise, egg or other things to make a sandwich filling or a topping for baked potato.
@mandywilks (191)
•
1 Jan 11
AH - so the 'helper' is just a way of eeking out other foods!!
Interesting, thank you!
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
4 Jan 11
Tuna Helper is a packaged food that you can buy at the store. It has everything in it except the tuna and you just add the tuna and cook it. I don't eat tuna so I have never bought it before. They also make hamburger helper and chicken helper. I've bought the hamburger and chicken helper before but I don't buy them often cause there is a lot of sodium in it.
@jerzgirl (9234)
• United States
2 Jan 11
Tuna Helper is a premixed combination of ingredients that only needs to have tuna fish and water added to become a casserole for dinner. There are a variety of flavor options (although not as many as for hamburger) that include cream sauce, pasta and veggies; cheese sauce, pasta and vegies, etc. You can buy them at this site: http://www.americansweets.co.uk/hamburger-helper-products-199-c.asp. But, you can also search online for homemade "helper" recipes that you can do without the boxed ingredients, but you'd have to do your own measuring. There was a time maybe 50 or so years ago when tuna casserole was a standard thing for new brides to learn and offer to their spouses because it was cheap and easy. Most cookbooks contained a recipe for it. With the Helper boxes, you don't need a recipe and can even add to them to create your own ideas.
