Tuna Casserole

My family grew up with a few regular dishes that Mom used to fix all the time, including a rather mediocre tuna casserole.  At the time, we ate it and didn't complain, but the thought of it now, makes most of us lose our appetites. (Sorry, Mom!  We still love and appreciate you.) Several years ago, a coworker shared her recipe with me, and I've made a few changes to it and fed it to my family dozens of times since. It might turn out that some day my kids will feel the same and joke about it, but in the meantime, I'll share it with the world.  It's pretty tasty to me, and very convenient since I usually have most of the ingredients on hand.

Baked Tuna Pasta Casserole with mixed vegetables

• 3 cups (8 ounces) uncooked rotini pasta
• 12 ounce can of tuna, drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or 1 teaspoon curry seasoning)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or any similar texture cheese, Gouda, pepper jack, etc.)
• 1 cup crushed potato chips
• 1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Boil water, and cook pasta. Turn off heat, then dump in the frozen vegetables to defrost in the hot water. Drain the pasta and vegetables, and transfer into a large bowl to mix with the remaining ingredients, except for the potato chips and almonds for topping. Spoon everything into a 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish, then top with the crushed chips and almonds. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.