Everything But The Kitchen Sink: Tuna and Rice Casserole

Tuna casserole the entered the homes of Americans nationwide in the 1950's, along with an array of other casseroles. It was cheap to make, fast to bake, and froze well; lending itself to frozen dinner manufacturers such as Stoufer's, Swanson, and Banquet.

Over the years, I have had my share of tuna casserole, never one to decline because I personally like the dish. It has pasta, tuna, maybe some pearl onions and peas, creamy sauce, cheese, and most likely a crunchy topping. What's not to love?
However, I do believe it can easily, oh, how can I say it... get screwed up. Noodles cooked too long (or not at all), soggy tuna, the rancid taste of frozen veggies gone bad, a less than pleasing waxy coating on the roof of your mouth due to a very wrong butter to flour to milk ratio if one decides to make their own bechamel sauce. Yet, I march on and keep eating, in the hopes of finding rich, yummy versions of the comfort food that has been baked in the kitchens of millions of Americans for more than half a century.

What I have in the cupboards:
Canned tuna, 5 ounce can (canned chicken would work here, too)
Box of Rice-A-Roni ( 6.9 ounce package)
Cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4 ounce) circa 2010 -still good until 2014! (Cream of anything would work)

Other Ingredients:
Frozen veggie trio
Cheddar cheese (Mozzarella and Parmesan would work as well)
Bread Crumbs (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 leek (leftover from Creamy Pea Soup, you can use 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped.

First, prepare the rice according to the directions. DO NOT ADD THE PACKAGE SEASONINGS!

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the can of soup, 1 cup frozen veggies, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1 leek cleaned and minced, and can of tuna, drained, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, dash of nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and curry powder.

Once the rice is cooked, add to the tuna mixture. Pour equal amounts into 4 individual buttered baking dishes. Top the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.