Give Tuna Noodle Casserole A Punch Of Flavor With One Shrimp Swap

Tuna noodle casserole is a classic dish that's included in many households' regular dinner rotations. This comfort food staple can be made simply and quickly, like the '70s-style version using canned soup, or it can be more of a labor of love, like with our cheesy deluxe tuna noodle casserole recipe. According to home cooking expert Tara Bench, the cookbook author and blogger behind Tara Teaspoon, if you're putting in the time to make a from-scratch version of tuna noodle casserole, an easy way to punch up the flavor is to use shrimp stock in the liquid base.

"Adding shrimp stock to a tuna casserole takes it up a notch! It will taste more intentionally seafood-forward, and add depth and a touch of sweetness," Bench explains. "To add shrimp stock, or any broth to a tuna noodle casserole I'd use it to replace half of the milk or chicken broth I'm already using. Typically you'll make a creamy sauce base starting with a butter and flour roux, so incorporating flavorful shrimp broth in place of some of the other liquid will keep it creamy but seafood-forward." If you're wondering where to get shrimp stock, we have a suggestion.

Instead of throwing away your shrimp shells after making a spicy shrimp scampi, save them to make shrimp stock and throw it in the freezer to have on hand for your next batch of tuna noodle casserole. It's as easy as throwing aromatics and shrimp shells into a stock pot and letting them simmer.

Alternatively, you typically can purchase shrimp stock from your local fishmonger. Or, in a pinch, you can purchase dried bouillon cubes and make it that way. Have another kind of seafood stock on hand? You could always use that instead. Most seafood stock is made with a combination of fish bones and shellfish shells, and would still give additional seafood flavor to your tuna noodle casserole. As Bench puts it, "If you're looking to elevate the classic comfort food casserole, shrimp stock really elevates it from the standard pantry-staple meal."