Audrey’s Corned Beef and Noodle Casserole

My friend Rich told me about a casserole that his wife, Audrey, used to make for him. Corned beef, noodles and canned soup were the main ingredients he remembered. I was intrigued and asked for the recipe. He found it and delivered a handwritten copy. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost it.

A few weeks ago I searched the Web and found several recipes that sounded like what Rich remembered. I then created a version using some corned beef left over from a St. Patrick’s Day dinner. I showed him the recipe below and gave him a generous sample of my version of Audrey’s casserole.

His report was favorable. The recipe looked familiar and the dish tasted just about like he recalled. “There was more corned beef than I remembered, and I’m not sure about the peas, but it tastes just as good as Audrey’s corned beef and noodle casserole. It’s a go.”

INGREDIENTS:

3 T butter, divided

8 oz. Egg Noodles

2 – 3 cups canned or leftover corned beef

1 cup Cheddar cheese

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1/2 cup onion

2 cups frozen green peas

2 – 3 slices bread

PROCEDURE:

Chop the corned beef into a half-inch dice and finely chop the onion. Soften the peas a little in your microwave. Cut the bread into a quarter-inch dice and melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Preheat the oven to 350º and grease a two-quart baking dish with a tablespoon of the butter. Toss the diced bread with the remaining butter.

Cook the noodles to al dente. While the noodles are cooking, blend the milk and soup together in a larger mixing bowl. Stir the meat, cheese, onion and peas into the liquid.

Drain the noodles and combine them with the other ingredients and spread the mixture in the baking dish. Top the casserole with the bread crumbs and bake about  40 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to cool for two or three minutes before serving.