What Is a Tuna Pie?

Tuna pie is a baked dish that is made with a pastry crust and a filling that contains tuna in a creamy sauce. The crust is generally made out of pastry dough but can be constructed in several different ways. The base of the filling is a creamy sauce which is mixed with the tuna along with a variety of other ingredients. Tuna pie is popular in many communities as a comfort food that can be served for a large group gatherings. The recipe can also be adjusted to make the dish kosher.

Similar to a pot pie or quiche, tuna pie is a mixture of ingredients that is surrounded by some form of crust. The crust can be a very simple, pre-made pastry crust, or a homemade version of the same thing. Cheese rolls, puff pastry dough, a crumbly mixture made with potato flakes or french-fried onions, or a rice mixture can also be used for the crust. Sometimes the pie has a bottom crust as well as a top crust. In other versions, the tuna mixture is poured directly into a baking dish with only a top crust.

The inside of tuna pie is a creamy mixture that features tuna and vegetables and often contains butter, milk, and cream. Some recipes may call for other ingredients such as eggs, gravy, or flour to form the base. For a simpler recipe, a canned soup like cream of mushroom can be used. Different seasonings and herbs are often added, depending on the recipe used and the cook's personal taste. Vegetables are usually added, and some recipes call for more interesting additions like bell pepper, onion, and lemon juice to add more flavors to the mix.

Many people view tuna pie as a warm comfort food that falls into the category of casseroles and comforting baked dishes. Families enjoy using it as an easy go-to dinner that provides the whole family with a warm and filling meal that doesn't take a lot of time or preparation. In some communities, it is very popular for group gatherings because it is easy to make enough to serve a lot of people and the ingredients appeal to many different tastes. The most common tuna pie recipes can easily be made into a kosher dish which usually involves using yogurt as one of the ingredients for the filling.