Tuna Casserole Recipe

Treat yourself to classic comfort food with this creamy casserole. Mom's recipe levels up with a crispy potato chip topping for that perfect blend of flavors and crunch.

Plus, it's a potluck favorite!

Table of Contents

• This was delicious...
• 🗝️ Key takeaways
• 🧾 Creamy tuna casserole ingredients
• 📖 Variations
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🍴 Equipment
• Tuna casserole times and temps
• 🥫How to store leftover tuna casserole
• Expert Tip:
• 💭 Things to know
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs
• 📚 Related recipes
• 🍽️ Serve with...
• 📞 The last word
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

If you use the jump to recipe button be sure to scroll back up for the variations, tips, and side dish suggestions.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• Easy tuna casserole recipe is a classic family dinner that is made with simple pantry ingredients.
• It's quick to make with common pantry ingredients plus you can make it ahead or freeze for later. That makes it perfect for those busy weeknights!
• If you've had trouble with dry casseroles in the past make it extra creamy by using an extra can of cream of mushroom soup and/or baking it in a smaller but deeper casserole dish.

Old-fashioned tuna noodle casserole is classic comfort food that's stood the test of time. The truth is that if you leave the cheese out you can have the ingredients for this nutritious meal stored in the pantry all the time!

Canned evaporated milk, dried milk powder, or non-dairy milk can stand in for fresh milk.

I love these vintage recipes - they're as delicious as they are practical! And, let's be honest - any casserole with potato chips on top is going to be a winner!

This simple casserole is a great option for those busy weekdays!

🧾 Creamy tuna casserole ingredients

Keep these pantry staples on hand so you can whip up my easy tuna noodle casserole recipe any time! It's one of our favorite recipes!

📖 Variations

There are a lot of ways to vary this recipe and substitute for ingredients you don't have or may not want to use.

• Ritz crackers, saltine cracker crumbs, or breadcrumbs in place of the potato chips (I like Panko bread crumbs)
• I love these crispy french fried onions on top
• leave out the cheese
• egg noodles are traditional but you can use any small pasta you like; elbow macaroni, farfalle, etc.
• use Pepper Jack (yum!)
• add ½ cup frozen peas
• for extra creaminess stir ½ cup of sour cream to the soup before adding it to the noodles
• use medium egg noodles
• saute some diced onion and add
• saute some diced bell pepper and add
• add some pimentos
• slice about ¼ cup celery, saute, and add
• cream of celery soup, or any other cream soup you prefer can be used in place of the cream of mushroom soup

Another popular casserole from the 1960s was this Chopstick Tuna Casserole with cashews and chow mein noodles.

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

1. Cook noodles in boiling, salted water. Add the cooked egg noodles, tuna, soup, 1 cup of cheese and milk to a large bowl. (Add in the optional ingredients if using). Mix gently.
2. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Gently spoon tuna mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese then sprinkle with potato chips.

3. Bake this classic tuna noodle casserole recipe for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove the finished casserole from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. This helps everything settle a bit and firm up so it's easier to serve.

🍴 Equipment

• casserole dish
• large pot
• large bowl

Tuna casserole times and temps

Sometimes you need to bake two things at once - here's how to adjust the time and/or temperatures of your casserole! These times are only an estimate.

Be sure to check your casserole often. It's done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when stuck in the middle of the casserole.

Temperature	Time	Time From Frozen
300F	50 minutes	Don't recommend
325F	40 minutes	1 hour 10 minutes
350F	20 minutes	40 minutes
375F	15-18 minutes	Don't recommend
400F	Don't recommend	Don't recommend

🥫How to store leftover tuna casserole

This recipe is very forgiving! Be sure to let it come to room temperature before storing.

Assemble ahead of time

You can assemble this old-fashioned tuna casserole ahead of time (but leave off the potato chips), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a day or two until you are ready to bake.

Store leftovers:

Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap or put leftover tuna casserole in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to reheat tuna casserole:

I usually add a little milk to the casserole to make sure it's not dry. Cover with foil and reheat in a 350F oven. You can also heat individual servings in the microwave in 1-minute increments.

To freeze:

To freeze unbaked: You can freeze unbaked tuna noodle casserole with egg noodles as long as you leave the potato chip topping off of it.

Prepare it through step 7 then let come to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. When you're ready to eat just thaw overnight in the refrigerator, remove the aluminum foil and plastic wrap, add the cheese and potato chips, and bake as directed!

To freeze baked: Cover as above and freeze for up to 3 months. This is the least preferable way to store. Thaw then reheat as above.

💭 Things to know

• Canned tuna packed in oil has more flavor than tuna packed in water. I use albacore tuna.
• Use evaporated milk in this. It makes it creamier.
• Use any kind of milk you like - even non-dairy.
• Cook the noodles al dente because they're going to cook a bit more in the oven. This is especially true if you'll be assembling ahead of time or freezing.
• Use the condensed cream of mushroom soup straight from the can - don't dilute it!
• No need to thaw frozen peas before using them in tuna noodle casserole.
• Use 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup if you like a creamier sauce. I do it this way and it's the best tuna casserole recipe ever! One can is traditional.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

There are plenty of other vintage casserole recipes here on the blog, although the tuna casserole is one of my very favorites!

• Make this homemade white sauce if you prefer not to use cream of mushroom soup.
• We love this easy, old-fashioned chicken and noodles.
• Old-fashioned baked macaroni and cheese is a longtime favorite that's easy to make and always family-friendly.

🍽️ Serve with...

Need more ideas for what to serve with classic tuna casserole?

📞 The last word

Tuna noodle casserole always brings back a lot of memories for me.

My mom didn't put cheese in it but I find that the cheese kind of kills any "fishy" flavor that might come through so I often will add at least a little bit.

Try this liver and onions in gravy recipe. It's another budget friendly "Blue Plate Special"

This chicken casserole with Stovetop Stuffing is another old-fashioned recipe we love.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published October 5, 2021. Last updated March 29, 2024, for editorial improvements and more helpful tips.