This is the BEST Tuna Casserole you’ll ever make! Tuna, egg noodles, and veggies are tossed in the best creamy sauce, then baked to bubbly perfection beneath a blanket of cheddar cheese and salty potato chips.
Best Tuna Casserole
There’s a whole lot to love about this easy tuna casserole recipe! It’s nostalgic, cozy, perfect for potlucks, and super simple. While the creamy, cheesy casserole itself is amazing, I think my favorite part might just be the crunchy potato chips that cover it! I always add an extra handful. This budget-friendly recipe is ready to go in just a little over half an hour, it travels well, and it can also double as an easy weeknight dinner. You know those dishes that you make so often, they kind of feel like second nature and you don’t even have to pull up the recipe anymore? This is one of those! It’s the very definition of tried and true.
Make more of my favorite casserole recipes like taco casserole, huntington chicken casserole, and ham and noodle casserole!
Can I add anything else?
Sure thing! This is a super versatile recipe that you can play around with. Feel free to add chopped mushrooms, bell peppers, or celery. You could always adjust the seasonings and what types of chips/cheese you use as well.
How to Make the Best Tuna Casserole
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the noodles. Cook the egg noodles, drain, and return to the pot.
- Make the creamy mixture. Mix together the soup, mayo, tuna, cheddar, minced onion, corn, peas, and seasonings.
- Combine. Pour the soup mixture over the noodles and stir. Pour the soup and noodle mix into the baking dish and smooth.
- Bake and top. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the cheddar and crushed potato chips.
- Bake again. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Storing and Freezing
Wait for the casserole to cool to room temperature before storing or freezing for later.
In an airtight container in the fridge, tuna casserole will stay fresh in the fridge for about 2-3 days.
To freeze, assemble the casserole as directed, but do not bake or add the potato chips on top. Add your tuna-noodle mixture to a prepared, freezer safe pan, and wrap tightly with a layer or two of foil. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you want to cook the casserole, you’ll need to thaw it in the refrigerator completely, which will take about 24 hours. After it’s thawed, preheat your oven and bake as directed.
Ingredient Notes
- Egg Noodles – Cook according to package directions. You’ll want them to be al dente – if you overcook them, they’ll turn mushy once baked in the oven.
- Cream of Chicken Soup – This is what makes the casserole so creamy and flavorful!
- Mayonnaise – I’ve found that regular mayo (not low-fat) creates the best consistency.
- Tuna – Make sure the tuna is drained completely. If it still has moisture, your casserole will turn watery.
- Cheddar Cheese – You’ll need this for both the topping and the filling. I recommend shredding the cheese right off the block for the best flavor and texture.
- Yellow Onion – A white onion also works.
- Corn and Peas – I like using canned veggies. Make sure they’re totally drained to avoid excess moisture. You can also use frozen veggies if preferred.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, paprika (regular or smoked), salt, and pepper helps to create the best flavor.
- Potato Chips – Use your favorite kind!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Best Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
FOR THE CASSEROLE:
- 12 Ounce Bag Egg Noodles
- 2 (10 1/2) Ounce Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 3 (6.4 Ounce) Pouches or Cans Tuna Drained if necessary
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Small Yellow Onion Minced
- 15 Ounce Can Corn Drained
- 15 Ounce Can Peas Drained
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
FOR THE TOPPING:
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Cups Crushed Potato Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the egg noodles according to package directions, drain and return to the pot.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the soup, mayo, tuna, cheddar, minced onion, corn, peas, and seasonings until well combined.
- Pour the soup mixture over the noodles and stir well.
- Pour the soup and noodle mix into the prepared baking dish and smooth into a single layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and top with the cheddar and crushed potato chips.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy and delicious recipe that the whole family loved.
We’ve made other tuna casseroles in the past, but this one was definitely our family’s favorite by far!
The only variation I did was to add some grated Parmesan cheese and use cheddar cheese, flavored potato chips on the top.
Thank you for a simple but delicious recipe!
this meal is just fresh outta my oven! heck yeah :^) this is my 3rd time making this dish .. this time what I did was 3 cans of tuna, 1 cup of mayo, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 can of cheddar cheese soup, ms dash onion spice mix, ms dash garlic seasoning mix along with a hint of paprika and garlic powder…. I mixed that all together really well…
once the pasta was done cooking I melted a stick of butter and caramelized that with minced garlic and coat the egg noodles really well… I then coat the egg noodles in parm cheese… I divided the pasta into 2 8×8 anchor hocking glass baking dishes… then I divided the tuna and mixed it in each dish with the egg noodles…. I put in my oven for 375 for 22 min was perfect…. after 22 minutes i took both dishes out of the oven and topped them both off with shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese, italian bread crumbs and crushed up ritz crackers since I don’t have potato chips on hand … I put them back into the oven for 10 min came out perfect :^) thanks for sharing your recipe
I love this recipe thank you for sharing it with everyone! … I made this once so far and only thing i left out was the veggies… don’t really need them at all and were not veggie kinda people anyway… otherwise I followed the recipe as stated… my youngest loves the crushed up potato chips part hahaha… I have always made tuna casserole or what i call tuna casserole is with the wide egg noodles cook as normally would…. then open a few cans of tuna add mayo and stir that all together with the cook egg noodles… add a hint of onion and garlic powder and my family eats it up… can eat it cold or warmed up and it’s good for on those hot summer days… but your recipe is a new twist for me and my family loves it both ways… actually I am making this tonight for dinner :^) thanks again for sharing your recipe it’s so delicious and simple to put together in not time at all and its filling as well … I also love the crockpot green bean casserole! i’ll be making again for Thanksgiving this year…. I don’t eat beans of any kind but i’ve been told it tastes way better than traditionally made in the oven :^) this year gonna fry up some bacon and throw that in with it ….. It’s gonna be good for sure … have a blessed Thanksgiving :^) Thanks again for sharing your recipes!
My husband and I absolutely loved this dish! The two things I changed were sautéing the onions instead of using raw and using fresh corn (2 ears, uncooked directly into the casserole). Oh, and since I don’t eat chicken I used cream of onion soup instead of cream of chicken. This recipe is a keeper!!
its fantastic as your other blog posts : D, thanks for putting up.
I do not like Tuna, can I use the Swansons canned chicken instead? Thanks so much for the great recipes !!!!
Yeah, that will work great 🙂