How To Make The World's Best Tuna Casserole

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Classic Tuna Casserole Recipe With A Twist

Tuna casserole has been around for decades, and there is little middle ground on the love/hate spectrum of this ubiquitous dish. Translation: you either love it or hate it. I'm here to persuade you that if you add just a few extra ingredients, you can zhoozh it up and make it a pretty tasty little dish that will certainly come in handy during Lent, if nothing else.

Tuna casserole goes way back to the days before mushroom soup came in a can, but by the time it did, about 1934, anyone who could operate a can opener could stir up this recipe. It was then that lunchroom ladies and housewives embraced the bland concoction into their mealtime rotation.

A reluctant cook or a lazy cook can make a mess out of almost any meal because their preparations are half-hearted and grudgingly carried out. You can transform this old standby from mundane to marvelous if you move the dial just a teeny bit. Here's how.

Here's How To Zhoosh Up Your Tuna Casserole

There are oodles of recipes out there for tuna casserole, and we'll begin there and add some pizzazz. It's very easy to do. Begin by cooking a twelve-ounce package of wide egg noodles as directed on the label, then drain them and put them in a greased baking dish. I used one a little smaller than a nine by thirteen because I wanted it to be thicker and not dry out as much.

Let's talk about noodles for a quick minute. No one declared you must make this tuna casserole with wide egg noodles! There are nearly a zillion wonderful shapes of pasta you can use instead, everything from thin spaghetti to bowties or rotini. Sooo, if the hunger for tuna casserole strikes you, look in your cupboard before you jet off to the store, where you will probably overspend! 

Next, combine a 10.5-ounce can of mushroom soup with a cup of whole milk and a half-cup of sour cream. Stir that up until it's all combined, and add two five-ounce cans of good quality water-packed tuna, drained, and a cup or more of frozen peas or frozen mixed vegetables. Please don't skimp on the quality of tuna; I used a twelve-ounce can of water-packed tuna because that's what I had on the shelf, and we like tuna!

Here's where the fun begins! Top with one and one-half cups of coarsely crushed plain potato chips. For us, plain Lays brand potato chips are the holy grail of perfect potatochipness, but they don't pay me to say so!

Lays sour cream and onion potato chips or sour cream and cheddar potato chips would certainly be fun to try! The chips' amazing crunchy mouthfeel makes this casserole such a joy to eat!

Then, top that with a mixture of one and one-half cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese and about one-half cup of grated mozzarella. The "mozz" adds interesting meltiness that we love in the topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the tuna noodle casserole is hot and bubbly and the cheese begins to brown a bit. So incredibly yummy! I find myself looking forward to Fridays in Lent simply so we can enjoy this wonderful comfort food!😊

Here are some other things you could do to jazz up tuna casserole:

• Add Different Vegetables: How about adding some sauteed mushrooms or bell peppers? Broccoli florets instead of peas?
• Try Different Cheese: Experiment with different types of cheese like Gruyère or Parmesan to add a new depth of flavor.
• Experiment With Different Pasta Shapes: Penne, Fusilli, or Rigatoni, for example.
• Add Seasonings: Try dill, thyme, garlic, mustard, or even Worcestershire sauce!
• A Different Crunchy Topping: Top your casserole with breadcrumbs or crushed savory crackers mixed with melted butter. How about some chow mein noodles?
• Add Protein: Boost the protein content by gently folding in some canned baby shrimp you have drained and rinsed or chopped hard-cooked eggs for extra creaminess and flavor.
• Garnish: For added freshness and flavor, sprinkle some chopped green onions, crispy fried onions, shoestring potatoes, or chopped fresh herbs on top before serving.

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Yield: 6 servings

Tuna Casserole

Print

A zhoozed-up tuna noodle casserole with cheese and crushed potato chips.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 12-ounce bag of wide egg noodles
• One 10.5-ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup whole milk
• two 5-ounce cans of water-packed tuna, drained well
• 1 cup or more of frozen peas or frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups crushed plain potato chips
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray or grease a baking dish and set it aside.
3. Cook a twelve-ounce package of wide egg noodles according to the directions on the label and drain.
4. Put noodles in the greased baking dish.
5. Combine soup, milk, sour cream, tuna, and vegetables in a bowl and stir into the noodles.
6. Put crushed potato chips on top of the noodle mixture.
7. Spread the shredded cheese over the potato chips.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until everything is hot and bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

If you are looking for other yummy meatless recipes to serve on Fridays during Lent, here are three of our favorites: Incredible 20-Minute Salmon Dinner, Amazing Minestrone Soup, and Delicious Crispy Tuna Patties. Do you have a favorite dish you serve during Lent or Meatless Mondays? C'mon! Please share!

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