Today I am sharing an old school classic and family favorite – Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole! Comfort food at its best!
OLD FASHIONED TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE (RAVE REVIEWS)
Egg noddles in a delicious creamy mushroom soup sauce tossed with tuna, sauteed onions, peas and cheddar cheese, topped with crushed potato chips then baked to perfection…just like grandma used make. Old school comfort food at its best.
Read rave reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest! This is the BEST tuna casserole recipe!
If you were a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s, there’s a good chance this casserole was served often at the dinner table – it was a staple in our home. This recipe was passed down from my grandma and has changed a smidgen over the years but still remains a classic.
Old school comfort food at its best! Simple to make, so good.
What You Need To Make Tuna Casserole
Egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, solid white albacore tuna, yellow onion, butter, peas, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and potato chips.
HOW TO MAKE TUNA CASSEROLE
Place casserole on middle rack of oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes uncovered, until casserole is completely heated through. Enjoy!
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Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles (not extra wide), slightly under cooked with a little firmness *under cook about 2 minutes less than according to package
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 12 ounce can solid white albacore tuna in water, drained well
- 2 cans (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup – OR make homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (like Hellmann’s – not Miracle Whip)
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup crushed potato chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare egg noodles, making sure to slightly under cook them by 2 minutes so they are slightly firm. Drain well.
Place casserole on middle rack of oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes uncovered, until casserole is completely heated through. Enjoy!
Tips
There are many variations for tuna casserole – you can easily adapt this recipe to your liking:
- I love tuna casserole served with a wedge of lemon to squeeze on top
- omit onion and peas if you do not care for them
- add some sauteed celery if you like
- instead of potato chips, top with bread crumbs, French fried onions or top with extra cheddar cheese if you want it super cheesy
- use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom or mix in a can of cream of celery with cream of mushroom or cream of chicken
- jazz it up with spices
- not a fan of tuna…substitute with chicken
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cheers!
On my blog you will find my favorite recipes along with tried and trues from cherished cookbooks and admired sites and magazines.
Of course leaving the topping off… but can you whip this up and freeze for later?
I made this today and took it over to my mom’s. It was yummy. Mom and I both decided it was something to make again. Besides the recipe I added some garlic powder, parsley, and a little bit of celery seeds. Also I used low sodium cream of mushroom soup and then added a regular size can of mushroom stems and pieces. I also added a little bit more of crushed potato chips on top and then sprinkled some more cheddar cheese lightly on top. It was creamy and the flavor was yummy. I recommend this recipe.
I used three cans of tuna, then bread crumbs and butter to top. Bake 20 min. then put the bread crumbs and bake another 10 min. YUM!!
This was the tastiest casserole ever. Did however not use cheese and use ritz crackers for to.
I remember eating this in the 70s and it stuck in my mind I tried to find the recipe for yrs.and now I have thank you very much try it you will love it .Lorie
Tried this today. Added squidge of extra cheese, and about one tablespoon of cream sherry. (Not sure the flavor came out or made a difference, but what the hey. ) I baked an extra 15 minutes cuz I like things on the crispy side. Oh also over-
generous on the crushed potato chips.
IT WAS FREAKING DELICIOUS!
This is a delicious old-fashioned recipe that is so versatile! You can add/change/omit a lot of ingredients to make it your own. Thank you for sharing. I am wondering if you have any nutritional information for this recipe. I am diabetic, so carbs are important. It would be nice to know how “bad” I am being when I make this! Thanks so much!
Hi Pam,
Here is a great recipe and nutrition calculator to have bookmarked. Simply add the ingredients and amounts and it will calculate everything for you. This is great to have on hand when you are adapting/adjusting recipes.
https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I’m making this for the second time. It’s so creamy. I never put sour cream or mayo in mine before. It was so boring and mediocre. Thanks for sharing!!!
Added celery along with the onions later added 2-cloves of garlic. Added 1- can of milk. For the topping I added seasoned breadcrumbs with melted butter a half a cup of cheddar and pats of butter on top. Was delicious. Thank you so much
Easy recipe to make. I added green beans instead of peas. Hubby is not a big fan of peas. Even mother liked it.
We use the canned fried onions on top, Yummy! Once after starting the recipe I found there was no cream of mushroom in my pantry, instead I used cream of celery and some canned mushrooms. It’s become my new favorite
I thought two cans of mushroom soup would be too much, so I only used one and added a little pasta cooking water. Buttered bread crumbs instead of potato chips!
Did half the measurements for myself and hubby.
Outstanding, even with without peas! 🙂
I put the crushed potato chips on as directed. My husband questioned it and I said well that’s how the recipe calls for it. 30 minutes later I had burnt potato chips all across the casserole! I would definitely wait to put them on until the last 8-10 minutes.
Perhaps you used a super greasy type of Potato Chips. Ours always come out fine.
I like to add a little dill weed……s
Why shouldn’t I use Miracle Whip?
Many moons ago after my girlfriend and I came home from a late night of babysitting we wee hungry and I asked her if she liked tuna noodle casserole my mother made earlier and I could warm up. We both were so very tired and she said what is Tootle Toots! From that day on we still call it Tootle Toots casserole 😊 This recipe is like the one mother passed down to me 😍
love this recipe!!!!! we substitute green olives for the peas to give it a kick!!!
I think you just created my new favorite! I always leave the peas out, yuck… 😉
My husband 1st liked tuna casserole when I made my Mom’s version as newlyweds 9 years ago. I made yours and he proclaimed this is our new recipe from now on. He kept taking more helpings that night and asked if we could have the leftovers the next night instead of going out to dinner. Well done! Thank you so much!