Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole with mac and cheese, celery soup and crunchy potato chip topping that the whole family will love. This easy to make casserole uses all pantry staples.

Tuna noodle casserole has a bit of a bad rap. As recently as the 1970s, it was the dish you could make using a can of tuna, a can of cream of mushroom soup and egg noodles that weren’t fully cooked.

Then it got cooked till it was completely dry. Yuck.

But what if we gave tuna noodle casserole a makeover and added a couple of pantry helpers? Boxed mac and cheese and cream of celery soup.

Now it’s a dish you will LOVE.

What Makes This Dinner Work

• Boxed mac and cheese – Using mac and cheese instead of egg noodles does most of the heavy lifting for us. We don’t have to make a cheesy cream sauce in another pan and it adds some much needed creamy-ness and cheese flavor to the recipe. Win-win.
• Cream of celery soup – You can certainly use cream of mushroom soup if that’s what you have on hand. I find celery soup to be a little lighter in flavor. It’s subtle enough to add body and a bit of savory flavor but doesn’t take center stage.
• Potato chips – The salt and crunch of potato chips on top of the casserole take this recipe over the top. Better yet, use the crumbs from the bottom of the bag. They are far superior to any breadcrumbs.
• Tuna – We want to add the tuna at the end to keep from breaking it apart too much and creating tuna paste. We want chunks.

What to Know Before You Start

• This recipe takes less than an hour start to finish, makes great leftovers and everything is baked in one dish. It’s a win for busy weeknights.
• You’ll find that not only will your kids LOVE this recipe but so will adults. Be prepared for second helpings.
• Tuna noodle casserole reheats very well for the next day.
• Use a variety of potato chips. Plain, BBQ, sour cream and onion….they will all add different flavors to the recipe.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
• Macaroni and cheese should be fully-cooked before going in casserole. The baking process isn’t really cooking the casserole, it’s heating the ingredients so be sure the macaroni and cheese is completely done. If you take out casserole from oven and pasta is still a little underdone, you did it underdone to begin with!
• You will need a fairly large casserole dish. A 2.5-3 quart casserole should be plenty of room to stir together ingredients without making a mess.
• Make sure ingredients are well-combined before adding tuna. The macaroni, soup, and milk should be well-combined before adding tuna. Add tuna last and stir just a couple of times to mix in, as you don’t want to stir too much because tuna will fall apart.
• Add potato chips last. Add potato chips immediately before casserole goes into the oven to prevent them from getting soggy from steam.

Bake until bubbling at the edges and cheese is golden brown and set on top. If you’re taking it straight out of refrigerator and putting it in oven cold, will probably take 5-10 minutes longer.

What You’ll Need

• 1 box of macaroni & cheese, 7.25-oz box (that’s just a regular-size box)
• 1 can of cream of celery soup, 10.5 oz., do NOT dilute with water
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cans/pouches tuna, drained REALLY well
• 1 cup potato chips, crushed
• (optional) frozen peas, diced celery, any veggie you’d like to add

A Few Notes on Ingredients

Macaroni. This recipe calls for a regular-size (7.25 oz.) box of macaroni and cheese.

White cheddar would be delicious and change up flavors a bit. You could use the macaroni shells from a box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese and make cheese sauce from Velveeta for a creamier casserole.

Cream of celery soup. Cream of celery is a little more subtle and will not overpower tuna.

Cream of mushroom or cream of chicken are perfectly good options if that’s what you have lying around.

Use either pouches or cans of tuna. Pouch tuna has a better texture with larger pieces but canned tuna also works.

Just be sure to drain it well (see below).

Topping potato chips

Potato chips are a traditional topping for tuna noodle casserole. Crushed chips are also traditional and I like that.

You can also use the ridged chips such as Ruffles®. Kettle-cooked chips will maintain their crunch the longest.

Crush the chips into small pieces. You don’t want a fine powder.

Pieces of chips are better. It’s OK to shake out the bottoms of the bag and sprinkle them over the casserole.

Vegetables: You can add vegetables if you like. There’s no preparation involved since they’ll cook while the casserole is in the oven.

Frozen peas add some color and a little sweetness. Dice up some celery if you like a bit of crunch.

Add peas or celery along with the tuna.

How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare boxed macaroni & cheese according to directions on the box. Don’t skimp on the cheese. You’ll be using all of it. Transfer the macaroni to a 2.5-3 quart baking dish.
• Combine one can of undiluted cream of celery soup and 1 cup of milk with the pasta. Stir until smooth. The mixture will seem pretty loose at this stage but will thicken as it bakes.
• If using canned, drain tuna very well. Squeeze the liquid out of the tuna as much as possible. Soggy tuna equals a soggy casserole. Fold in veggies along with tuna. Run spatula through mixture two or three times. You want to spread the tuna, but I like to keep large pieces.

Put a cup of crushed potato chips on the top, don’t press them down because you want them to be crispy.

Step 6: Bake

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown. Let casserole stand on counter for a few minutes before serving.

Helpful Tips

Make sure you really, really drain that tuna. Wet tuna makes for a very…wet casserole, which is less than fun to eat.

Drain your can into a colander, pat dry with paper towel, then give it a good shaking around in the colander until it’s as dry as possible.

Handle it delicately. If you beat it into the mixture too much, you get very small flakes of tuna, so just fold in the tuna a couple times.

Let it rest. Let your casserole rest on the counter for a couple of minutes after coming out of the oven (five is better), so that it firms up a bit.

This means no more sliding and much easier scooping.

For more casserole goodness: Stir in a cup of peas (no need to thaw), top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese before baking, add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the soup, substitute Ritz crackers for potato chips, and/or top your leftover casserole with a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Leftovers

Potato chips don’t do well in make aheads/leftovers (they get soft) so I’d omit them when making this dish ahead of time and sprinkle some fresh chips on top of the dish before serving. Leftovers will keep for about 3 days (chips included, if you prefer) in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

When ready to eat them again, add more chips on top of the dish to revive the crunchy factor.

To reheat a single serving, cover and microwave for 60-second increments, stirring in between. To reheat more than one serving, cover and reheat in a 325 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you’re making this recipe ahead of time for lunch, skip adding the potato chips and chill the mac and cheese. When it’s time to eat, add some chips on top, cover, and heat through.

This mac and cheese tastes great reheated and holds up well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

You can prep the casserole up to a day ahead of time (without the potato chips), tightly wrapped with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chilled. Add the chips right before baking.

Bake at 350°F as directed, adding about 10 minutes to the baking time since it will start out cold.

Can I freeze this recipe?

You can, but I wouldn’t. The texture of the cheese sauce isn’t as creamy once thawed and may end up a little grainy.

Since there’s only 15 minutes of hands-on prep time, it’s easier to make the recipe from scratch.

Can I use egg noodles instead of mac and cheese?

While this is a classic ingredient in tuna noodle casserole, using cooked, plain egg noodles in this recipe would make it an entirely different recipe. If you’d like to do that, make sure to boil the noodles before adding them to the recipe, and I’d up the amount of cream of celery soup and add shredded cheddar cheese for a little extra flavor and moisture.

Can I substitute cream of mushroom for cream of celery?

Absolutely. Cream of mushroom soup is the classic condensed soup added to tuna casserole, and would add a more savory and earthy flavor.

Cream of chicken would be good, too. Use one undiluted can, no matter which soup you choose.

Do I have to use canned/pouched tuna, or can I use fresh?

I love to use fresh, cooked tuna in salads or pasta dishes, but in a casserole, I think canned or pouched tuna is best. It’s already cooked for you, easy to store, and the flavor goes well with casseroles.

Fresh, cooked tuna can get a little too dry for casseroles and would be best in other recipes.

Can you double the recipe?

Yes! Just use 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 2 cans of soup, 2 cups of milk and 4 pouches of tuna.

Bake in a 9×13 casserole dish for about the same amount of time, 30-35 minutes.

I would double the recipe if you are going to serve a lot of people and would be happy to have a leftover casserole to have in your fridge.

What crunchy topping should I use?

By far, the most popular topping for tuna casserole is Ritz cracker crumbs. They add a rich, buttery crunch to the casserole.

You can use panko breadcrumbs as well. Some people mix panko with some melted butter before sprinkling over the casserole and report great results.

Regular breadcrumbs are OK, but they’re not as crunchy. Some people add french fried onions to their casserole which is delicious, as well.

Any crunchy topping will do since you’re looking for texture to complement the creamy goodness.

Why is my tuna casserole soupy?

The two most common culprits for a soupy tuna casserole are not draining the tuna well and adding too much milk. If the canned tuna isn’t well drained it’ll release a lot of liquid as it bakes, leaving a soupy casserole.

I recommend placing the drained tuna in a colander and pressing down on the tuna with a paper towel to extract as much liquid as possible.

Too much milk is another reason your tuna casserole may be too runny. The soup needs a cup of milk to thin out, but more than that and the soup may be a little too runny.

Serving Ideas

This tuna mac and cheese casserole has protein, starch, and a creamy sauce all in one dish. Because it’s on the rich side I suggest balancing it out with a green salad and a light vinaigrette or some steamed broccoli or green beans for color.

Serve the tuna casserole in wide and somewhat shallow bowls instead of on plates. Bowls are easier to serve from and easier to eat from as well.

Bread goes well with this casserole, too, in case there’s a little extra sauce. If you’re looking to sneak some extra veggies into this casserole, add some frozen corn and frozen peas right into the tuna mixture.

More Casseroles to Love

Easy Chicken Casserole is another kid-favorite one-dish casserole with chicken.

Tools That Help:

Baking Dish: use a 2.5- to 3-qt baking or casserole dish. Using a dish that’s too large means the casserole will bake thinner than necessary.

Using a dish that’s too small can make stirring difficult since it’ll be overcrowded.

Spatula: a flexible spatula like this silicone spatula will help with mixing. Using a spoon is ok, but you’ll be more likely to mash the tuna instead of leaving it in flakes.

Variations and Substitutions:

Add some spice with some diced canned green chiles, if desired. You can also add some sliced black olives.

Vegetables are a great addition, adding in some frozen peas or some diced celery for additional veggies. Feel free to dice up fresh vegetables like celery or bell pepper, but keep in mind they’ll be a little more crunchy since they’ll only cook in the casserole for 30 minutes and won’t soften up like you’d get when sauteed longer on the stovetop.

Make it dairy-free: Use dairy-free boxed mac and cheese such as the one made by Annie’s, substitute in an equal amount of a dairy-free milk, such as oat milk or unsweetened almond milk, and use a dairy-free cream of celery or other cream soup.

Use an alternate protein, where canned chicken and canned salmon work well here too. Just use the same amount and follow the same directions.

Salmon makes for a much richer casserole. Both proteins pair well with the cream of celery soup.

Use tuna pouches if possible, they’re much easier to drain and have a much better texture. Canned tuna is totally fine though, just drain really well.