Are you looking for a delicious, hassle-free dinner idea? Look no further than this easy tuna noodle casserole with potato chips! This delightful and simple dish is sure to please everyone at your table. It's an affordable meal that delivers big on flavor. Best of all, it doesn't require a lot of effort or many ingredients. Get ready to kick start your taste buds with this hearty classic - you'll love the crunchy topping of crushed potato chips!
Classic tuna noodle casserole with potato chips is a meal that I have been eating since I was a kid. My mom used to make it often and my family loves it as much as I did growing up.
It is really easy to make and a budget friendly meal with only 6 ingredients. Perfect for a busy weeknight! If you love easy meals, you will also love our 5 ingredient baked ravioli.
Tuna noodle casserole ingredients
We keep this tuna noodle casserole with potato chips simple with just 6 ingredients.
Tuna - You can use solid white, chunk white or chunk light drained. I do recommend using tuna in water and not oil, but that is our personal preference.
Noodles - Egg noodles are best here but you can use regular pasta if needed. We use wide egg noodles, but you can use regular or even extra wide if you prefer.
Peas - Frozen peas are best for the casserole.
Cream of celery soup - Condensed cream of celery soup. We use the canned soup for the classic tuna casserole to keep it easy, but you can use homemade. Please note that we do not have a recipe for homemade cream of celery soup and you may need to adjust the amount of milk added.
Milk - We have only used dairy milk for this but you should be able to use other milk if you need to keep it dairy free. Just go with a plain tasting milk if you do, the milk is not the star of the dish and you don't want it to over power the flavors.
Potato chips - We usually use wavy here, but you can use regular chips instead. We prefer wavy when snacking so they are the chips I buy most often. You want plain salted potato chips for the casserole.
*Optional - Italian dressing for serving. I know it sounds weird but our family loves to pour a little Italian dressing on top of their tuna noodle casserole on their plates. I do recommend trying it on a small bite, you may like it! It is delicious with it.
Making the casserole
This classic tuna noodle casserole with potato chips comes together quickly. You do have to pre cook the noodles and peas but otherwise it is all tossed into the casserole dish and baked to perfection.
Peas and noodles
The peas and noodles get cooked together to make it easier. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. I like to add a little bit of salt to the water, but that is optional.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the peas. Return to a boil and add the egg noodles. Cook until the egg noodles are al dente and drain.
Assembly
While the pasta and peas are cooking you want to start to assemble the rest of the classic tuna noodle casserole.
Start by crushing the potato chips, I do this in a plastic gallon size bag. You don't need them to be in tiny pieces like you would with a say a graham cracker crust.
Pour both cans of cream of celery soup, both cans of drained tuna and milk into a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Pour most of the crushed potato chips leaving enough to sprinkle a layer on top. Stir everything together well.
Once the peas and noodles are done and drained, pour into the casserole dish and stir well.
Sprinkle the remaining crushed potato chips over top of the casserole.
Bake
Bake the tuna noodle casserole with potato chips uncovered in an oven that is preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30-40 minutes.
The sides should be bubbling and the potato chips on top should be browned a bit, but not burned.
Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Yes you can! We prefer the tuna here personally, but the canned chicken does taste great this casserole too.
If properly stored it should last about 3-4 days in the fridge. And the leftovers are delicious too!
No you do not. This classic tuna casserole can be made with cream of mushroom or chicken soup in place of the celery. We just prefer the flavor the cream of celery adds.
Recipe
Tuna Noodle Casserole with Potato Chips
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 12 ounces frozen peas
- 10 ounces tuna
- 21 ounces condensed cream of celery soup
- 1½ cups milk
- 8 ounces potato chips plain salted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- In a large stockpot, bring enough water to cook the pasta to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the frozen peas.
- Return to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Crush the potato chips into smaller pieces - they don't have to be tiny crumbs just not huge chips.
- Pour the soup, tuna and milk into a 13x9 casserole dish. Pour most of the potato chips keeping just enough for a thin layer on top out (about ⅔ of a cup) into the casserole dish.Stir until it is mixed completely together.
- Add the noodles and peas and stir well.
- Sprinkle the remaining crushed potato chips over the top of the casserole. You can crush more if you want more chips on top.
- Bake at 375° for about 30-40 minutes. Sides will be bubbling and chips will be browning nicely.Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
- We love to pour some Italian dressing on top of our casserole after it is dished out, but this is optional (and delicious!)
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