Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole with Potato Chips
Learn how to make Old Fashioned Tuna Casserole with crunchy potato chips just like Mom's! This retro, classic tuna noodle recipe with cheese has a creamy homemade sauce using no condensed soup and is easily adaptable to make gluten-free!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 9X13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
If using gluten-free pasta, cook in boiling water for half the amount of time called for al dente. Drain and briefly rinse noodles under cold water to stop cooking. For egg noodles, boil 1-2 minutes less than time called for on package. Drain and set aside.
12 ounces egg noodles or elbow macaroni
Mushroom Sauce
Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onions and mushrooms to the butter and sauté 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ medium onion, 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
Add 2 cups milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Worcestershire. Stir and bring to boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the chicken broth with cornstarch in a small bowl.
2 ½ cups milk (2% for richer flavor),, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup chicken broth, 4 tablespoons cornstarch
When the milk starts to boil, add the cornstarch / broth mixture and whisk to combine. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Tuna Casserole
In a large bowl combine cooked the pasta, ½ cup additional milk, drained tuna, peas, cheese, mayo, sour cream, chopped eggs, and mushroom sauce. Fold gently to combine.
(2) 5 ounce cans white Albacore tuna in water, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup mayonnaise, ⅓ cup sour cream, 2 (optional) hardboiled eggs
Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with crushed potato chips. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with optional lemon wedges.
1 cup crushed potato chips
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Notes
best Tips and modifications
Be careful to not overcook the pasta! Anytime you bake a dish with gluten-free pasta, do not boil the noodles long. Boiling for half the time called for al dente ensures the pasta doesn’t become mushy during baking.
Rinsing the noodles in cold water after boiling helps to stop the cooking. Otherwise they will steam and cook more while waiting to be mixed with other ingredients.
Don’t forget to cook hard boiled eggs ahead of time. The easiest and foolproof way to boil eggs is with an egg cooker. If you aren’t a hardboiled egg fan, you can leave them out.
How to freeze UNBAKED casserole:
Assemble casserole, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to serve, thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight.
Bake according to directions, covering with foil so it doesn't become dry. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes.
It may need an extra 10-15 minutes to warm through.
How to freeze BAKED casserole:
Portion baked casserole into serving sizes and freeze up to 3 months. (Reheating an entire baked tuna casserole will make it dry out.)
Thaw serving in the refrigerator.
Microwave at 50% power until almost heated through, stirring occasionally. Finish heating at full power to warm completely.
To make topping crispy again, place serving in an oven-proof container, sprinkle cheese on top, and broil for 1-2 minutes.