wow, that looks fabulous. i love the crumbled chips on top! i'm going to have to add this to must try list ;)

WOW! You had to remind me how comforting a good old fashioned casserole can be. I just might have to make one this weekend!

MMMMM, so good, BUT, must have sweet peas in it, not brocolli, to match my childhood memories. It's still a family favorite.

Hmm...I might have missed it, but when do you put in the grated cheese? I'm assuming you put it in with the milk, cream, and cream of mushroom soup, but I could be wrong. It still sounds delicious!

I agree with Karen, must have sweet baby peas.
Also I use the sea shell shaped noodles instead of the wide ones. Thanks for the memory.

My memory's version also requires noodles and a handful or two of frozen peas. I love broccoli but not in this dish. I think this dish will be on my menu real soon.

Hi all, thanks for your comments! Yep I remember a pea version too. I was going to make it but mom and dad insisted on broccoli. The real trick with this recipe is the crumbled potato chips. I had completely forgotten about them being in tuna casserole when dad brought it up.

Made this last night and -- yes -- it is delicious. I used the mushroom soup "with roasted garlic" which added a delicious dimension to it, as well as substituting sharp white cheddar for the last 1/2 cup of cheese (all I had). It was roundly praised. "Not too tuna-y" is correct. Being a guy I wish there were some more meat in there but alas I know not what it would do to the flavor of the dish. Oh well...anyhow, a delicious recipe, better than my mom's old improvised version (sorry, Ma, love you). Bon apetite.

When I was a kid my favorite Friday night dinner was Stoufers (frozen) tuna noodle casserole. I would eat it in front of the TV and watch The Wild Wild West and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. It was heaven!

I made this last night for my family and they all liked even though my kids are somewhat casserole adverse. Like the other posters have mentioned, peas seem to be a better fit than brocolli for this dish. But since I had a little left-over brocolli on hand I used one cup of it and one cup frozen peas. I also skipped the cream and just used 1/3 cup + 1 T whole milk. May try it with half and half next time. Will definitely make it again.

My recipe is almost identical, but instead of milk I use a cup of plain yogurt and a couple dashes of red pepper flakes - sensational.

My boyfriend has been tortured by years of extremely bad tuna casserole, so he was horrified when I announced I was making it. I slightly modified the recipe by adding a little cheese, some garlic, and using corn chips instead of potato chips. He loves it! Has even made breakfast of it and emails me during the day to tell me of his pinings that just can't wait until he gets home.

Something you can try (if you aren't too health conscious... or are anti-health... in fact, thinking about this may cause some arteries to clog slightly)

Instead of using potato chips, take 1 stick (1/2 cup) of melted butter and mix it with 1 sleeve of crushed Club crackers and bake until golden brown. This is just amazing as a topping for almost any casserole.

This recipe sounds fantastic, I'm going to make it for dinner tomorrow. I too wondered if the cheese is mixed in with the casserole or sprinkled on top? THX, Cheryl

I'm making this for my other half tomorrow night who, despite all of the lovely things I cook for us, wants "tuna noodle casserole" for dinner!

I am going to sub out the broccoli for the peas, and since I have some panko on hand, I'm going to brown those in butter for the topping.

And, as a salad, a nice wedge of iceberg with grape tomatoes, sliced red onion along with a good dollop of homemade bleu cheese dressing should complete a very retro Friday night dinner very nicely.

I was tempted to make this using my trendy organic Whole Foods ingredients but decided last minute to use the Campbell's and standbys. Was I ever glad that I did! This tasted just like Ma's and really satisfied my craving for comfort food. I baked it in a 13"X9" instead of an oven proof pan. Also, I know the recipe says it serves six, but my roommate and I have leftovers for the entire week!

My department at work is having a "childhood favorites" potluck lunch, and I immediately thought of tuna casserole. Searched on Google and ended up here. What a find! Not just for this recipe -- which sounds almost exactly like my mom's -- but for so many others. I'll be back often, I can tell. Thanks, Elise!

I did several things differently.

I took the Garlic Cream of Mushroom Soup Idea. Then I said, why not through a little garlic into the Sautee as well? So I did, 1 Clove. I also went with 2 Green Onions (for more color) and 1 Small Yellow Onion. I used 1 8oz can of Peas (Drained).

Because the Can size of the tuna wasn't disclosed, I went with Three 6 oz cans of Solid White Tuna, Which seemed to work perfectly.

For my topping, I went with Garlic & Herb Breadcrumbs.

One thing though... Mine came out REALLY REALLY thick. I will try this recipe again for sure, but will make a call to an Aunt to find a way to make it more Creamy. (Note - it was already wicked thick before the breadcrumb topping)

I'm wondering how carrots would taste with this....

Yum. I love Tuna casserole. Here is a version of my Easy Peasy Tuna Casserole ...

1 box of Kraft Original Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken soup.
1/2 soup can whole milk
1 heaping Tbsp Best Foods Mayonnaise (optional)
1/4 cup butter sliced
1 12 oz can solid white tuna
1/2 cup crushed garlic bagel chips
1/2 cup parmesan cheese divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook pasta in salted water to very al dente. In the last few minutes of pasta cooking time toss the frozen peas into the boiling water. Drain.

Meanwhile in a medium sized oven proof bowl, add soup, milk, mayonnaise and the contents of cheese flavor package and stir until smooth. Add half of the parmesan cheese and the tuna and mix, breaking up any large chunks of tuna. Add pasta to bowl and without stirring add butter slices and allow hot pasta to melt the butter. When butter has melted, mix well. Top the casserole with the remaining parmesan cheese and then the crushed bagel chips

Bake casserole until browned and bubbling 25 to 30 minutes.

I love this recipe. I've adapted it a bit.
I used a sauteed red onion, peas and carrots(to me it ain't tuna casserole without it) and instead of potato chips on top, I used herbed bread crumbs and a bit of butter.
Next time I'm gonna try it your way with the sauteed mushrooms and the broccoli.
Shalom and Best Regards,
Gitl

I just made this and it was divine, well as divine as tuna can be, but I just loved it. I had been looking for a a tuna casserole that was a little less boring and I'm glad I found it here. I will be looking for more recipes. you rock, and thanks.

Yummy! I love your website. So easy and simple, glad to have found you!
I remember my mother making this tuna casserole as a child and loving it. She made it with peas or whatever frozen veges she had on hand and we loved it no matter what. Sometimes she made it days ahead and FREEZE it. Sometimes she even chopped celery peices in for the vegetable, and it still tastes great. She usually put the broccoli in it when adding chicken peices, instead of the tuna. This makes an delicious "chicken/broccoli" casserole. Thanks!

Gee, thanks fo the memory. This dish is almost identical to teh one mom made every Thursday night at our home in Lusaka, Zambia which is in central Africa. Amazing how ones childhood memories of food can be the same no matter what the geographical location! This meal was served as a child in the mid sixties .

It is mid winter here in my new ( for 20 yeras now) home of Sydney Australia, and we are making it for a slap up dinner with close friends tonight. Should be fun.

Another winner, Elise! I've been resisting my husband's requests for tuna casserole as I don't like it. I finally caved (I love the guy, what can I say?) and made your recipe. He loved it, my picky 10-year-old loved it and I, the tuna casserole hater, had two helpings. And what a great way to eat cooked broccoli. I can barely stand cooked broccoli since developing an aversion with my first pregnancy over 10 years ago. It was actually TASTY this way. Thanks!

I found this yesterday and made it last night. I made a few adjustments to use what I had on hand. The pasta I used was rigatoni. I also added 1/2 a habanero pepper to the onions and some garlic. I also subsituted rye bread crumbs for the potato chip topping. Fantastic. This recipe is a keeper.

What a delicious recipe. Rather than adding milk and a spoon of cream, I added sour cream. I didn't actually measure the quantity, but I'd say it was close to 1/2 a cup. Anyway, it turned out great. Next time I'm going to add some garlic to the onions. I think that'll be a nice addition as well. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Yummmm!

In my childhood, it had peas, yes, instead of brocolli, and crushed Fritos in place of potato chips. Yum. Also, the tuna has to be white, not that brown stuff. Does anyone think there's a way to duplicate this without having to use processed foods (such as the Campbell's soup) or is that just a dumb question?

Hi Deb, you can probably sauté some sliced mushrooms in butter and also make a bechamel white sauce, and use those in place of the canned soup. I've never tried it though. ~Elise