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Creamy stovetop tuna casserole in a pot topped with crispy golden potato chips and fresh herbs
Dinner

Amazing Stovetop Tuna Casserole with Crunchy Potato Chips on Top 🐟🥔✨

Looking for a quick and comforting meal that delivers both flavor and texture? This Stovetop Tuna Casserole is the answer! Forget baking—it all comes together in one pot, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Creamy and savoury, this dish is packed with tender pasta, flaked tuna, and a velvety sauce that's enhanced with hints of garlic and onion. Ready in just 40 minutes!

5.0 (4)
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
6
Style
💰 Everyday

Looking for a quick and comforting meal that delivers both flavour and texture? This Stovetop Tuna Casserole is the answer! Forget baking—it all comes together in one pot, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Creamy and savoury, this dish is packed with tender pasta, flaked tuna, and a velvety sauce that's enhanced with hints of garlic and onion. Ready in just 40 minutes!

What truly sets this casserole apart is the crunchy topping. Instead of the usual breadcrumbs, crushed potato chips are sprinkled generously on top, adding that irresistible salty crunch that contrasts beautifully with the creamy base. The result? A comforting one-pot dinner that's ready in about 40 minutes!

Ingredients

Servings:
6
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 tbsp (57g) butter
  • 1/3 cup (40g) flour
  • 5 cups (1200ml) milk
  • 2 bouillon cubes or 2 tsp (10g) stock powder (or increase Parmesan by 1/2 cup (50g) if preferred; you may need additional salt)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • nutmeg, to taste
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) soy sauce
  • 1 cup (150g) frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup (75g) frozen peas
  • 3 cans (5.5 oz/155g each) solid tuna, flaked with a fork
  • 1 lb (454g) noodles of choice (fusilli, penne, rotini, or medium shells, as their shapes capture more sauce, adding extra flavour to each bite)
  • 1/2 cup (30g) crushed potato chips, or more to taste
  • fresh parsley, for serving
  • freshly grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup (50g), for serving

Instructions

  1. 1

    Melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the onions and celery for about 4 minutes until softened but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook it for a minute to cook off the raw flour taste. Add your bouillon cubes and quickly break them down with a wooden spoon. Slowly pour in 1 cup (240ml) of milk – pour it over a period of about 1 minute while stirring aggressively. If you skip that step and add too much milk, the floury lumps will never come out. As such, you have to keep adding milk bit by bit until you form a paste. Once all the milk is incorporated, add nutmeg and black pepper. Let the mixture simmer over medium heat for about 4 minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching. Assess your sauce – it needs to be creamy and thick. If it's too runny when you add the pasta to it, the whole dish will result in being overcooked. So make sure it's thick enough that you can draw a line with a finger across the back of a spoon.

  2. 2

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles of your choice and cook until just shy of al dente (a minute less than the package instructions). Drain.

  3. 3

    Once the sauce is ready, add the soy sauce, corn and peas. Cook for a minute or two. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Stir in the noodles and cook for a minute or so until cooked through. Fold in the tuna.

  4. 4

    Garnish with crushed potato chips. If desired, you can broil the casserole for a few minutes. Garnish with parsley and freshly shredded Parmesan, if desired.

FAQ

Can you make tuna casserole ahead of time?+
Yes! You can prepare the creamy tuna mixture up to 2 days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge—just skip the potato chip topping until you're ready to serve it on the stovetop so the chips stay crunchy.
What can I use instead of tuna in this casserole?+
Canned chicken, salmon, or even cooked shrimp work great as 1-to-1 swaps, though you might want to taste and adjust the soy sauce seasoning since these proteins have different flavor profiles than tuna.
How do you keep the potato chips crunchy on top?+
Add the crushed chips right before serving or just a few minutes before you plate it—if you add them too early while the casserole is hot, they'll get soggy, so save them for the very end.
What if my sauce is too thick or too thin?+
If it's too thick, whisk in a splash of milk until it reaches a creamy consistency; if it's too thin, make a quick paste of 1 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp cold milk, stir it in, and simmer for another minute to thicken it up.

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Stovetop Tuna Casserole | 25-Min One-Pot | Food 400°