Tuna Noodle Casserole with Crispy Potato Chip Topping
Canned tuna and egg noodles bound in a from-scratch mushroom cream sauce, finished under a crust of crushed potato chips instead of a can of soup.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Written
Method
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until just shy of al dente, a minute or two less than the package says. Drain and set aside.
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Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid, the liquid evaporates, and the mushrooms start to brown, about 8 minutes.
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Add the onion and the remaining 2 tbsp butter and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it coats everything and no dry patches remain, about 1 minute.
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Whisk in the broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
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Flake in the tuna and stir in the peas and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, then fold in the drained noodles. Transfer everything to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
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Scatter the crushed potato chips evenly over the top.
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Bake at 375°F until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the chips are deep golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Notes
A real mushroom béchamel does what the can of soup would, without tasting like tin — and it’s the same five extra minutes as melting butter into flour either way. Drain the tuna hard, pressing it against the strainer, or the extra liquid waters down a sauce that’s already thin enough to soak into the noodles.
Potato chips over breadcrumbs is the point: they toast instead of just browning, and they hold their crunch against the sauce longer. Assemble the casserole up to a day ahead and refrigerate, but don’t add the chips until just before it goes in the oven, or they’ll be soft by the time you get there.