Easy Tuna Potato Bake

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 12/21/20
Easy Tuna Potato Bake

The Spruce / Karen Hibbard
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
489 Calories
33g Fat
21g Carbs
26g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 489
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 43%
Saturated Fat 12g 59%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 671mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Protein 26g
Calcium 254mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Warm, comforting, and hearty, this tuna and potato bake recipe is easy to make with packaged scalloped potatoes and canned tuna. The addition of tuna turns the side dish into a main course. This makes a layered dish with the scalloped potatoes on the bottom, then a layer of creamed tuna, topped with a cheesy crust.

Serve your tuna potato bake with roasted or steamed broccoli or asparagus or start your meal with a garden vegetable green salad.

Canned white tuna is usually albacore tuna, and may be labeled as such. It has the lightest flavor. If you prefer a stronger tuna flavor, use chunk light tuna, which is usually skipjack.

Ingredients

  • 1 (5-ounce) package scalloped potatoes
  • 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 2 (7-ounce) cans tuna (drained and flaked)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
  • Optional: 1 dash ground paprika

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Tuna Potato Bake ingredients

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  2. Pre-heat oven to temperature indicated on the package of scalloped potatoes. Prepare the potatoes for baking, following package directions, and adding the onions.

    potatoes in a bowl, onions on a plate

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  3. Arrange potato and onion mixture in a 2-quart casserole and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and the potatoes are just tender.

    potatoes and onions in a casserole dish

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  4. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper.

    butter, flour, salt and pepper in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  5. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.

    gravy in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  6. Fold in the drained tuna.

    tuna in a gravy mixture

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  7. Pour the tuna sauce mixture over the potatoes.

    tuna mixture poured over the potatoes

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  8. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cheese, hot sauce, and mustard.

    mayonnaise, cheese, hot sauce, and mustard in a bowl

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  9. Spread the cheese mixture over the tuna layer.

    cheese mixture on top of the tuna mixture and potatoes

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

  10. Return the casserole to the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until hot and bubbly. If desired, sprinkle with paprika before serving.

    Easy Tuna Potato Bake in a casserole dish

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

Tips

  • Store any leftover casserole in the refrigerator, covered. It will be good to enjoy for 3 to 4 days and is easily reheated in the microwave or oven.
  • You can also freeze leftovers in heavy-duty freezer bags or sealed freezer containers. Be sure to label these with the contents and the date. Frozen leftovers will be at their best quality for 2 to 3 months. You can reheat the frozen portions in the microwave.

Variations

  • You can swap the canned tuna for canned salmon, chicken, or turkey.
  • If you have a favorite scalloped potato recipe and don't want to use packaged scalloped potatoes, those would make a good base to top with the tuna and cheese layers.
  • Rather than serving vegetables on the side, you can include them in the tuna potato bake. In addition to adding onions to the scalloped potato layer, you might also add defrosted frozen peas and diced carrots. Steam broccoli florets or cauliflower florets or chopped asparagus to add another boost to the veggie content.
  • You can spice up the tuna bake by adding more hot sauce or using pepper jack cheese rather than cheddar.
  • Serve the tuna potato bake topped with salsa or fresh pico de gallo.
  • Add some crushed potato chips to the top layer for extra crunch.