Tuna Casserole With Spaghetti

By Diana Rattray

Updated 06/16/19

Spaghetti with tuna

Eising/Getty Images

  • Total: 45 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 35 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
640 Calories
51g Fat
20g Carbs
27g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 640
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 51g 65%
Saturated Fat 30g 152%
Cholesterol 164mg 55%
Sodium 540mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 27g
Calcium 574mg 44%
*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.)

Tuna-noodle casserole is a comfort-food standard in most households, but this dish gets a new look by pairing tuna and spaghetti, a departure from typical elbow macaroni.

Everything about this recipe is easy—from the condensed soup to the potato chip topping—making it a quick and convenient busy-day family meal.

Best of all, it can be assembled a day ahead, refrigerated, and baked the next day to have a hot dinner on the table in no time.

 

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces spaghetti (broken into pieces, cooked al dente, and drained)
  • 1 (7-ounce) can or pouch water-packed tuna (drained and flaked)
  • 1/4 cup pimiento (drained and chopped)
  • 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup mild Cheddar cheese (or American cheese, shredded)
  • 1/2 cup crushed potato chips

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat oven to 350 F. Coat a 1 1/2- to 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, tuna, and pimiento.

  3. In a large saucepan, combine soup, milk, and cheese. Heat and stir until cheese is melted.

  4. Add tuna and spaghetti mixture and combine until thoroughly blended.

  5. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish and scatter the crushed potato chips evenly on top.

  6. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations

The great thing about a casserole is its flexibility. Switch the protein and pair it with a complementary condensed soup and cheese, and you have an entirely new dish.

  • Use water-packed salmon in place of the tuna.
  • Replace the tuna with canned and drained white meat of chicken, switch out a can of condensed cream of chicken soup for the mushroom soup, and add a couple of handfuls of frozen peas.
  • Turn this into turkey tetrazzini by using leftover white, dark, or a combination of Thanksgiving protein. Use mushroom or chicken soup here, and add sautéed diced celery, onion, and carrots.
  • Leftover ham with Swiss cheese and a small can of drained mushrooms make an excellent brunch dish.
  • Add Mexican flair with cooked chorizo sausage or ground beef, condensed tomato soup, grated Monterey jack cheese, diced jalapenos, and a topping of crushed tortilla chips.
  • Go Italiano style by using cooked and diced Italian sausage, diced red bell peppers instead of pimiento, pasta sauce in place of soup, and mozzarella cheese. 
  • Use any type of pasta that appeals to you, just make sure to break up larger noodles before cooking them to make it easier to eat the finished dish.

More About Casseroles

A casserole is actually two things. It's a large, deep ovenproof dish that also can be used as a serving vessel, but it also refers to the food contents in this type of pan. 

Casseroles have been around since the beginning of recorded recipes, but they really hit their stride in the States with the advent of canned vegetables, meats, fish, condensed soups, and other convenience foods that flooded the market after World War II and became entrenched in the American cuisine.