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Creamy tuna casserole with peas, roasted peanuts, and a crisp chow mein noodle topping in a vintage oval casserole dish.

Crispy Tuna Noodle Casserole

The chow mein noodles at the edges bake up crisp against the creamy mushroom-and-tuna filling. Water chestnuts and peanuts keep a bit of crunch even in the saucy middle.

By Betty Lou Gardner50 minUpdated 2026-08-25

This retro-style comfort casserole combines tender tuna, creamy mushroom sauce, crunchy vegetables, and crispy noodles baked until hot and golden! It’s a weeknight supper that tastes even better scooped out of the pan once the noodles around the edges turn golden and crisp.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

I always save some of the noodles for the top because otherwise they soften too much once they sit in the sauce awhile. Sometimes I add a little splash of soy sauce over my own serving because I like the salty flavor with the tuna, and the extra crunchy browned noodles around the edges are the best bites in the whole casserole.

How to Make Crispy Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Tuna, condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, celery, onion, peas, roasted peanuts, and chow mein noodles being mixed in a large bowl.
01

Mix the Filling

Stir together the soup, milk, tuna, vegetables, peanuts, and half of the chow mein noodles.

Creamy tuna casserole with peas, celery, peanuts, and chow mein noodles bubbling in a rectangular ceramic baking dish before the final crisp topping is added.
02

Bake Until Hot

Spread the mixture into a greased casserole dish and bake until bubbling around the edges.

03

Add the Crispy Topping

Sprinkle the reserved chow mein noodles across the top near the end of baking and finish until crisp and lightly browned.

04

Serve Hot

Let the casserole stand briefly, then finish with scallions or soy sauce if desired.

Creamy tuna casserole with peas, roasted peanuts, and a crisp chow mein noodle topping in a vintage oval casserole dish.

Crispy Tuna Noodle Casserole

The chow mein noodles at the edges bake up crisp against the creamy mushroom-and-tuna filling. Water chestnuts and peanuts keep a bit of crunch even in the saucy middle.

By Betty Lou Gardner

Prep10 minCook35 minTotal50 minDifficultyEasy
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Ingredients

Scale

Scaling note: Ingredient quantities scale in this recipe. Review equipment capacity, batch arrangement, and cooking time when changing the yield.

Tuna Casserole

Garnish

Optional Additions

Instructions

  2. ½ of the chow mein noodles, 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup milk, 1 can tuna, ¾ cup peanuts, 1 cup celery, ½ cup onion, ½ cup peas
  5. remaining chow mein noodles
  6. scallions

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

4 servings — Serving size: About 1 generous scoop

Calories
460
Carbohydrates
38.5 g
Protein
20.5 g
Fat
27.5 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
1010 mg
Fiber
7.5 g
Total Sugars
5 g

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Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner’s family recipes are preserved in Granny’s Recipe Box.

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