This one-pan Speedy Tuna Noodle Casserole forgoes the oven

This week, the weather finally cooled down a bit, signaling the beginning of casserole season. That got me thinking about tuna noodle casseroles. Nearly three years ago, I shared a slightly tweaked recipe for my Nana’s tuna casserole. My concern then, and now, is about the mercury that may come along for the ride in canned tuna.

A consumerlab.com article that was published near the end of 2025 notes that higher mercury levels were detected in some brands of canned tuna, especially albacore, as well as elevated arsenic levels. That is disconcerting because I have loved homemade tuna salad sandwiches for a very long time. (My mom added chopped apple to her tuna salad, and that’s how I still like it.)

In the last few years, I’ve come to appreciate canned sardines in extra virgin olive oil and find they make a mayonnaise-based sardine salad as tasty as tuna, with very little mercury. Just something to consider.

Back to the casserole: My Nana’s tuna casserole is tasty, but it takes a while to prepare and bake. That’s why, when I came across a quick tuna casserole recipe from Serious Eats, I thought I’d take a look.

This recipe is different: It doesn’t use canned soups (such as cream of mushroom); it uses crème fraîche instead of milk; and it lists “picked fresh” parsley as an ingredient. What I liked about the recipe: It’s made and served in a single pan (either sauté or sauce) and never comes anywhere near an oven.

Of course, I had to put the Mauer spin on it. I used organic extra-wide egg noodles, substituted whole milk sour cream for the crème fraîche, and since I don’t grow parsley, I bought some.

Quick trick: I separated out some of the fresh parsley to use immediately, and with the rest, I trimmed about an inch off the remaining stems and placed them in a glass filled about two-thirds with water. I put a plastic bag over it and set it in the refrigerator. The parsley should stay fresh and green for at least seven days. In fact, I’ll use some in a beef noodle soup I plan to make in a few days.

I made the new tuna noodle casserole in my skillet. I covered the dry noodles with 1 inch of water and simmered them for almost the time for which the package calls. Once the noodles were cooked, I saved a cup of the water from the pan and drained the noodles. I returned the noodles to the skillet, added the cup of reserved water and the liquid from the can of mushrooms I decided to add to this recipe.

Meanwhile, I stirred together the sour cream, an egg and some potato starch (cornstarch can be used instead). Then I stirred the mixture into the noodles. When combined, I added in the tuna, baby peas, mushrooms and parsley. When it was heated through and well-combined, I topped the dish with crushed avocado oil fried potato chips.

In the end, this version was significantly different from my Nana’s. The good news: It tasted great and was much faster to prepare and the crunch from the potato chips made it extra special.

A side note: About 34 years ago, the first Lean and Lovin’ It column appeared in the Daily Herald. It still amazes me that I’ve been writing this column and that loyal readers have been following it for so long. I am, and will always be, eternally grateful to you. Thank you.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

• • •

Speedy Tuna Noodle Casserole

6 ounces dried extra-wide egg noodles*

Kosher salt

¾ cup whole milk sour cream*

1 large whole egg*

2 teaspoons potato starch (or cornstarch)

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 (5-ounce) cans tuna, drained and broken up into bite-sized chunks**

1 (6.5-ounce) can mushrooms with pieces and stems*

1 cup frozen baby peas*

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley leaves*

2 ounces crushed avocado oil fried potato chips (optional)

Place the noodles in a large skillet and cover with 1 inch of water. Stir in 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Lower the heat until the water simmers lightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost done (about 2 minutes less than the package directs). Remove and set aside 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain and return the noodles to the pan. Add the reserved water and the liquid from the canned mushrooms and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, egg, potato starch, pepper and salt and whisk until combined. Add the sour cream mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring and tossing until the noodles are coated. Turn off the heat and gently fold in the tuna, mushrooms, peas and parsley until warmed through. Distribute crushed potato chips evenly over the noodles. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Nutrition values per serving: 447 calories (30% from fat), 15 g fat (4.1 g saturated fat), 46.8 g carbohydrates (43 g net carbs), 4 g sugars, 3.5 g fiber, 31.6 g protein, 117 mg cholesterol, 661 mg sodium

* I used organic.

** I used Safe Catch brand Wild Elite Pure Tuna.

― Based on a recipe from seriouseats.com