Spare Spoons Kitchen
Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Nutritious and Economical
Tuna Mac Casserole
The thrifty weeknight standby: elbow macaroni and canned tuna in a quick cheese sauce, baked under a crushed-potato-chip crust. Pantry to table for not much money.
Spoon cost 
Time ●●○○○ Some Doing
Servingsamounts scale to match
6
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Units
Ingredients
Cook the macaroni just shy of done, and add the chips at the end. The pasta keeps cooking in the oven, so drain it a minute early or it goes mushy. Scatter the crushed chips on only for the bake so they stay crisp instead of turning to paste.
Method
Cook's notes
Cheap, fast, filling. This is the classic stretch-the-pantry supper — a couple of cans and a box of pasta feed a table.
Don't fully cook the macaroni before it bakes; just-shy-of-tender keeps it from going soft.
Stretch it further with a handful of frozen peas or some chopped celery stirred in.
No potato chips? Crushed crackers or buttered bread crumbs give the same crisp top.
Easier, if you like
- Pre-shredded cheese (about 1 cup) saves grating.
- One bowl: stir everything together with the just-cooked macaroni, top, and bake — no separate sauce step needed if you're in a hurry.
Easy to make gluten-free
Gluten-free: use gluten-free pasta and a gluten-free condensed soup, and top with crushed corn chips or GF crackers.
No pimiento: a little chopped roasted red pepper, or just leave it out.