The Breakfast Cereal That Adds Next-Level Crunch To Tuna Casserole

At first glance, noodles, cheese, canned tuna, a creamy sauce, and cornflakes sounds like an interesting combo. However, these ingredients combine to produce a rich, gooey, salty, and satisfyingly nostalgic casserole. Since many of the dish's ingredients, like the tuna and pasta, are pretty soft, avoid an entirely mushy tuna casserole with that one, surprising breakfast item: cornflake cereal. Using it as a topping to your meal incorporates an unexpected (but much needed) crunchiness. While cornflakes may not be a gourmet addition to your tuna casserole, they're still incredibly worthy of gracing your taste buds with flavor and texture. 

The key to using cornflakes in your dish is to crush them in a storage bag before adding them to a bowl with melted butter, cheese, and seasonings. Take this mixture and generously pack it on top of the tuna noodles. Use around 2 tablespoons of melted butter, ½ cup of shredded cheese, and a tablespoon of herbs and seasonings per 1 cup of cereal.And don't forget to ensure the cereal is unsweetened and unflavored. 

Double the recipe if you want a super crunchy, crusted dish. Bake until the casserole contents are hot and the topping is lightly browned. If you notice the top starting to burn before the dish fully heats through, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent overcooking the delicious crumbs.

While cornflakes are a yummy way to pack some textural variety into this dish, other pantry items also work. Try potato chip crumbs for a light, crispy topping. Get creative by choosing different flavor chips. Think barbecue to add a smoky, mesquite flair, sour cream and onion for a creamy, herbaceous vibe, or opt for something unique, like the queso-flavored chips in this Frito Lay Sabrita variety pack, which add a bold punch of heat and savory cheesiness.

Consider amplifying the casserole's richness by using crushed cheese crackers. These tidbits impart a slight orange color and crunch that pairs well with dishes that already include cheddar cheese's tangy, sharp taste.You know those crispy, fried onions that top off your green bean casserole every Thanksgiving? Give a hefty sprinkling of them a whirl on your next Swiss cheese-based tuna casserole for a pungent kick of crunch and flavor. Crushed pretzels are a larger topping that, when broken up into differently sized pieces, provides textural variety to the dish while introducing a malty, salty flavor into the tuna meal. Better yet, select something like Pop Daddy's garlic parmesan-flavored pretzel to pack a deep, garlicky, umami taste for a scrumptious, parmesan cheese-laden tuna casserole.