Tuna Casserole is right up there with meatloaf and scalloped potatoes when it comes to comfort food. It’s been a family favorite for generations!
Flaky tuna is tossed with egg noodles, peas, celery, and mushroom soup. We top this with a buttery breadcrumb topping and bake it until it’s bubbly. Serve this easy recipe with some quick Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and a side salad for the perfect meal!
We love belly warming casserole recipes. From Cheesy Chicken Casserole to Beef Taco Casserole, there is something so comforting about a bubbly warm meal from the oven.
It’s no surprise that this tuna noodle casserole has held its place at the top of so many family favorite recipes. It is easy to make, but it’s affordable, tasty, and versatile. Nearly any leftovers or any kind of veggies can be tossed right in! Be creative with this tuna fish casserole recipe!
It can go from prep to presentation in no time at all! Need a quick potluck entrée for work or a neighborhood event? This is hands down the best tuna noodle casserole recipe out there!
How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole
The best part of this tuna casserole recipe is that it takes minimal effort to put together and once it’s in the oven, toss a simple caesar salad to round out the entire meal. Simply combine the ingredients while the noodles are cooking and mix everything together. Sprinkle on the crumb topping and pop into the oven!
Be sure to cook the noodles ‘al dente’ since they will continue to cook in the oven and you want to avoid mushy noodles! I make this tuna casserole with egg noodles, but you can use any kind of pasta you’d like. We use simple vegetables including onion, celery, and peas. This recipe is great with any veggies including leftover Green Beans, roasted carrots or steamed broccoli.
This tuna casserole recipe can be made ahead of time as well so it’s great to prep now and bake later. The creamy, cheesy, mushroom sauce that will satisfy even the pickiest of palates!
How to Freeze Tuna Casserole
It is super easy to freeze a casserole, before or after it’s cooked! It is important to fully thaw a frozen casserole before putting it in the oven to avoid overcooking some areas and undercooking others, especially if the casserole was uncooked to begin with. Just leave it overnight in the fridge to allow it to thaw safely and then bake until it reaches 165°F.
If the casserole is fully baked, let it cool completely before wrapping it and freezing it. Another great tip is to line assemble the casserole in a foil lined pan and freeze after it’s been fully wrapped and sealed. Save that casserole pan for another use! Properly wrapped and sealed casseroles can be frozen for up to 6 months without damaging flavor or texture.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups egg noodles measured dry *approx 6 ounces
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- ⅔ cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 (5 ounce each) can tuna drained
- 1 (10.5 ounce each) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine topping ingredients and set aside.
- Boil noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Cook onion and celery in butter until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine noodles, onion mixture, peas, soup, milk, cheese, tuna and parsley. Mix well.
- Spread into a 2qt casserole dish and top with crumb topping.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner
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Real good recipe. Last time I used can white chicken and cream of chicken soup. I did add fresh mushrooms. I put the casserole into individual bowls to cook. Froze two for later. I am making today and this time i am using small aluminum pans.
Delicious and easy! I used broccoli instead of peas because I needed to use it up. And, yes, it could use some seasoning…..add what you like! The topping added a nice flavorful crunch.
Will definitely make again.
Yum, Joan! That sounds like a great substitution. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, Holly. It is delicious! Tonight I needed to use Cream of Chicken instead of Cream of Mushroom, and it’s still a winner. Possibly the best Tuna Casserole I’ve ever had!
I made this tonight and my husband and son loved it. I thought it was quite tasty too but it sure took longer than 15 minutes to prepare. My only deviations from the recipe were I used 2-4oz. cans of tuna and a few extra noodles.
This tuna casserole from Holly was not only ez to prepare, but the best tasting tuna casserole we have ever had – thank you Holly
This is a good recipe but I had to tweak it a little. I added extra seasonings. I used more milk. And I used more tuna. Because the first time it was so dry and bland. But when I tweaked it, it was delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Tammy! Thanks for sharing your adjustments.
18 to 20 minutes??!! 45 minutes later and the top is burning and the inside is still not hot! Followed directions to the T. The time is no big deal really but should only put the topping on after 20 minutes.
Oh no, I am sorry that happened, Mike. We haven’t had that issue with this recipe.
This is the best recipe for Tuna Casserole i have found! Although i have only been cooking /baking for 2 yrs. This is only the 4th time i’ve made Tuna Casserole in my entire life. I’m newly single and i don’t want to depend on anyone except myself. Thank you so much, it’s delicious! dkb
This recipe needs seasoning in the sautee step – little salt, pepper, garlic powder would go a long way. Pretty bland. Would also double the tuna if you want a heartier casserole. Recipe is a good base to riff off.
This simple recipe is my go-to tuna casserole recipe. It is so good that at Thanksgiving, I put all the ingredients (canned evaporated milk and canned peas, though) in a sack with this recipe attached and delivered it to a Blessing Box, which is a small box located in neighborhoods where folks might be needing food. I hope it nourished their bodies and their souls.
3 cups of egg noodles…I’m assuming these are cooked noodles?
Hi Ron, for this recipe we use 3 cups of uncooked egg noodles. They are cooked in step 2 of the recipe.
I just made this and there is no way it feeds 6 people. It also tastes overwhelmingly of onion even though I used half the amount. Usually I have good luck with recipes on this site but this one is a pass.
Hey Jessica,
I just made this tonight and actually used double the onion and it was fantastic! Did you sauté your onions until soft. – along with the celery?
Easily the best tuna casserole I’ve ever made! Suuuper flavourful. I was a little worried with the “bland” reviews, but this is the most flavourful tuna casserole I’ve ever had! The only thing I changed from the recipe is using cream of broccoli soup instead of mushroom because I hate mushrooms so yummy with the cream of broccoli soup too!
This was over the top…we so enjoyed this casserole…the only thing that I did differant was I added some Cajun seasoning….other than that I did nothing differant…we are only a family of two..but will freeze the remainder…thank you for a great receipt
Not absolutely terrible, but really not much flavor at all. I’d much rather just eat a tuna sandwich–would be much better. We’ll finish it, but would not make again. Disappointing.
Sorry to hear that, Bonnie. This recipe is usually a reader favorite!
Wow, this was tasty! My five year old inhaled it – he’s a meat lover: a taste sensation.
Thank you for including the SERVING SIZE with the nutritional information!
Glad we could help, Marylee!
Wonderful recipe and made an amazing dinner! One of the best I’ve ever tasted. (sorry, I meant five stars on the first one)
Is it 3 cups of cooked or uncooked egg noddles?
This is a house favorite!
It is 3 cups of uncooked egg noodles!
We loved it! It was best I ever had!