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.
Easy Tuna Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ⅔ cup frozen peas defrosted
- 1 can tuna 5-6 ounces, drained
- 10 ½ ounces condensed mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon parsley
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup cheddar
- 1 tablespoon 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.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I’m making this recipe today :) Is the parsley in the crumb topping dried parsley or fresh?
Thank you!
Hi Sharon, we used fresh parsley for this recipe. For dried herbs, you will want to use about ⅓ the amount since they are much stronger.
I made this Easy Tuna Casserole to day for Dinner for the first time and My Husband and I both loved it.I will be making this again.
Are the noodles cooked slightly before going in or are they completely raw/hard?
The noodles are cooked in step 2.
Excellent!!! Your panko topping is so much better than the old potato chip thing I used to do!
As a dad cooking for 3 kids this may sound simple but unless you’re a seasoned chef the process takes a couple hours to complete.
The amount of time for prep is not accurate
I’m sorry this recipe wasn’t as quick to prepare as we listed, Jon. The bulk of the prep can be done in advance to help when assembling it and speed things up. You can chop your celery and onions the day ahead and even shred the cheese beforehand. This casserole is also great to prep right up to baking ahead of time. Then you can just pop it in the oven when ready to serve. Hope that helps!
I made this recipe last night. I used 2 9oz cans of water packed tuna, 3/4 bag of egg noodles 2 cans cream of mushroom soup and at least a cup of milk. I didn’t measure , just used until I got the consistency I wanted. Used the cheese , and other ingredients called for . I didn’t have bread crumbs but I did have potato chips and I crushed those and drizzled with butter. Also I used veg all because Ididn’t have just the english peas. My husband is a very picky eater but ate 2 large plates of this recipe. It will become a regular in our household and I will modify to change it up from time to time. Next time , I think I’ll use spaghetti noodles, broken in 1/3 pcs.
Loved it!
Those substitutions sound delicious, Cindy! So happy you enjoyed this casserole.
The casserole was delicious!! The only thing I need to do is cut my celery in smaller pieces. I don’t mind the crunch of celery but not everyone may be in agreement.
Made this for my son this evening. I used 2 cans of cream of chicken/mushroom (I used to much milk) and two cans of tuna and a nice medium cheddar, I left the rest out (personal choice) turned out AMAZING!
This was a great recipe and I love Spend with Pennies! I did adjust it a little. I did two cans tuna. I only had cream of chicken so I used that. I added Greek Seasoning as it goes super well with fish. Then, I didn’t have panko, but I had tons of croutons from the last time they were on sale. One bag was over half empty. I closed up the bag and gave it some good smashes. Worked like a charm. I also hate egg noodles , so I used farfelli, cooked it 10 minutes.
The only reason I gave this recipe a 4/5 was how many dishes I had to use just to bake it. I would love to figure out a way to eliminate some containers.
Tuna casserole holds a special place in my heart, as it’s the only thing my late sister knew how to cook. Seriously.
I made this dish and was transported back to good times in days past. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It was so good, I was up, eating second dinner at 2 am!
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your story Rob. Food does hold special memories, and I love that. So happy you love the casserole and it brings memories for you.
It was okay. I was hoping for something more creamy but we thought it was a little bland.
Hi Cindy, to increase the flavor you could try making it with a homemade condensed mushroom soup that you can adjust the seasonings in, or other readers have added a little extra salt, pepper, onion, or celery salt mixture to amp up the flavor. You can also boost the flavor by using sharp cheddar cheese.
Cindy, that’s what spices are for. If your a seasoned cook, then add the spice and taste!
Could I just use regular macaroni noodles for this? Thanks!
Hi Haley, that substitution should work well. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Flat with the seasonings in this Recipe.
Hi Laurie, you can definitely alter the seasonings to your preference! We would love to hear what you’re favorite seasonings end up being.
I must say, the measurements don’t add up for a 2 quart baking dish. 3 cups of noodles is 24 oz, and once cooked, will NOT fit in a 2 quart baking dish. Was this measured out with actual cups? Couldn’t follow the recipe and had to look somewhere else to complete. I love the ingredients listed, but the measurements are so off.
Hi Audra, the recipe calls for 3 cups of noodles, not ounces in weight. 3 cups of egg noodles is approximately 6-8 ounces of dry noodles by weight (pasta is sold by weight), depending on the type and shape of the egg noodles that you use. Hope that helps.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I would like to know if a person could freeze the leftovers? It’s just me and I hate food waste so I try to freeze my leftovers and enjoy them later. I’m going to try it regardless because it just looks so good. :)
Hi Tina, we have a section just above the recipe with all the information on how to freeze this casserole best. Hope that helps!
This was absolutely delicious. I made this tuna casserole, as written, for my husband and young boys. We all loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s definitely one of our new favorites.
This was absolutely delicious. I made this tuna casserole, as written, for my husband and young boys. We all loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s one of our new favorites.
A lot of people think of tuna noodle casserole as boring or bland…but I love it! It’s such a great weeknight dinner. It’s super-easy and it’s inexpensive. Especially now with inflation at the highest level it’s been for 40 years. I love the addition of shredded cheddar in the casserole and crunchy panko on top. All good!!!!
So happy you enjoyed it!
I used this recipe as a guideline and made it my own. It turned out great. I used rice instead of noodles. I added broccoli,carrots,mushrooms and water chestnuts ( for crunch) no peas. I used potato chips instead of panko bread crumbs since that was all I had. I added a tablespoon of ranch dip in addition to S&P. My husband loved it!
That sounds delicious, Kathleen! Thanks for sharing.
Have never eaten this dish before and made it for the family. We aren’t huge fans of fish either. With that said, it was delicious! I used almond milk (a little more than the recipe calls for) instead of regular milk and used gluten free pasta. I also omitted the cheese, but we sprinkled some shredded cheddar on before we ate it. Yum!