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
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.
This was a success. Tasty, creamy and comforting.
This recipe is super versatile and I substituted a few different ingredients because I thought I had everything I needed in my pantry but didn’t. For 12 servings I used: 1 can of cream of mushroom and 1 can of cream of chicken, used Italian-seasoned panko crumbs, and used a mix of parmesan, white cheddar, and mozzarella in place of the cheddar cheese. This turned out fabulous, and my husband (who I think believes himself to be a Michelin-star critic of the highest caliber) even complimented my cooking. Very high praise, lol! :)
I made this recipe exactly as shown and it was fantastic! My family loved it!
Simple and amazing! Easy to tweet if you are a creative person
Tuna casserole tastes really good. My husband loved it!
The only problem for me was that the celery was not fully sautéed and came out too crunchy in the casserole, but that was my fault. I didn’t have the burner on high enough.
I’ll be making this recipe again:)
Thank you
can I use macaroni instead of egg noodles?
Yes! Any pasta will work in this recipe Linda. Enjoy!
We tried this recipe and it was awesome. Family loved it!
It makes a lot, during a time when groceries are so highly priced. Tinned fish has gone up in price, but still not to bad in price compared to meat.
We served it with fresh made coleslaw, with in season crispy red apples in the salad. The only thing I must say is, that I found it a lot of work to put together along with a lot of washing up (as we dont have a dishwasher). Certainly would not attempt to make on a busy weekday, but only as a make ahead on the weekend for the week ahead.
I have never been a fan of Hot Tuna Dishes, I said what the heck I’ll try it. excellent. I did use two cans of white albacore tuna in spring water from Natural Catch. I also added 1/4 green pepper to the onion and celery. Fantastic recipe.
Excellent
this is a really good recipe with a lot of goodness.
my family loves it!
Absolutely delicious! I loved how easy to was too. Thank you!
Three cup noodles dry or cooked? And why doesn’t that seem like enough noodles?
This is 3 cups of dry (uncooked) egg noodles which is about 6 ounces. They do soak up water as they cook and increase in volume. If you add more you will likely need more sauce (and more tuna) so the noodles aren’t dry.
Delicious! We were in need of a comfort meal this Monday and your recipe delivered. Thank you!
We added a bit less noodle, a tad more milk, diced carrots, mushrooms and thyme. We were so hungry we forgot to take a photo first! :) A winner here.
Loved this recipe but found three cups noodles made it quite thick so added a bit more milk. Next time will use only two cups.
It tasted more like pasta & cheese with crusty topping. Little tuna taste, as one can of tuna was not enough. I did add sautéed mushrooms with the onions, which seemed to overpower the tuna flavor. Add 2 cans tuna.
Dry and flavorless. Cheddar cheese overwhelms the tuna. I will not make this again
added a bit of mayo and used cream of chicken…turned out wonderful
How long can it last in the refrigerator?
3 days if kept covered. I hope you enjoy the casserole Angelina!
Thank you! I plan on making it tomorrow. My 3 year old just started 3K and he’s been picking about eating food from the school. His teacher encouraged me to send him with lunch so I’m experimenting on what he might like to eat so I can send him with that. Hope he likes this!
I hope he loves it too!
This is a very good meal. I just made it to share with family and they said it was the fanciest tuna casserole made in their house.
It is a relatively easy dish to make and is very tasty. I will be making this for myself in the future.
I really enjoyed love it