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.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
love tuna casseral
We loved this version! So tasty! I made the base casserole ahead and added the topping just prior to baking. Also, I did not cook the celery and onion ahead of time (I didn’t notice that right off the bat but should have known) but had diced them finely enough that a slightly lower temp and longer cook time did the work. Also, we added just a bit of veggie broth just prior to baking as the mixture appeared thick. We love your recipes – thank you!
can this be made in a 9×13 pan?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Jayne, but that should be just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Is it supposed to be cream of mushroom soup? I’m not finding just condensed mushroom soup. Thanks
Most soups at the store will be condensed soups which are any soup that you would add water or milk to to make the soup as is. A cream of mushroom that is not condensed will be a “ready to eat” soup. Often you will find the word condensed tucked somewhere on the can (for example Campbell’s soup has the word condensed in light writing on the top of the can).
I have only tried this recipe as written so I can’t say for sure Lauren how it would turn out. Using cream of mushroom soup instead of condensed will make it a little less flavorful, If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Yes, it is Cream of Mushroom soup.
Followed exactly except for a little extra cheese, my guys love cheese. This recipe is excellent! Really delicious and so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Wouldn’t it be more precise to show the quantity for noodles by weight rather than by cups? As you probably already know, noodles come so many different shapes, and when they are in the form of dry egg noodles, there is a lot of air between them. They don’t measure very well by volume (cups, liters, etc.)
Hi William, this will be approximately 6 oz of egg noodles. I hope this helps!
OOPS! Looks like I already posted this thought. I did, however, want to add to my comment that this is awesome. I like lots of veggies for flavor, so I add some diced green and red peppers, diced carrot, or other vegetables and seasonings to adjust the flavor profile to your taste.
Absolutely the best tuna casserole I have ever had. Delicious
Was a little dry and needed a little more flavor. I used an organic Cream of Mushroom soup from Kroger which isn’t as salty as regular Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. Next time I would add some salt and pepper and lessen the amount of noodles (and maybe I packed the cups too full as I used medium egg noodles) to help it not be as dry. And maybe more cheese (and maybe I should have smash more cheese into the cup to get more). Still a good recipe. Just will tweak a little next time. Loved the crunchiness of the Panko mixture on top.
bomb! love all your recipes.
Sorry, I meant to hit 5 stars, but there is no way to edit my comment.
It would be better if the noodles were listed by weight rather than by cups. It would make it more consistent and with the the right amount of noodles every time. By cups makes it vary depending on how the noodles are made and shaped. Cups work better with macaroni or other smaller pasta.
cooked as per the recipe, turned out a little dry. Edible, but I’ve had better. Would have been better with more cream of mushroom soup and milk.
This is the perfect recipe of
You are craving tuna casserole.
just like Mom used to make. Wonderful recipe. Thanks
This was great. I used solid white tuna in water. I switched out peas for frozen “baby broccoli,” and added a spoonful of Dijon mustard and some Worcestershire because I literally can’t help myself. For the topping I only had Italian seasoned breadcrumbs so I used those with parm for the top.
This is my favourite casserole. It’s just as delicious warmed up
Need more tuna
Very good. I didn’t have cream of chicken, so I used cream of celery,
I didn’t have cheddar, so I used Asio cheese, and Munster. I also chopped some fresh mushrooms. I thought it was a great recipe. Thank you!
Made this tonight , hubby not a fan of mushrooms, used cream of chicken . He loved it ! One of my Mom’s favorites.
Came out great and both my daughters loved it (I used elbows). If you do not like mushrooms you can use cream of chicken instead. Easy, fast and great for lunch or dinner!