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.
I followed the recipe almost exactly and it turned out great!
So happy to hear that AG.
You deserve an award, Holly !!!
Followed the recipe except cut back on some cheese.
Thanks for sharing this Masterpiece !!
Thanks Phil! Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much!
tasty. i cut the cheese out of the main recipe and used it in the topping only. still DELISH. I sure would like to see someone make that in 5 minutes though!
Great idea Matt! So happy you enjoyed it :)
This is the ultimate in tuna casseroles! The Panko topping is so superior to potato chips or breadcrumbs. From now on, this is my go-to tuna casserole. The only change I made was to use about 8 oz of tuna because we like a good presence of the tuna. Perfection!
This had to be the very worst tuna noodle casserole I have made or even eaten in my life and I am 64 years old so that should tell you something!
So sorry to hear that Elizabeth! We loved this casserole.
Such a rude comment. At 64 you should have learned by now how to disagree about something without being ugly. What a shame.
At age 64 you have yet to learn basic manners?
This
How rude! You a a re the ONLY one that didn’t like it, guess you are just a miserable person in general!
To 60 – You are so rude!!! If you can do better why are you looking at recipes?
From 69
So yummy
So glad you enjoyed the casserole Courtney!
Thank you for the tuna noodle casserole recipe. I had to use some substitutions; I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used fresh cilantro I had on hand and I didn’t have an onion so I improvised with garlic. I had Japanese panko bread crumbs rather than Italian. Also my husband does not like mushrooms so I used cream of chicken soup. Added some salt and pepper to taste as well. It came out delicious….very flavorful!
I am so glad you were able to make the recipe work with what you had on hand Sarah!
the taste was good but I don’t think 1 can of tuna was enough in this recipe. next time I would use 2 cans and would suggest for anyone making the recipe for the first time. also I used Daiya instead of cheese, and 2 eggs instead of the milk, since I wanted it dairy-free. not sure if eggs are allowed in tuna casserole?!?
I am glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Your variations sound tasty!
this was very tasty!
Yay! That’s so awesome Kagamin.
Excellent! Add a dollop of sour cream alongside.
Mmm! Great addition Dolz!
Odd Dunston: You’ve got to be kidding if you think celery and parsley are fancy or complicated ingredients. Next you’ll be saying a potato chip topping is too fancy. I’d hate to be at your dinner table if you think those ingredients are too much.
Can this be made in a 13×9 dish ? If so what would change cooking wise
I don’t think there would be enough to make a 9×13 out of this recipe, it might work better in a 9×9. You can double the recipe if you’d like to make a 9×13.
Hey Holly, this should be called complicated too many ingredients Tuna Casserole. Easy is the casserole all moms in the 50’s made. This with celery and parsley is a little much. I think it’s fine for taste but the name is misleading for sure. How about Fancy Pants Tuna Casserole?
I love the name Fancy Pants Tuna Casserole (although my family doesn’t consider celery and parsley all that fancy)! That being said, this fancy pants casserole is easy to make but if you’d prefer, you can leave the celery and parsley out. Enjoy!
Haha! This made me chuckle! If Celery and Parsley are fancy then they should stick to stove top stuffing in the box! Lol! I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it 3 times and my family LOVES it!! Thank you for sharing!!
Since my husband isn’t a tuna eater, I substituted canned white meat chicken and cream of celery soup(allergic to mushrooms) Didn’t have to add extra celery.
Those sound like tasty variations Cathy!
Chicken and cream of celery soup sounds yummy. Thanks for the suggestion.
This was absolutely amazing!!!
Yay! Happy to hear that Diana!
I usually make the old fashion tuna noodle casserole with potato chips, I wanted a lower calorie dinner.
I used 2 pkgs KibunUsa Healthy Noodle (found at Costco) instead of pasta. I also added in an extra can of “healthy” cream of mushroom soup. Turned out great. I’ve never used the healthy noodles in a casserole and my family didn’t even notice the swap. For Weight Watchers it ended up being 7 points for one serving.
What great substitutions to make for a great meal without the guilt. Thanks for sharing Julie!
I made this recipe tonight. We loved it. Super easy!
So happy to hear that you love this recipe as much as we do Crystal!
This is a great recipe, but I lose the milk and add a can of Rotel tomatoes (I used mild until my kids developed a taste for hotter food). I also use Pacific Salsa Con Queso instead of the cheddar. I like it a little spicy, though. I also crumble bbq potato chips for my topping.
Thank you for sharing your additions Billie. They sure sound delicious!
Fairly tasty, pretty easy to make, but the 5 minute prep time is WAY underestimated. Even if you had pre-chopped vegetables, liquid butter and shredded cheese on hand, and the water was already boiling, it’s going to take ten minutes just to sauté things while the pasta is cooking. And it should mention adding salt and pepper to taste at some phase, because without it, it is pretty bland.
Thanks for your input Frazzled Dad.
Love how simple recipes are to cook.
So do we Chris! Especially when they are so delicious like this one!
on the tuna hot dish do you leave the cover off as it is baking or is the cover on ??
The tuna casserole is baked uncovered. Enjoy!