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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This tuna casserole is delicious!!! I doubled the recipe added an extra can of tuna, a bit more milk . Had great flavor ! Thanks
question…what kind of tuna did you use? in water, olive oil? did you drain it if in water? or did you use a packet of tuna? your tuna in the picture is all very white and thick.
Hi Susan, we use a 5-6 ounce can of tuna packed in water and drain it before adding to the recipe. I hope that helps!
Delicious!
Good recipe
I tried this recipe and I really loved it
thanks for sharing.
This is a fantastic recipe! I added some diced red pepper to the celery and used a couple shallots I had on hand rather than an onion. I also used a bit of Old Bay to help season. It was the best tuna casserole I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for posting!
We enjoy your recipes Thank You
I just made this but didn’t realize I was supposed to put half a cup of cheddar and some parsley in the crumb topping. it was excellent without it! I did not have any frozen peas on hand so I used canned and they were fine. I definitely will make it again one of the best I’ve ever had.
Great recipe.
Just like 70’s recipe
No one complained!!!!!
Everyone, even the picky 13yo, ate it! I added garlic salt (staple in the home), pepper, and dill to ours and we will be making this again!!!
Can I prepare this ahead of time and cook later.
Hi Karen, this casserole can be made a few hours ahead of time. Let us know if you decide to try it!
I cook it ahead all the time! I just cook the noodles Al Dante and throw it in the fridge. I add the crumb topping at the last moment and normally, it really doesn’t take that much extra time. I do have to cover it with foil at the 20 minute mark to keep the topping from over browning but it still only takes 5-10 additional minutes to be bubbly…tops!
this is a great classic recipe. I don’t change a thing except for cooking process, in the pan after cooking celery and onions, I add the soup, cheese, noodles, peas, everything else so it’s hot, put in pan then add the topping in my heated ninja foodi, only takes a few minutes to brown up the top, saves alot of time. thank you!
Hi,
I love your recipes, especially tuna casserole. I live in the UK where sadly Campbell’s have just stopped selling their soups! How can I adapt this recipe to replace the Cream of Mushroom soup? Thanking you in advance.
I am sorry to hear that, Kristen. You can replace it with a homemade cream of mushroom soup or with any “cream of” soup you can purchase in the UK.
I am amazed that I made something this delicious and addictive! I followed the recipe completely and it came out perfect. I baked it a little longer so the topping would brown a little more. The direction didn’t specify if you bake it covered or uncovered so I baked it uncovered. Thank you!
What could I use in place of milk? Would yogurt work? Thank you.
You could use yogurt and stir in a little bit of water to thin it out before adding.
Can you use cream of celery soup or cream of chicken instead of mushroom?
Yes, you can! It will change the flavor slightly but will still be delicious.
When a recipe calls for 3 cups of a pasta/noodles, do they mean cooked or dry? I never know, and the same with rice …..
Hi Mary, unless specified it is usually uncooked. For this recipe, we use 3 cups uncooked egg noodles and boil then al dente in step 2. I hope that helps!
excellent .. I used sea shells pasta. made my own sauce Mushrooms broccoli .Used only sea chips for crumbs on top.Italian seasoning came out yummy.
I made this and it was so good! I doubled the recipe, and added 3 cans of tuna instead of 2 cans (in the doubled recipe), because 2 cans didn’t seem like enough “meat” to me.
I also added more cheese because I like my tuna casserole cheesy! I made the doubled recipe in a 9×13 dish and it worked well. The celery was not all the way cooked through after sauteing it in the recommended time frame. I may not have chopped it fine enough – but just something to keep an eye on. Definitely love the panko bread crumbs instead of normal, because of the crunch they add.
This is a great recipe, but more work than others I normally use. To me, though, that’s what made it better!
So glad you enjoyed it, Christine! Thank you for sharing your alterations.