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.
First time I enjoyed a tuna casserole
i love these so easy for me to do.im learning to cook so need all the help I can get thank you tired of same old food
So glad you loved it Lisa! Hopefully you find lots of inspiration here!
Absolutely amazing, just added minced garlic with the onion and celery and double the tuna.
Clearly people who gave 2 and 3 star ratings can’t follow recipes.
Will definitely make again
I used to love tuna helper as a kid so I Figured I’d try a homemade version… did not disappoint. I didn’t have a can of cream of mushroom so I made one with a little better than bouillon in it… The recipe probably would have been fantastic either way.
Made this last night and it was delicious! I used cream of celery soup and an 8 ounce package of frozen mixed vegetables since that’s what I had on hand. I added garlic powder, 2 cans of tuna instead of one, and 1/ 4th cup of grated Romano cheese to the crumb topping. This is going into our regular rotation! Thanks for the recipe!
I am out of panko bread crumbs. Can I use Italian bread crumbs instead??
You sure can.
Great recipe! Since it is just my husband and I now, I halved the recipe. I added a few spices since others said it was bland. We loved it, thank you!
I make this a few times a year but I use fried onions on the top instead of panko it is so good and takes me back to my childhood !! Oh and I do double the tuna
I followed the recipe exactly and found it to be too bland for my taste. However, it was a quick fix. After it was cooked and failed the first taste test, I added just a dash of salt (next time I’ll use low sodium soup or even make my own – we don’t need too much sodium), some black pepper, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes on top. Perfecto for my taste buds! It’s a keeper!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Susan! I am glad you were able to enjoy it.
What I really love about this recipe is that I can use my veggie leftovers. I always have a few broccoli florets, carrots, etc., that no one wanted to finish from the dinner before and, I almost always have all the other ingredients on hand. Super easy. I used a cup of milk, rather than 1/3 cup and I added a couple of shakes of parmesan and 2 tablespoons I had left in a carton of 35% whipping cream. It felt great that nothing in the fridge went to waste. It’s in the oven now. I’m sure it will be good. I’ll just tell the family, “You’ll eat it and you’ll like it.” Next time I won’t use a mixing bowl. Everything but the topping can go in the casserole dish.
While this is edible, there is absolutely no flavor/seasoning and is rather bland. No one really liked this recipe.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Jessica. You can add additional seasonings to meet your flavor preference!
Exactly how my family felt tonight when I made it. I’ve never had tuna casserole be a fail, but tonight this failed 190%
Two ounces per cup is a weight for pasta that doesn’t leave so much air space in the measuring cup. It would be great to correct this, as I didn’t know whether to go with the weight or volume. The casserole was just okay; it was quite bland. It needed pepper or hot sauce. I have a kid who doesn’t like tuna, so I made a separate small ramekin with turkey instead. She liked it.
Hi Christy, we use 6 ounces of pasta by weight for this recipe. I hope that helps!
I was really excited to make this amd followed directions to a tee, but did add garlic powder, black pepper and a 2nd can of tuna. Something is missing to give it the wow factor. I feel like it needs 1.5 cans of cream of mushroom soup, maybe even 2 full cans, AND maybe a couple teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Any thoughts ?
You can certainly modify it to your liking!
sorry I didn’t like it. too dry, and I added salt, pepper cause I didn’t see it in the recipe. I didn’t care for the topping
Thanks for trying our recipe, Maria.
This is just what I want. Looks great and easy
Can i use zucchini noodles instead of egg noodles or can i use half of each? Thanks very much.
That should work but note that zucchini noodles do tend to produce a lot of liquid. I would suggest cooking them in a skillet just until tender crisp, about 3 minutes before using them in this recipe. Enjoy!
This was so dry and didn’t have much flavor. Needs salt and pepper. 1 can of tuna is not nearly enough. My husband and I were both very disappointed.
I am sorry to hear that Brenda. You can add more tuna or seasonings as you like!
Another recipe from this page that’s a big hit in our house! My kids don’t really eat tuna, but I was getting bored and needed more meals in our rotation. I now make this once a week and we never have leftovers! So yummy and comforting to eat. The panko topping gives it a nice crunch and the inside is creamy and delicious, just how you want tuna casserole to be!
I have not made this recipe yet, but I’m going to do so very soon. I have medium shells. Can I use that? If so, how many cups should I use before they are cooked? Thank you.
Those should work well in this recipe. I would love to hear how it turns out.
Holly, I have a lady I will be serving this to and she can’t have anything with mushrooms. What type of soup would you use for a substitute? Thank you
I would recommend cream of celery.
I cook for a living. sometimes I work in a fancy restaurant. sometime not. this an easy recipe to put together for the family after a long day. if I’ve had an exceptionally long day, I forgot onion and celery. when you cook all day, a simple comfort dish is just what I wants. there are never leftovers. I double the tuna (long days call for more protein) only change I make except for the onions and celery on occasion. thank you for sharing this. make it at least twice a month.