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 would like to try some of these recipes on your website please email them to me thank you
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Sounds good
Made this tonight for dinner. The taste was great but it was very dry….too dry. It really needs more liquid. I used mixed vegetables, Cream of Mushroom soup with roasted garlic, Colby Jack Cheese and a big handful of grated Romano instead of Cheddar.
Next time I make it, I will make a separate cheesy white sauce, then mix it with the other ingredients
This was so Awesome
Can you tell I loved it? Lol
I haven’t had tuna casserole for so many years. My mom used to make it alllll the time when I was little using Velveeta cheese and potato chips. I wanted something new so found this and I loved everything about this recipe! The topping was my absolute favorite part. I followed all steps but did add onion and garlic powder to the mixture. Looking forward to making it again! Thank you!!
So happy this recipe brought back those happy memories Lydia! Thank you for sharing.
Such a comforting dish! Delicious and easy. Thank you!
You’re so welcome Kelt! Enjoy!
Easy delicious recipe, I tweaked the recipe.
Didn’t have cheddar cheese, I used parmesan instead. Best Tuna Casserole I’ve had . Made it gluten free. Gluten- Free Rontini, and used Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup. Cook the noodles for 8 min.
I am so glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand and enjoy it Amy. Thanks for sharing, I know many of our gluten free readers will appreciate this!
Can I make this the night before and cook the next day? Thank you!
I often make it a few hours ahead of time. My concern with overnight is that the noodles would soak up the sauce and become mushy overnight. I would suggest either using a different noodle (like rotini) or cooking the noodles and keeping them separate and mixing them in just before baking.
Please include nutritional values with recipes. Many people are on special diets such as sodium and carb restrictionEd. Thank you.
The nutritional information is located right below the instructions.
This was excellent! My first time making tuna casserole. Hubby and baby loved it. I added more noodles, milk, sour cream and used seasoned breadcrumbs. It was delicious and I’ll make it again as it’s very easy! Thank you!
I am so glad your family enjoyed the tuna casserole Megan!
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. Delicious! Reminds me of my childhood and my wonderful grandparents.
Thanks so much Mariah! I am glad you enjoyed it and it brought back wonderful memories!
Thankyou for allowing me to join your site. I’ve learned a lot..
Glad to have you Bobby!
Great recipe! I work at an assisted living home where I do it all, which means I’m cooking ontop of cleaning ontop of lending a hand to a resident and this quick recipe can be whipped up early in the morning and ready for lunch, and man is it good. I haven’t tried it, but it must be delicious because my picky residents eat the whole recipe up every time! Thank you!
That is awesome Benjamin! So happy to hear they love it.
Omigosh, yes! This was the tuna casserole I’ve been looking for! I also added carrots in mine. Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Great addition Brittany, so glad you enjoyed it!
Does three cups of pasta (egg noodles) mean dried, or cooked? Can’t wait to make this one.
Hi Bryan, we measured the pasta dried. Enjoy the casserole!
Made the tuna casserole. Absolutely delicious!!! Yummy
So glad you enjoyed the casserole Geri!
Looking for an easy casserole.will try this one soon.
I hope you love it Bob!
Please sign me up
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This is our 4th time making it. My kids LOVE it. They’re so happy when they see what I’m making for dinner. They even ask for seconds.
That is so awesome Samantha! Glad this casserole is a hit.
Just finished making the casserole and was wondering when did you start your prep time because I agree with another reader that it took more than 5 minutes to prep. If you start when you have all the ingredients ready in the bowl to mix and then add you the baking dish then yes that would be about 5 minutes.
I added a little black pepper and garlic powder to the onions and celery mixture when sauteing. I didn’t add the bread crumbs but sprinkled some parsley. I didn’t have regular parsley and so used Italian instead.
The dish smells great! Some of the noodles got a little burnt because it was not fully submerged.
You are right Hoa, we are working on updating this post and are correcting the prep time in the process. Glad you enjoyed it!