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 love this recipe but I used chicken instead of tuna because some of my family HATES tuna. Turned out GREAT, comfort food. I will make this over and over again
Can I double the tuna for more protein?
Hi Linda, that sounds like a great idea. You may need to add a splash more milk and seasonings to balance it out. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
We love this, I usually double the tuna, add more peas, double the soup and milk, add black pepper, dill weed, garlic powder and use just a tad of swiss/gruyere in the casserole and cut back on the cheddar in the topping. Yummy every time! Thank you~
Delicious. Was craving tuna casserole and this was just the ticket. Dry dill instead of parsley. Used kettle chips for crumb topping..
I made this tonight. Fantastic comfort food.
This is just like my gran’s recipe and brings comfort as well as great taste! Easy on the budget, too! Yummy!
Very good! I didn’t have any Panko bread crumbs, so I used regular instead. Turned out wonderfully
I like more vegetables. so I increased the amount of peas and added mushrooms. More soup was then needed. I added pepper, and red pepper.
I’m trying ur tuna casserole. it sounds so good..
Amy, let us know how it turns out.
Dry. Needs smoother cup of milk or chicken broth. There was no spice. I added lots of gtound pepper, fresh mushrooms and Worcestershire to the mix. Tasty but needs moisture.
I am glad you were able to enjoy it, Arlene! Thanks for sharing your tips.
This is my go to tuna casserole recipe. I have tried many others, but always come back to this one.
Best tuna casserole recipe out there!
AHHHH-MAZZZZZZING!!!! Everyone loves when I make this…. (Even the ones who (say) they don’t like tuna;)
I used cheddar sour cream chips & panko crumbs and it adds an extra “YUMMMM”, to the mix.
I like to put the cheese on top but I have put broccoli this last time imma try these peas and bread crumb on top but I make a few patties of hot water corn bread and it’s soo delicious. thanks. Creole season I use not parsley and I blend my Onions husband wo t eat it if he see it but it turns out delicious.
Love this recipe… my wife and her friends ask for it. I cook 8 oz of button mushrooms in butter and add them… intensifies the mushroom flavor. YUM YUM
Excellent recipe. I added 1 tsp.garlic powder and arranged a light layer of french fried onions on top just before putting in oven, the pnions gave a great added fjavor and a nice crunch.
This was good. It was lacking seasoning for us. The second time I made it I swapped out the panko for Ritz crackers, left out the parsley, added a little creole seasoning. Very good. Will make it again.
Great additions Jesseca, thank you for sharing!
I found out I don’t like cheese in my tuna noodle casserole overpowered the tuna. And I should have used potato chips or French onion rings on top instead of the Panko (too crunchy & not to my liking).
This is the first recipe I did not care for as probably comparing to my childhood /mothers recipe. Surprised as Every other recipe of Holly’s is a 5 out of 5 in my book!
Thanks for trying our recipe, S! I am sorry it didn’t live up to your childhood expectations. Potato chips sounds like a fun substitution though! Do you just regular chips?
The best tuna Casserole
one of my favorite goto recipes for delicious Everyone loves!
thanks
I know this is going to be delicious! Thanks for the recipe!