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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I’ve made this recipe so many times over the years that I have it memorized. it’s always a hit and my partner always gets excited when he knows I’m making it. over the years I’ve added: finely chopped broccoli with the onion/celery, an additional can of tuna, as well as the addition of 1/2cup of sour cream. thank you for the recipe!
These recipes are awesome !
I have never been a fan of tuna casseroles, but I will make an exception. This dish is fantastic! It has such a palette of tastes from the noodles to the panko bread crumbs to the vegetables and then the tuna that harmonizes perfectly with the other flavors. I rate it 10 stars!!!
Can I use cream of celery instead of cream of mushroom?
You definitely can! I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.
This is our favorite tuna noodle casserole recipe! We adjusted seasonings to our tastes but the cheese (we add parmesan to the topping) and soup added enough seasoning for us. So creamy and savory and we look forward to left overs! Perfect for a cloudy rainy day, just asking for comfort food. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe! Thank you for sharing.
I doubled the recipe, left out the celery, and added garlic after the onions sauteed a few minutes, and it was amazing! The crispy topping is so delish! Only thing it needed was some salt & pepper, which is perfectly fine with me! We added it to our own dishes. I think I’ll use more cheese next time, but that’s just our own personal preference.
Thank you for such a delicious and easy tuna casserole!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Delish! I added more peas – 1 C – and 2 cans of tuna. Great the 1st time I made. I added my extra on the 2nd time. It’s pretty much a weekly staple. My husband loves it.
It was ok. Dry and bland. Needs two cans of soup and tuna. Also some seasoning. Some tweaks it’ll be good.
can I use cream of chicken soup instead? I love all the ingredients except the mushroom soup as we dont like mushrooms. Or do you have another substitute suggestion?
Hi Krista. We have not made this with cream of chicken soup, but other readers have with success. Let us know how it turns out.
Something doesn’t add up. The ingredients say 1 (10.5 oz EACH) cream of mushroom soup. I think this recipe needs 2 cans?? is that what you meant?
It needs one can. The each is for when readers use the 2x or 3x to double/triple the recipe.
I followed the recipe as written but I think you forgot the seasoning. It really needed salt. I was hoping there would be enough saltiness from the cream of mushroom and cheese but nope. Other than that, the recipe was fine.
You can definitely add salt to taste or I recommend making your own cream of mushroom soup and you can season to taste there too!
Well this has been liked by everyone who had a bowl. So thanks for the recipe. Of course I am one of those who likes to add my touches so added heavy cream instead of milk and doubled amount adding sautéed mushrooms with the onions & celery oh… of course sautéed garlic also and doubled tuna using yellowfin and doubled topping and added 1/2 jar of Alfredo sauce that was definitely worth using. It was a leftover and I try not to waste. Anyway without yours I couldn’t add mine and end up making an entire casserole of sweet heavenly bliss. So thanks
I was looking for an easy tuna and pea casserole and this was a great choice. Brings me right back to my childhood. I’m gluten-free so I had to use the gluten-free mushroom soup as well as gluten-free bread crumbs, but it turned out perfectly. I will make it again.
I didnt think it was going to be enough food! This is filling! I made it for my husband who is a box loving tuna helper fan! I refuse to cook it! This was perfect!
Really tasty! Tastes like my mom’s. Unfortunately I misplaced her recipe so this is the next best thing! My kids love it. Even tho I do leave out the peas to please a picky eater. Sometimes I double it and it’s even better the next day! Thanks
first time making tuna casserole and my boyfriend loved it he went back for seconds.
My family raved about this tuna casserole, saying it was their favorite. I tried it to and now I’m a convert also. I’ve never liked tuna casserole before. thank you for the delicious recipe.
Great recipe. Didn’t have egg noodles, used Barilla farfalle and cooked them aldente 11 min. Also used whole 12 oz bag of peas, and 2 cans of tuna. Followed the recipe otherwise. lovely texture and flavor. My husband and I almost ate half the pan the first night.
Thank you for having this available. I used to be served this when I was a kid, and loved it. One of my fondest memories. Now I’m going to make it for my son. Here goes
great