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.
Easy Tuna Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ⅔ cup frozen peas defrosted
- 1 can tuna 5-6 ounces, drained
- 10 ½ ounces condensed mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon parsley
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup cheddar
- 1 tablespoon 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.
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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Honestly this was delicious. The celery was a nice touch, it really elevated the flavor beyond a typical tuna casserole.
Absolutely yummy. To cut saturated fat, I used 50-50 butter & olive oil to sautée veggies. Used shredded Parmesan instead of cheddar. Then used olive oil instead of butter for the topping. Excellent.
I absolutely love this recipe, minus the celery. It wasn’t the crunch I wanted.
Sounds delicious
amazing
Made this multiple times and love it. Does the 3 cup noddles apply to dry or already cooked? I always forget.
This recipe uses 3 cups of dry (uncooked) noodles. I hope this helps!
Bags are listed in ounces. How many ounces of is 3 cups? Thank you
This is 3 cups of dry (uncooked) egg noodles which is about 6 ounces. Enjoy Michelle!
Excellent recipe!
I love this recipe but I double the tuna and mushroom soup. I also add a bit more noodle, panko and marble cheese. It works out delicious everytime. Sometimes I even throw in garlic and chives.
I’ve made this twice now. First time I followed the directions to a T. Tasted good. Second time I added 2 cans of tuna, instead of one, and it was amazing. You can precook the noodles and pre-dice the veggies so when you come home in the evening, a few minutes of sautéing onions/celery and then it all gets mixed and in the oven.
I found it dry
Best tuna casserole recipe I’ve tried yet, imo. I don’t like super cheesy, super tuna-y, casserole. This recipe has a perfect ratio of ingredients for me. Easy and Tasty!! My husband loved it also. Thank you!
I just made this tonight. I only had Colby Jack cheese, so used that in place of cheddar. I also had an 8 ounce package of button mushrooms that needed to be used, so I sliced them into the onion/celery sauté pan. I’m also too lazy to dirty an additional pan and bake this into a casserole. So, I dumped everything (minus the bread crumb topping stuff) into the sauté pan and brought to a gentle bubble. Poured the creamy mixture over the noodles and mixed and served piping hot. I’ve made tuna noodle casserole many times using many recipes. This is a good one.
Very very good. Not too salty as most tuna casseroles are. I will definitely make again.
loved it, and I’m not one who is a fan of tuna
made it today..I was hungry for, picked this recipe and it was delish!!!
Fantastic creation ! Like old school and still good :) I did sautée some minced garlic with my onions and celery and that’s what it needed .. I used 3 cloves minced .. well done Holly
Chris
Great casserole! I added crazy mixed up salt for seasoning. I will add more milk next time since it was a little dry.
I swapped cream of mushroom with cream of celery and doubled tuna. Huge hit at my house! Thanks!!
Receipe came out perfect !! Thanks
Great family night meal with simple pantry ingredients, Thank you!
So good! Made this for Good Friday dinner. Everyone loved it. I added more veggies just because I had some I wanted to use up. The melted butter and bread crumb mix is tasty!