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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This is my “go to” recipe for tuna casserole! To me it’s comfort food and this recipe is easy and delicious. I use bow tie pasta for this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I made this yesterday with some changes and it was pretty good. I added mushrooms, sherry, a little extra milk, I used white cheddar cheese, and I found Campbells cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic flavoring in it.
I’m always confused by recipe amounts . Is it cooked noodles 3 cups or raw ones?
This is 3 cups of dry (uncooked) egg noodles which is about 6 ounces. Enjoy Heather!
Making it tonight. Will share with my neighbor as she likes Tuna Casserole, with Cucumber salad on the side. The European kind made with vinegar.
It was good except I like mine creamier. I would add 2 cans of soup and more milk to it if I were to make it again.
I thought I had commented on this before but I don’t see my review right off. I just want to make absolute sure that you know how much I love this recipe and so appreciate what you do. I have made this gosh, probably at least 10 times. Everyone always loves it. So easy to have the ingredients on hand for a quick and easy meal. I usually keep minced onion on hand because chopping onion is not my favorite thing with sensitive eyes to begin with. I usually use 1/2 a jumbo can of condensed soup ( so its closer to 13 oz. ) and I always use 2 small cans of tuna or 1 jumbo can. Sometimes I use frozen mixed veggies too. No matter how it’s made using these small tweaks, it always comes out great. Got another one in the oven right now! Thank you for all you do!!! ; )
Thank you for your kind words Susan! I am so happy to hear how much you love this recipe!!
Delicious first time I make it
I wasn’t prepared to make the casserole in such short notice I had to buy a few ingredients and put the ingredients together didn’t finish baking it had to go for roommate from work arrived at home then I finished baking process my Roommate liked it, I will try making it again need enough time to make it right this time
Does the recipe call for condensed cream of mushroom soup or condensed golden mushroom soup? I’m sure either would work.
I use condensed cream of mushroom soup.
This recipe is a keeper. I did not have cream of mushroom soup so I used cream of celery and added a small can of sliced mushrooms.
SO EASY and yummy!
I threw some mushrooms in, for added veggies!