Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
Tuna noodle casserole provides a fuss-free, budget-friendly casserole with convenient canned tuna, pantry-staple pasta, veggies, and cheese. This creamy, classic American comfort food boasts fabulous textures. A family-favorite meal meant for busy weeknights!
I admit that the first time I tried tuna noodle casserole, I was doubtful. However, it was love at first bite. Something about a casserole is uber-comforting. Its hearty, filling goodness is typically kind to the budget. Plus, they’re versatile because you can hide vegetables and meat in a sauce. That means they offer an excellent opportunity to clean the fridge.
And this tuna noodle casserole is no different. Feel free to add more veggies, change out the pasta, or swap out tuna with leftover salmon or tilapia.
Why Tuna and Noodles Make a Great Casserole
First, it uses pantry-staple ingredients. Most people I know have a can or two of tuna, a package of pasta, and a can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Al dente noodles covered in a cheesy cream sauce are already comfort food for the soul. Think fettuccine Alfredo. Ramp up the protein with tuna, add a salad, and you have a complete meal in minutes.
How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Boil the noodles or pasta in a large pot according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the butter or oil in a pan over medium heat. Then, add onions, garlic, thyme, and Creole seasoning. Cook while stirring for 3-4 minutes or until onions wilt. (Photo 1)
- Roux – Stir in the flour, mix well until it has been fully incorporated, and stir for about a minute. (Photo 2)
- Sauce – Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes or until it thickens and bubbles. (Photo 3)
- Stir in the cheese, and continue stirring until everything melts and becomes smooth—season with salt and pepper to taste. (Photo 4)
- Add the noodles, tuna, and peas to the skillet and stir well.
- Transfer the tuna noodle mixture into a pan or a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese. (Photo 5)
- Bake – If you want a breadcrumb topping, saute Panko breadcrumbs with butter and then sprinkle them on top of the casserole. Bake in a preheated 350℉ (175 ℃) oven for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling. (Photo 6)
Recipe Tips and Notes
- An easy substitute for evaporated milk is mixing 1 cup of powdered milk with 1½ cups of warm water.
- Canned salmon works great, too.
- Undercooking the noodles slightly is better than overcooking because they’ll finish in the oven.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make it in the morning or the night before, then take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking. You can also freeze it for an effortless dinner later on.
If you’re freezing a fully baked casserole, make sure to let it cool completely before wrapping and freezing. Either way, it will last 5-6 months, well-packaged, in the freezer.
Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then pop it in a 350℉ (175 ℃) oven until heated through and bubbling.
What Loves Pairing With Tuna Noodle Casserole
My family’s go-to is a fresh salad, whether a Caesar or tossed salad. For chillier days, callaloo, roasted baby carrots, and Brussels sprouts in a balsamic dressing are all tasty options.
More Fast and Easy Tuna Recipes
This blog post was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos
Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
The Casserole
- ¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons (1-2g) fresh thyme, minced
- 1 teaspoon (4g) Creole seasoning
- 2 tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 1½ cups (350ml) chicken broth
- ½ cup (60g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup (112g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 8-ounce package uncooked egg noodles (or pasta of choice)
- 2 6-ounce cans tuna, drained
- 1 cup (260g) frozen peas (fresh work too)
- extra parsley for garnish (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Breadcrumb Topping
- 2-3 tablespoons (25-40g) butter
- ⅔ cup (90g) panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175 ℃).
- Boil the noodles or pasta in a large pot according to the box instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the butter or oil in a pan over medium heat. Then, add onions, garlic, thyme, and Creole seasoning. Cook while stirring for 3-4 minutes or until onions wilt.
- Stir in the flour, mix well until it has been fully incorporated, and stir for about a minute.
- Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes or until it thickens and bubbles.
- Stir in the cheese, and continue stirring until everything melts and becomes smooth—season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the noodles, tuna, and peas to the skillet and stir well.
- Transfer the tuna noodle mixture into a pan or a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese.
- If you want a breadcrumb topping, saute the panko breadcrumbs with butter and then sprinkle them on top of the casserole.
- Bake at 350℉ (175 ℃) for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Tips & Notes:
- Be careful to avoid overcooking the noodles because they’ll be cooking more in the oven.
- Feel free to replace the panko with regular breadcrumbs.
- Some people save time by adding the water from the tuna to the sauce and assembling the casserole without cooking the noodles the day before. The noodles will absorb the water and cook when you bake it the next day. I haven’t tried it myself, but a friend swears by it.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I have prepared this casserole at least two times; it is yummy! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
My pleasure! Glad you love it!
This looks delicious, and I look forward to making it soon. A question: Approximately how many cups is 8 ounces of dry noodles?
Please let me know how it goes.:)
8 ounces of noodles is approximately 2 cups. But that depends on the size of the noodle, which is why I prefer using weight measurement.
I’ve been trying to find a tuna casserole recipe that isn’t as my husband says, “a great penitential meal” and I’ve finally found it! This was delicious, I do think I’ll add even more creole seasoning next time.
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
This was really good. Overall I was very true to the recipe and even weighed my ingredients to be sure. I wanted someone to blame in case I didn’t like it! 😉 I will admit I used more butter but, I am ashamed to admit how much more. I also added browned mushrooms because I had them on hand. Browning the mushrooms takes a lot of time (can’t crowd them or they will just steam) and so overall the recipe was very labor intensive. Even without the mushrooms, I think it is still labor intensive but then again, it was really quite good; so it was worth it. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for your comment. Yeah almost all things great require some effort:). I am glad your efforts paid off.
This recipe is a real winner! Most other tuna noodle recipes turn out so bland, but this recipe packs a flavour punch. I increased the veggies by adding carrots and mushrooms along with the onion and celery; as well I added a cup of corn along with the peas. You can also amp up the flavour by playing with the amount of creole seasoning you add – I used 1 tbsp and really enjoyed the added spice!
You got me hungry at one point. 🙂 Thank you though for trying it out. I’m glad that it all turned out great for you.
Thank you for the recipe! How much cheese should I set aside for topping? Should it be mostly parm?
I made this once and it was super tasty, but I think I messed that cheese ratio up.
You can use as much as you wish. Enough to create a crumbly top 🙂
At what part do we add celery? I see it in the ingredients but not in the directions. Thanks!
It’s added together with the onions and garlic . Thanks
Hi Imma! I made this casserole for dinner last night and it was delicious! We’ve tried several other recipes with the same bland, flavorless results but this one was a winner and a definite keeper! Only change we made was adding more of your creole seasoning which has such great flavor! Thank you for a wonderful recipe…loved it!
Awesome! Thank you for the glowing feedback, Jeanne. Glad it turned out great for you. 🙂