This tuna casserole is from scratch comfort food at it’s best! Made with simple ingredients you’ll have in your pantry, this is an old-fashioned classic. Tender egg noodles combine with peas, tuna, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, breadcrumbs, and seasoning to create a quick casserole that will quickly become a family favorite.
Need more dinner ideas? This hamburger casserole is on regular rotation in our family’s meal menu. Cowboy casserole is a winner, too. This lasagna casserole is straight from Nannie’s recipe box. Any meal is better with sweet potato casserole or green bean casserole or corn casserole included. Don’t forget this easy veggie casserole — it’s hearty and cheesy! Plus, a sausage breakfast casserole is a great way to start the day.
Tuna Casserole:
Tuna casserole is a casserole primarily made with pasta and canned tuna, with peas and corn sometimes added. The dish is often topped with potato chips, corn flakes, bread crumbs or canned fried onions.
There are many variations — you can make it without soup, with zucchini, with rice, with cream of chicken soup, with cheese, with mayo, or with egg noodles. There are lots of ways to customize this dinner.
I’m going to share one of our favorite ways to make this with you today. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients, cheeses, or toppings to make this your own. You can’t go wrong with this traditional tuna noodle casserole recipe! For another great family dinner idea, try our chicken enchiladas, too!)
Tuna Casserole Ingredients
- 6 oz egg noodles, cooked
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cans tuna, drained (5 oz each)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (1 ¼ cups and ¼ cup)
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 T fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 2 T butter, melted
This is such an easy, convenient dinner to bake on a busy night. It comes together from scratch very quickly and you’ll probably have the ingredients in your pantry already as well.
My boys like to sprinkle a little Parmesan on top as well, right before they eat. We’re all about cheesy in our family! The breadcrumbs make this casserole a little crunchy, which I’m sure you’ll like.
How to Make Tuna Casserole
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl mix together egg noodles, frozen peas, tuna, mushroom soup, 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese, celery salt, pepper, and parsley.
Put tuna mixture in a 2-quart casserole dish. An 9×9 baking dish will work as well. If you’re increasing this recipe, you’ll want to be sure to use at least a 9×13 casserole dish.
This is so good that I will often make two dishes at once by doubling the recipe. We eat one dish for dinner and I freeze the second dish to eat another night. More details on how to freeze and reheat tuna casserole in just a moment!
How Long to Bake
Bake for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
While the casserole is baking mix together bread crumbs and melted butter
After 20 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and top with breadcrumbs and remaining ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
Return to the oven and bake another 5-10 minutes, until bread crumbs had started to brown and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm.
How to Reheat
You can place into an oven-safe baking dish and heat at 350 for 20ish minutes until it’s warm through again. Then it’s ready to slice and serve!
Can You Freeze Tuna Casserole?
You sure can! Make sure to cover any leftovers in foil before putting into the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer from the baking dish to a freezer safe bag or container easily.
With a houseful of hungry boys, I always need quick, hearty options for dinner that will satisfy them. This homemade tuna casserole recipe fits the bill perfectly. It’s the best in old-fashioned comfort food. Once you’ve baked this classic casserole, you’ll know why it’s such a favorite in our family — I hope you enjoy it soon!
More Recipes to Try
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
- Baked Spaghetti
- Best Baked Mac and Cheese
- Chili Mac and Cheese
- Dirty Rice
- Best Ever Goulash
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
Pair this recipe with:
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 oz egg noodles cooked
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cans tuna drained (5 oz each)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided (1 ¼ cups and ¼ cup)
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 T fresh parsley chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 2 T butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl mix together egg noodles, frozen peas, tuna, mushroom soup, 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese, celery salt, pepper, and parsley.
- Put tuna mixture in a 2qt casserole dish. An 9x9 baking dish will work as well.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
- While the casserole is baking mix together bread crumbs and melted butter
- After 20 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and top with breadcrumbs and remaining ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
- Return to the oven and bake another 5-10 minutes, until bread crumbs had started to brown and the cheese is melted.
- Serve warm.
A great dish for a busy weeknight!
I love simple dishes that are out of the norm. This is a perfect dish my whole family loves.