Tuna Casserole

Name: Best Tuna Casserole Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 6 ounces egg noodles, (cooked); 1 cup frozen peas; 10 ounces tuna, (drained (two 5-ounce cans)); 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup; ½ cup whole milk; 1½ cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, (divided (1¼ cups and ¼ cup)); ½ teaspoon celery salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, (chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)); ¼ cup bread crumbs; 2 tablespoons butter, (melted)

Quick, hearty, and simple, this classic old-fashioned tuna casserole is filled with tender egg noodles, tuna, creamy mushroom soup and cheese that your whole family will love.

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Table of Contents

Tuna Casserole Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make Tuna Casserole
Serving Tuna Casserole
Storing Baked Tuna Casserole
Freezing This Recipe For Tuna Casserole
Best Tuna Casserole Recipe FAQ
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Made with the ingredients you have in your pantry, this tuna casserole is classic comfort food at its best! Egg noodles combine with tuna and veggies in a creamy sauce for an instant family favorite.

close up shot of a spoonful of Tuna Casserole

Tuna Casserole Ingredients

Tuna Casserole raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

6 ounces of egg noodles, cooked
1 cup of frozen peas
2 (5-ounce) cans of tuna in water, drained
1 (10.5-ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup
½ cup of whole milk
1½ cups of shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided (1¼ cups and ¼ cup)
½ teaspoon of celery salt
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
¼ cup of dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

PRO TIP:

Shred your cheese from the block rather than buying pre-shredded for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating and doesn’t melt quite as well as freshly shredded cheese.

Substitutions And Additions

CHEESE: Instead of mozzarella, you could also use cheddar cheese as a cheesy alternative. You could also sprinkle a little bit of parmesan cheese on top before serving.

VEGGIES: Adding chopped fresh mushrooms would also be a delicious addition to this simple recipe.

CREAM SOUP: If you are not a fan of cream of mushroom soup, this easy tuna casserole recipe would also work with other canned soups such as cream of celery soup.

How To Make Tuna Casserole

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and cook your egg noodles according to the package directions to al dente.

PRO TIP:

To test your pasta for al dente, take a bite of the pasta a minute or two before the package instructions indicate it should be done.

When you bite into it, and your teeth feel some resistance, but the pasta is still tender, your pasta is al dente.

STEP TWO: In a large bowl, mix together egg noodles, frozen peas, tuna, mushroom soup, milk, 1¼ cups mild cheddar cheese, celery salt, pepper, and parsley.

Tuna Casserole process shot of ingredients in a bowl

STEP THREE: Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour in the tuna mixture. Bake covered at 350°F for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Tuna Casserole process shot of tuna mixture poured into a casserole dish

STEP FOUR: While the casserole is baking, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter.

Tuna Casserole process shot of bread crumbs and melted butter combined in a bowl

STEP FIVE: After 20 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and top it with the breadcrumb mixture and the remaining ¼ cup mild cheddar cheese.

Tuna Casserole process shot of casserole topped with bread crumb mixture and mozzarella cheese

STEP SIX: Return to the oven and bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs have started to turn golden brown and the cheese is melted on top of the casserole.

Tuna Casserole process shot after casserole is baked

Serving Tuna Casserole

This old-school cheesy tuna casserole would be perfect on the dinner table with a big salad on the side, such as our simple Caesar salad and our garlic bread. This is best served hot out of the oven when the cheese is all gooey and bubbly.

Need more dinner ideas? We love our easy recipes for hamburger casserole and lasagna casserole.

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Storing Baked Tuna Casserole

If you have any leftovers of this tasty casserole, here are some tips for storing them.

IN THE FRIDGE: This classic tuna noodle casserole recipe will last a couple of days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

REHEATING: To reheat, place the tuna casserole into an oven-safe baking dish and heat at 350°F for about 20 minutes until it’s warm through again. Then it’s ready to slice and serve.

Freezing This Recipe For Tuna Casserole

IN THE FREEZER: Make sure to cover any leftovers in aluminum foil before putting them into the freezer. Once frozen, you can easily transfer from the baking dish to a freezer-safe bag or container.

overhead shot of a casserole dish full of Tuna Casserole

Quick, hearty dinners are a favorite for our busy family. This homemade tuna casserole recipe is perfect with its simple ingredients and big flavor.

Best Tuna Casserole Recipe FAQ

Can I make this ahead of time and put it in the oven when it’s dinner time?

This classic tuna casserole can be prepared earlier in the day and then baked right before you are ready to serve it.

What is the best kind of tuna for tuna casserole?

We recommend canned flake or chunk light tuna rather than white tuna or yellowfin tuna, as those are higher in mercury. Just read the can of tuna for the type used.

Should I use wide egg noodles in this recipe?

This classic recipe would work with any type of egg noodles you choose. Wide or medium egg noodles would both be great choices.

Why is my tuna casserole so dry?

One of the main reasons that your casserole is dry is that you may not have enough liquid in the casserole to keep it moist. You can add milk or broth to rescue a dry casserole in a pinch.

Do you put eggs in tuna casserole?

While we don’t use eggs in our tuna casserole, many delicious recipes add 2-3 chopped hard-boiled eggs to their casserole.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Best Tuna Casserole Recipe

5 from 57 votes

Quick, hearty, and simple, this classic old-fashioned tuna casserole is filled with tender egg noodles, tuna, creamy mushroom soup and cheese that your whole family will love.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

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Ingredients

6 ounces egg noodles, cooked
1 cup frozen peas
10 ounces tuna, drained (two 5-ounce cans)
10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
½ cup whole milk
1½ cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided (1¼ cups and ¼ cup)
½ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
¼ cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray your dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together the cooked egg noodles, frozen peas, tuna, mushroom soup, milk, 1¼ cups mild cheddar cheese, celery salt, pepper, and parsley.
Put the tuna mixture in a 9×13 casserole dish.
Bake covered 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 mild cheddar cheese.
Return to the oven and bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until bread crumbs had started to brown and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm.

Notes

Shred your cheese from the block rather than buying pre-shredded for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating and doesn’t melt quite as well as freshly shredded cheese.
To test your pasta for al dente, take a bite of the pasta a minute or two before the package instructions indicate it should be done. When you bite into it, and your teeth feel some resistance, but the pasta is still tender, your pasta is al dente.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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Baked Tuna Casserole