Tuna Noodle Casserole
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Make the best tuna noodle casserole at home with tender egg noodles, creamy sauce, flaky tuna, and a golden Parmesan-Panko topping. This tuna noodle casserole recipe is cozy, creamy, and freezer-friendly — the ultimate comfort food.
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Why You’ll Love This Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
- Quintessential comfort food (and a childhood favorite)
- Speedy comfort food using pantry staples like canned tuna
- Amazingly creamy, cheesy and completely made from scratch (no canned soup here)
- The crispiest lemony Parmesan-Panko topping
- Freezer-friendly goodness, great for meal prep, convenience, quick meals or gifting to new parents
Tips for the Best Tuna Noodle Casserole Every Time
- Use egg noodles. Egg noodles are typically a top choice as they are flat and wide, becoming very tender and fluffy, easily absorbing the sauce and soaking in all the flavors. For the best tuna noodle casserole recipe, undercook noodles by 1–2 minutes before baking so they don’t get mushy.
- Good quality tuna goes a long way. Use canned albacore tuna for big flakes and flavor. For a budget-friendly swap, light tuna also works in tuna noodle casserole recipes.
- Mix it up. Use leftover shredded rotisserie chicken instead of tuna, add other vegetables such as mushrooms, carrots or green beans, or swap out the Panko for crushed Ritz crackers or potato chips.
- Freeze before baking. Tuna noodle casserole is a freezer-friendly meal prep option. Assemble ahead, freeze up to 3 months, and bake when needed.
Tuna Casserole vs Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuna casserole recipes vary, but tuna noodle casseroles always include egg noodles baked in a creamy sauce. Traditional tuna casserole recipes may use rice or potatoes. Both are comfort food classics, but this tuna noodle casserole recipe is the coziest choice for noodle lovers.
Best Cheeses for Tuna Noodle Casserole
Sharp cheddar is the go-to for this tuna noodle casserole recipe, but mozzarella, Swiss, or Monterey Jack can also work. A Parmesan-Panko topping adds crunch and keeps this the best tuna noodle casserole recipe for flavor and texture.
How to Store and Freeze Tuna Noodle Casserole
Prep
To make ahead, cover the casserole tightly with plastic wrap, holding off on the Panko mixture; refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, let the casserole sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, sprinkle with Panko mixture and bake as directed, adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, adding a splash of milk or half and half as needed.
Freeze before baking
Cover the casserole tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, holding off on the Panko mixture. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed, sprinkling with Panko mixture and adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after baking
Let the casserole cool completely; cover tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Best Sides to Serve with Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tools You’ll Need for Tuna Noodle Casserole
Dutch oven – essential for creamy casseroles. Cast iron skillet – great for stovetop prep. Freezer-safe baking dish – perfect for meal prep and freezer storage.
Dutch oven
Tuna Noodle Casserole: Tuna Noodle Casserole FAQs
An oven-proof skillet, such as a large cast iron skillet, is a great option.
Egg noodles are a favorited choice for tuna noodle casserole but elbow macaroni or medium shells will also work well here.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store. While both Panko and breadcrumbs can be used as a coating for fried foods, Panko is much more flakier and yields a crunchier, crispier texture.
Yes! For the best results, we recommend assembling, freezing, then baking to help prevent any sogginess. But if you’ve already baked your casserole, no worries at all – it can still be frozen!
Albacore tuna in water works best for large flakes and mild flavor.
Yes, assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 1–2 days.
This recipe is made from scratch without soup, but condensed cream of mushroom can be used for shortcuts.
Yes, shredded rotisserie chicken makes a great swap.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 10 ounces wide egg noodles, about 4 1/2 cups
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large shallots, diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups half and half
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
- 3 (5-ounce) cans tuna in water, drained
- 1 cup frozen green peas, rinsed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
For the panko mixture
- ⅓ cup Panko
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in half and half and Dijon until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in pasta, tuna and green peas until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste; sprinkle with Panko mixture.
- Place into oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly. about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
for the panko mixture
- In a small bowl, combine Panko, Parmesan, lemon zest and olive oil.
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This recipe was perfect for what I wanted. I was worried it would be a little bland, so I did tweak it some. I added diced celery (I sautéed it with the shallot/garlic). After I added the Dijon and half&half, I added my seasonings- 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp season all, and 1 tsp paprika. I also opted to lightly toast the breadcrumbs in the lemon zest and olive oil over low-med heat until lightly browned. After i let it cool slightly, i combined it with the parmesean cheese. I have done that with other recipes and it REALLY brings out the lemon Zest! I also don’t have a Dutch oven, so I put the temp at 375°F, cooked it in my glass 9×13 pan covered lightly with foil for 25 minutes, removed foil and baked additional 5 minutes until bubbly.
Absolutely Damn Delicious! Never have been disappointed with any of your recipes, they are fabulous!
Best Tuna Casserole I have ever made and tasted!! The Panko topping with the lemon zest tops this dish off perfectly! Have already passed this recipe on to others.
Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Fantastic! I didn’t have half and half so I used evaporated milk. It was a great substitute.
I’ve made it several times and it always comes out wonderful. Was looking for the nutrition facts by any chance do you know the nutrition facts per serving? Thank you!♥️
I love this tuna noodle casserole recipe. It’s delicious!
Did you use Asian egg noodles or it looked like wide Italian pasta. Please confirm as it’s soo confusing which to use.
I’m going to let everyone know, This tuna casserole recipe is DAMN DELICIOUS!!!!!!
I am going to say this is a me problem but the cheese sauce was a bit grainy for lack of a better word. And when I cooked it in the over the sauce clumped even more not coating the noodles at all. Totally bummed. I’ll go back to my old trusty recipe
I hadn’t made tuna noodle casserole in so long, and this was so delicious I had two servings! A great base recipe to save and branch out from. I increased the recipe by about a third and filled two 2-quart casserole dishes – one I baked now and one to freeze for later.
Adjustments I made (due to my tastes and what I had on hand): used whole wheat elbows as my pasta, replaced most of the butter with olive oil, added celery to saute step, used yellow onion instead of shallots, used whole wheat flour instead of AP, used a can of coconut milk plus vegetable broth instead of half and half, used regular mustard plus some ginger paste instead of dijon, and added some paprika. In the topping I added oregano and omitted the lemon zest. Will definitely make again and continue to try some other options!
Best Tuna Casserole I ever made. I’ve made my own sauce before, but this was super and easy.
I added a bit more mustard, ’cause I like it.
For the top I added twice as much as the recipe called for. What a wonderful top crust!
Wow! This recipe is so simple and out of this world delicious! Thank you!
I rarely make tuna casserole, but with Ash Wednesday upon us, I decided that it was time. This recipe is not difficult and comes together quickly. I did spend roughly an hour prepping (grating cheese, chopping shallots and garlic, measuring out various portions – mis en place) before I could put the Dutch oven into the oven. I used a 4.7L Staub Dutch oven, which worked although an oval shape might have been a better choice to allow the mixture to cook a bit more evenly. I used Dubliner white Irish cheddar, which at 7oz was just shy of the recipe’s 8oz. But it was enough. Also, because the package of egg noodles comes in a 12oz package, I opted to use the entire package. To make up for the excess I increased the amount of half-and-half slightly. I also used about 2x as much Parmesan-Reggiano (the recipe calls for Parmesan only), primarily because I need to use it up. Still I modified the recipe successfully in my opinion to make it all come together as intended.
The panko worked extremely well, but if you are looking to put a bit of a twist on this, Italian seasoned bread crumbs would be interesting, I think. I would like to see a bit more flavor out of the dish, which may be as simple as adding more salt and pepper.
Overall this was an excellent recipe.
Does the pasta need cooked before hand?
Can this be made in a regular pyrex casserole dish, instead of a dutch oven or a skillet?
Wow… this is a fantastic recipe! I’m going to be making this regularly. Made it exactly as written and this one is definitely a keeper absolutely delicious!
Nutritional value would be nice…If I overlooked it can someone point it out?
Excellent so good especially nice cold weather dish! Creamy and tasty
This was THE BEST of 3 or 4 different tuna casserole recipes I have tried! I did do a couple very minor substitutions only because I didn’t want to run to the store.
I used heavy cream instead of half & half, used a Colby type cheese blend instead of the cheddar, & finally I used 1 tbsp of lemon juice rather than zest. It still came out SO good!
My kids love ranch so I also added a tbsp of it in lieu of salt.
Thank you
So yummy. Easy to make and simple recipe. Very delicious. Will be making again and again.
I had it in my head to make tuna noodle casserole in homage to my childhood and found this recipe which seemed like the perfect grown up version of what I remembered. The recipe was overall pretty good but I agree with the comments regarding the lemon zest in the topping which did not seem to add anything to the dish, and left a weird aftertaste on the bites with crust. I also think 2 scallions is way too much. I love onions, but the onion taste was a bit overwhelming. Like some others, I think I would modify the dish next time to half the scallion content, maybe add some celery instead, substitute less fat milk for the half and half (maybe 2%), and skip the lemon zest. Overall its a great recipe base from which to improvise