Tuna Noodle Casserole
by Chungah
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Made with canned tuna, egg noodles, a dreamy cream sauce and an irresistible crispy topping using simple pantry ingredients! No canned soup!
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Why You’ll Love This Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
- Quintessential comfort food (childhood favorite). With its rich, creamy sauce, soft egg noodles, and crunchy topping, tuna noodle casserole is simply a weeknight family favorite.
- Uses pantry staples. This is what we call easy speedy comfort food using pantry staples like canned tuna and dried pasta, perfect for busy weeknights and snow days (or really, any night of the week).
- Made from scratch. We’re talking amazingly creamy, cheesy goodness here without any of the canned soup!
- The crispy topping. This casserole includes the most irresistible crisp, crunchy, lemony Parmesan-Panko topping!
- Freezer-friendly. Tuna noodle casserole freezes beautifully, great for meal prep, convenience, quick meals or gifting to new parents.
What is a tuna noodle casserole?
Tuna noodle casserole is a favorited classic American dish considered to be budget-friendly comfort food using shelf-stable pantry ingredients such as canned tuna, egg noodles and cream of mushroom soup.
Key ingredients in tuna noodle casserole
Base
Medium or wide egg noodles (rotini, fusilli, penne or macaroni are also solid options)
Protein
Canned tuna (also sub with canned salmon, shredded chicken or tofu)
Cream sauce
Easy homemade bechamel cream sauce (no canned soup here)
Vegetables
Shallots and green peas
Topping
Crispy lemony-Panko topping (crushed Ritz crackers and potato chips are also common toppings)
How to make tuna noodle casserole
- Make the crispy, crunchy topping. Mix together the Panko, Parmesan, lemon zest and olive oil. Use traditional breadcrumbs in place of the Panko if needed.
- Cook the pasta. Boil medium or wide egg noodles (or your favorite pasta shape) until al dente, undercooking by 1-2 minutes. Overcooked pasta will lead to mushy noodles in the casserole!
- Make the cream sauce. While the pasta cooks, make a roux with butter, garlic, shallots and flour. Stir in half and half and Dijon until thickened before stirring in the cheddar cheese until smooth and velvety.
- Toss everything together. Add the cooked egg noodles, canned tuna and green peas to the cream sauce, topping with the Panko mixture. If freezing, hold off on the Panko mixture until it is time to bake.
- Bake. Bake until bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
- Serve. Serve warm, garnished with chives (or parsley).
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.
what to serve with tuna noodle casserole
Tools for this recipe
Dutch oven
Tuna Noodle Casserole: Frequently asked questions
An oven-proof skillet, such as a large cast iron skillet, is another solid option.
Yes! The egg noodles have to be cooked until al dente prior to assembling the casserole.
Egg noodles are a favorited choice for tuna noodle casserole but rotini, fusilli, penne or macaroni will also work well here.
This can happen when the pasta is overcooked prior to baking. Always cook the pasta just until al dente, slightly undercooking by a few minutes.
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, Panko is much more flakier and yields a crunchier, crispier texture.
Crushed potato chips, buttery crackers (Ritz) or fried onions are all classic options.
Absolutely! Assemble (without the topping) and refrigerate up to 24 hours, adding the crunchy topping just before baking.
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!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. For the best texture, undercook the egg 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.
- Use Panko for an unbeatable crunch. Panko, a Japanese-style breadcrumb, provides a light, airy crunch staying incredibly crispy and crunchy throughout the baking process.
- Freeze before baking. Tuna noodle casserole is a freezer-friendly meal prep option. Assemble ahead, hold off on the topping, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, add the topping, and bake when needed until bubbling and golden brown.
Did you make this recipe?
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YAY!! No mushrooms! I haven’t eaten tuna noodle casserole in decades because I hate mushrooms. But this is a tuna casserole recipe that I’m willing to try!
Hi there! My flour mixture never got thick. So my casserole was casserolish but not totally. I do not have a Dutch oven or a go in the oven skillet. I placed in a casserole dish and baked. Do you know why possibly the roux/flour mixture did not thicken?
Great recipe. Thank You.
Love this recipe. Made it for my husband and myself. So we had meal prep for 4 days. Delicious and creamy.
I made it, it was very good. I am celiac so used Gluten free noodles and GF Flour. I just probably will leave the lemon out next time.
Can I use 1% milk instead of half and half??
Lovely, I have tried this recipe nd I loved it thank you so much for sharing this amazing dish <3
It looks very delicious, thank you.
First time making this “chicken noodle cassarole” (that’s what my kids think who won’t touch tuna with a 10 foot pole.) Guess what? They LOVED it and never new it was tuna. ha! I broke down the White Albacore to small peices which worked best in my situation. I loved that it didn’t use canned soup and I added a shake of Tobasco at the end. This recipe is a keeper – Thank you!
I made this last night sndbitbwas delicious. I modified for what I (no shallots). No need for all that high fat half and half. Just yummy.
This is the first tuna casserole I’ve made without a cream of ****** soup and it was incredible! I really liked the Panko topping but my wife thought it was too lemony. I’ll probably split the difference next time.
Hi, can you use canned chicken instead of tuna?
I think you can. My husband loves canned chicken, but I think it tastes just like tuna. Win-win!
What are my options if I don’t have a Dutch oven?
Just make it in a pot or a big fry pan on the stove. You can even make it in the pot you boiled your noodles in. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake. I used an oven safe fry pan but now I need to transfer the leftovers to a dish.
Delicious! My husband doesn’t like tuna casserole…so more for me! He said he would try it because he had only had his mother’s years ago. Well, this isn’t your Mama’s tuna casserole from the 1950s! He liked it and said he would have it again. Good, because I’m going to substitute canned salmon and add some dill… 🙂
I think there is an error in the statement regarding how long it takes to prepare this. 1 day 5 min seems like it takes an awfully long time.
Hi. Just noticed that your total prep and cook time should be 1 hour and 5 minutes. Not 1 day and 5 minutes. Lol. Just a small mistake.
The estimated time is a little off on this one.