Tuna Noodle Casserole

This Tuna Noodle Casserole is made from scratch with a simple mushroom cream sauce and a buttery cracker crust. It’s better than you remember and ready in under an hour.

Tuna Casserole is definitely a classic comfort food from childhood. Your mom may have made it with canned soups like cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, and canned peas, and you loved it! I did too.

The version you can make yourself, though, is even better than you will remember. The cream of soup is now from scratch, the tuna is hot and savory, and the cracker-crumb topping is oh-so-buttery.

And how about lemon wedges for serving? I never had that growing up, but it turns out a squirt of fresh lemon is just right for cutting through all the richness.

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Crushed Ritz crackers: Smash ’em up and drown them in butter. Bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, or saltine crackers make good substitutes.
• Salt and pepper: Seasoning during different stages of cooking makes sure the flavor is there with every bite. Especially with creamy casseroles! You want to add some salt to the sauce to keep it from tasting bland.
• Egg noodles: Tender egg noodles provide just the right texture in the casserole, and they cook fast too. Feel free to use any other pasta (such as macaroni or penne) instead.
• Mushrooms: Hate mushrooms? Just leave ’em out. Celery is a really great substitute.
• Tuna: Use your favorite brand (canned or in a pouch) of chunk light tuna. White albacore tuna works too. For tuna casserole, I usually look for tuna packed in water.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Heat a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the noodles until tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in the bottom of a Dutch oven or skillet and sauté the onions and mushrooms over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are nicely browned and the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, crush the crackers make the cracker topping.

3. Add the peas, tuna, broth, cream, and parsley and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to let it thicken into a creamy sauce. Stir in the noodles and season to taste with salt and pepper (do not skip this step or your casserole may be bland!).

4. Pour the casserole ingredients into a baking dish, smooth the top, and scatter the buttered cracker crumbs over the noodles. Bake at 450 degrees until hot and bubbly, only about 15 minutes.

5. Serve the casserole with lemon wedges on the side (a little fresh lemon juice cuts through the richness of the casserole).

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This Tuna Casserole recipe makes about 12 cups of casserole which is enough for 8 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: You can assemble the casserole up to 2 days before you plan to serve it. Just cover it with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, add the cracker topping and pop it in the oven.
• Freezer: Assemble the unbaked casserole and wrap tight with foil or plastic wrap. Then place in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. Thaw overnight before baking as directed in the recipe.
• To go: Bake this casserole in the oven-safe insert of a 9×13-inch crockpot and then tote it with you to your family gathering. Bonus, you won’t have to ask your host to keep it warm!
• Salmon noodle casserole: An equal amount of canned salmon takes the recipe in another delicious direction.
• Chicken noodle casserole: Leftover rotisserie chicken is a great replacement for those who don’t like fish.
• More vegetables: Add or substitute frozen carrots, corn, or sliced scallions. Just make sure whatever vegetable you add is already soft (cooked). Just sauté them in a little bit of butter or olive oil before you get started.
• Cheesy: For a melty treat, fold in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese into the casserole before pouring into the baking dish.
• Gluten-free: Since this recipe doesn’t contain all-purpose flour, you can make the casserole gluten-free by using GF crackers and GF noodles. That’s it!

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Tuna Noodle Casserole

By Meggan Hill

This Tuna Noodle Casserole is made from scratch with a simple mushroom cream sauce and a buttery cracker crust. It's better than you remember and ready in under an hour.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 8 servings (1 ½ cups each)

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Calories 412

5 from 10 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the topping:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter melted
• ▢ 35 Ritz crackers smashed into fine crumbs (1 sleeve, see note 1)

For the casserole:

• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper (see note 2)
• ▢ 8 ounces egg noodles (about 3 cups, see note 3)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 10 ounces white button mushrooms trimmed and sliced thin, optional (see note 4)
• ▢ 1 onion minced
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ 2 (7-ounce) foil pouches solid white tuna flaked (see note 5)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
• ▢ Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions 

• To make the topping, in a small bowl, add crackers crumbs and melted butter and toss to coat. Set aside.
• To make the casserole, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add egg noodles and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Add mushrooms, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until mushrooms are browned and their liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
• Add peas, tuna, parsley, broth, and cream. Bring to simmer, about 10 minutes. Add cooked noodles and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Do not skip this step or your casserole may be bland!
• Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the crumbs are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Ritz crackers: Smash ’em up and drown them in butter. Bread crumbs, crushed potato chips, or saltine crackers make good substitutes.
2. Salt and pepper: Seasoning during different stages of cooking makes sure the flavor is there with every bite. Especially with creamy casseroles! You want to add some salt to the sauce to keep it from tasting bland.
3. Egg noodles: Tender egg noodles provide just the right texture in the casserole, and they cook fast too. Feel free to use any other pasta (such as macaroni or penne) instead.
4. Mushrooms: Hate mushrooms? Just leave ’em out. Celery is a really great substitute.
5. Tuna: Use your favorite brand (canned or in a pouch) of chunk light tuna. White albacore tuna works too. For tuna casserole, I usually look for tuna packed in water.
6. Yield: This recipe makes about 12 cups of casserole which is enough for 8 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
7. Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5 cupsCalories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 19gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 559mgPotassium: 410mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 863IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill

Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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