Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (2024)

This Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and comes together to make a great comforting dinner!

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (1)

Growing up, I thought my mom was the best cook. And, don’t get me wrong, she knew her way around the kitchen and even developed a lot of her own recipes (like her crazy popular Crab Pasta Salad). But I was thinking the other day and realized that she made a lot of boxed casserole dinners. But I swear, now looking back, that one of the reasons I thought she was such a great cook was because of the love she infused into the food. She really did feel so much love and joy in making dinner for us.

#GOALS

So today I’m going to teach you how to make an Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole without a box. This recipe is seriously so simple and easy that you can do make it and still answer math questions, clean out back packs and break up fights at the same time.

How to Make a Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

There are just a few simple steps to this recipe.

  1. Make some egg noodles. You need to cook them before you put them in the casserole dish, but while they cook you can do everything else.
  2. In the casserole dish (no need to get another bowl dirty), mix together the condensed cream of chicken soup (either homemade or store bought), milk, seasonings, tuna and peas.
  3. Add the noodles when they are done, bake.
  4. Add the topping at the very end.

Four simple steps and very little hands on time. I made this for my family after a Cross Country meet and it was a no fuss dinner perfect for a busy weeknight.

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (2)

Make this Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Ahead of Time

If those steps all sound like too much right after you take the kids to soccer practice, or when you are walking through door from work, no fear. You can make this tuna casserole ahead of time. Just stop right before you put it in the oven (skipping the topping making step too).

Cover it and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to eat it, throw it in your preheated oven. Then make your topping.

Freezing Tuna Noodle Casserole

You can also freeze it and make it later! If you are doing that, make it up until the topping step in a disposable oven proof container. Wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil. Freeze it for up to three months.

When you are ready to cook it, take it out of the freezer, remove the foil, and bake it for 35 minutes at 400 degrees or until the middle is warm and the sides are bubbly. Top with your bread crumbles or cracker crumbs and bake for another 10 minutes.

We use a disposable container so that it can go right from freezer to hot oven without cracking. If you use a ceramic or glass container, put it in the cold oven and then turn it on. You will need to bake it for slightly longer than 35 minutes.

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (3)

Making this Recipe from Scratch

There is absolutely no shame in making tuna casserole using store bought condensed soup. You can really use any flavor you want but I would recommend condensed cream of chicken or condensed cream of mushroom soup. But if you want to make this from scratch, try my homemade condensed cream of chicken soup. It makes the exact amount you need for this recipe.

Bread Crumbs or Crackers for Topping

I feel like this is going to be a do we call it ‘soda’ or do we call it ‘pop’ conversation. Bread crumbs or crackers for topping your tuna noodle casserole recipe?

The good news is I’m going to tell you how to do it either way. And both are delicious.

For a bread crumb topping, chop up two pieces of bread. Use a food processor to crumble them and make them fine pieces. Toss with melted butter and add to your easy tuna noodle casserole at the every end. This is delicious but a little putsy.

For a cracker topping, crush a cup worth of Ritz crackers (about 16 crackers). Toss them with melted butter and then throw them on the tuna casserole at the end.

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (4)

How much does this Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Make?

This casserole is on the smaller side and makes about 5 1/2 cups. The nutritional information is for 1 heaping cup (about 6 ounces).

Other Delicious Casseroles

If your family thrives on casseroles, try some of these other delicious ones:

This Baked Ziti was just posted yesterday and I am craving it all over again.

My Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole is easy and so comforting.

This Philly Cheesesteak Casserole is a viral recipe so many people have loved, and that has angered the entire city of Philadelphia.

If you make my easy tuna noodle casserole recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know!

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (5)

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (6)

5 from 2 votes

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

Serves: 5 servings

(tap # to scale)

Prep: 18 minutes minutes

Cook: 25 minutes minutes

Total: 43 minutes minutes

This Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and comes together to make a great comforting dinner!

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups dry egg noodles or 4 ounces (see note about cooking)
  • 10 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup or homemade condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 10 ounces canned tuna in water drained and flaked
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 slices white bread cut up and then broken down to crumbs in a food processor (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon melted better

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

  • Cook the noodles according to package instructions.

  • Mix the condensed soup, milk, tuna, salt and pepper together in the prepared casserole dish. Then stir in the peas and the cooked noodles.

  • While the casserole bakes break down your bread and toss with melted butter. (See note about making this recipe easier).

  • Bake for 20 minutes. Top with bread and butter mixutre and bake for 5 more minutes or unitl the bread is golden brown.

  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

You want to cook your egg noodles according to package instructions, subtracting 2 minutes from the boiling time. For example if your package says to cook for 10 to 12 minutes, you want to cook your noodles for 8 minutes.

If you want to make this recipe easier, skip the bread and make this with 1 cup of broken down Ritz crackers that have been tossed with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Serving: 1cup Calories: 257kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) Protein: 17g (34%) Fat: 8g (12%) Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 56mg (19%) Sodium: 913mg (40%) Potassium: 257mg (7%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 30IU (1%) Vitamin C: 5mg (6%) Calcium: 38mg (4%) Iron: 12mg (67%)

Author: Lisa Longley

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (7)

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Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe

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Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the list of ingredients for tuna noodle casserole? ›

Use 2 cans soup, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup pimiento, two 12-ounce cans tuna, 6 ounces (about 4 cups) egg noodles, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon butter. Bake in a 2-quart casserole for 30 minutes or until hot, then for another 5 to brown the bread crumb mixture.

Do you cook noodles before putting them in a casserole? ›

When making a casserole, especially one you plan to enjoy as leftovers, don't cook the pasta as you would for an unbaked pasta dish. If you do, the added cooking in the oven will make your noodles a mushy mess, resulting in a dish that is more discomforting than comforting.

Why is my tuna casserole so dry? ›

A possible reason for this is that you added too much pasta or not enough liquid. The pasta absorbs liquid, so you should use a generous amount of sauce to keep the dish moist. Your tuna casserole can also become dry due to overbaking.

How do you moisten leftover tuna casserole? ›

Alternatively, Foods Guy recommends adding a splash of water or chicken stock to your casserole and covering it with plastic wrap before microwaving, which will add new moisture and lock in the steam, ensuring a perfectly moist reheated tuna casserole.

What is the main ingredient in a casserole? ›

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

What are the 4 parts of a casserole? ›

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

Should I cook my noodles in the sauce? ›

Just before the sauce is done cooking, the hot pasta is added to the saucepan. Generally speaking, we recommend cooking the pasta in the sauce together for about 1-2 minutes.

Is it better to cook casserole the day before or? ›

Putting a casserole together a day or so before baking ensures that everything is ready to go when dinner time rolls around. That means no rushing at the last minute. Along with greater convenience, making a casserole ahead of time also results in a richer, deeper taste.

Do you add egg or noodles first? ›

If I'm boiling the noodles on the stove for three minutes, I measure the right amount of water, and after the noodles are cooked I usually lift (most) of the noodles out of the water and into the bowl, drop the egg in and let it cook in the water while I add the seasoning to the noodles, then pour the egg (and as much ...

How do you thicken tuna casserole? ›

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener.

Use one tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of liquid you would like to thicken. Stir out all the lumps. A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking.

Why doesn't canned tuna need to be cooked? ›

Canned tuna is cooked during the canning process. It is not raw. It is completely cooked.

How many days can you eat tuna casserole? ›

Store your leftover tuna noodle casserole in a shallow, airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat thoroughly in the oven or in the microwave.

Can I eat tuna casserole that was left out overnight? ›

If you reheat food that was forgotten on the counter overnight or was left out all day, will it be safe to eat? TWO HOURS is the MAXIMUM time perishable foods should be at room temperature (ONE HOUR at temperatures 90 degrees F and higher). This INCLUDES the time they're on the table during your meal.

Can you eat tuna casserole the next day? ›

According to Project Meal Plan, a cooked tuna casserole can last for about four days when kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, if there are signs of spoilage like atypical aromas or the presence of mold, then it's wise to dispose of the casserole.

Which method should he use to safely cool the tuna casserole? ›

Divide the casserole into smaller portions. Use a shallow dish for faster cooling. Cool the freshly cooked casserole from 135°F (57°C) to 70°F (21°C) within two hours before refrigerating. You can use the ice-water or ice-paddle technique to cool the food product quickly.

What are the main ingredients in canned tuna? ›

Finally, despite being canned, many brands of canned tuna are minimally processed, containing only tuna, water or oil, and salt. Some brands may also add seasonings or broth for extra flavor. Canned tuna is an inexpensive, low calorie source of protein and other important nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids.

What are five basic components of most casseroles? ›

According to food blog High Heeled Homemaker, your basic casserole requires five ingredients: a protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and cheese. If you have those five ingredients in your casserole dish, congratulations; you just made a casserole, whether it's a beloved recipe or a concoction of your own creation.

What are the ingredients in tuna chunks? ›

Ingredients
  • Tuna [Fish],
  • Water,
  • Salt.

What is tuna pasta made of? ›

Canned tuna is tossed with chopped tomatoes, olives, red onions, capers, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice, and then tossed again with hot fusilli pasta and shredded mozzarella cheese. The hot pasta melts the cheese into the tuna mixture.

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