Tuna Casserole

At a glance

What stands out: This straightforward tuna casserole recipe is packed with flavor and has an unexpected crunch. It’s made with pantry ingredients for those nights when you forgot to take anything out to thaw. Straightforward and rich!

How long it takes: 50 minutes (most of that is baking time)
Equipment you’ll need: large mixing bowl, large saucepan, baking dish
Servings: 8

Old-School Comfort

Classic tuna casserole is one of our husband’s all-time favorites. It’s not fancy. It’s not trendy. It’s not going viral on TikTok. But it is filling, dependable, and deeply comforting, sort of the same idea as cheeseburger tater tot casserole or one pan chicken and rice.

Tuna casserole is the kind of dinner you make when you forgot to thaw meat (again) and everyone is hungry. A few little upgrades make this version extra good — but it still keeps that old-school, home-cooked charm.

What makes it special:

• Made with pantry items. One of the attractive features of tuna noodle casserole is that you can make it with pantry items. It’s reliable for that weeknight when you forget to thaw meat. That happens to us with some regularity and we're sure we're not the only one.
• A couple of surprise ingredients. We've added a few embellishments (optional of course!) to enhance the flavor, texture, and nutrition of tuna casserole. Water chestnuts add terrific crunch, and sweet green peas are colorful and nutritious.

What goes in

• Noodles: Egg noodles, whole wheat noodles, macaroni, or rotini, it’s your choice. Cook whatever you choose according to package directions. We like to cook the pasta al dente, or slightly undercooked, because it continues to cook in the casserole as it’s baked.
• Cream of Chicken Soup: If cream of chicken isn’t your thing, try cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup. Look for Lighter Choice or Lower Sodium soup, if you’re concerned about the salt content.
• Solid White Albacore Tuna: We like this type of tuna a standby, packed in water. Feel free to use the tuna you like best. We know that white albacore has more mercury than skipjack tuna but as long as you don’t eat tuna casserole every day, you probably don’t have to worry.
• Add-Ins: We like to add canned sliced water chestnuts (look for them in the Asian aisle of the grocery store). Frozen peas (no need to thaw) add color, flavor, and nutrition. Sharp cheddar cheese adds a lot of pizzazz to the casserole.

Canned Soup

Ordinarily here at Bomumo, we try to stay away from over-processed foods; however, we do use canned cream of chicken soup in our tuna noodle casserole. It’s speedy, straightforward, and gets the job done. However, if you want to make your casserole without soup, make a creamy sauce like the one in our green bean casserole to replace the soup.

How it comes together

Get ready. Turn the oven on to preheat and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or another large casserole dish. Open the cans; drain and roughly chop the water chestnuts.

Cook the pasta. Cook the noodles as directed on the package.

Combine the ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the tuna, soup, most of the cheese, water chestnuts, and peas. There’s no need to thaw the peas first. Stir the mixture well.

Stir in the noodles. When the noodles are ready, drain them, and add them to the bowl. Stir lightly until everything is all mixed up.

Bake. Spread the mixture into the prepared dish, top it with a little more cheese, and bake until heated through and lightly browned on top.

Serve. If you want to round out the meal, serve a crisp green salad like this straightforward arugula salad with your tuna noodle casserole. A fresh citrus salad is a good go-along, too. If you have room for dessert, try old-fashioned from-scratch chocolate pudding.

Helpful Tips

Preheat the oven. You may not think that preheating the oven is essential but it is. The bottom coils in the oven get hot when the oven preheats and tend to burn the bottom of the casserole if you put it in while the oven is preheating.

Add enough liquid. If your tuna casserole turns out dry, this is the most common problem. Even after cooking, noodles continue to soak up moisture. Try stirring a half cup of milk into the mixture before baking if your casserole consistently turns out dry. We find that this is a matter of preference.

Don’t overbake. Tuna noodle casserole is mostly cooked before you put it in the oven; it merely has to heat up. If you bake it too long, it will dry out. If you happen to use an overly large pan, the casserole will be spread more thinly and will need less time to heat.

Ways to change it

• Alternate toppings: Instead of shredded cheese, consider crushed potato chips, french fried onions (from a can), buttered bread crumbs, crushed Ritz crackers mixed with melted butter and shredded cheese. If you don’t add a topping at all, cover the pan with foil when you bake it so the top of the casserole doesn’t dry out.
• Include onions. If you like onions (and our husband does not), stir in finely minced onions.
• Substitute chicken. If you’re not a fan of tuna, cooked shredded chicken is great, too. Canned chicken is also a good substitute.

Make Ahead Tip

This recipe makes a large casserole. If you’re cooking for a smaller group, divide the mixture between two baking dishes. Bake one casserole to eat now, and freeze the other for a straightforward meal in the future.

Wrap it securely, label it, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking as directed.

Keeping leftovers

Leftover tuna casserole can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, larger amounts in your toaster oven or oven.

Free Meal Plans

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #20 or Meal Plan #77. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 35 minutes
• Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 ounces) egg noodles (or whole wheat wide noodles)
• 2 cans (10 ¾ ounces each) cream of chicken soup (look for low-sodium or Healthy Request)
• 2 cans (5 ounces each) solid white albacore tuna in water (or any type of canned tuna)
• 1 can (5 ounces) sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 2 cups frozen peas (unthawed)
• ¼ cup finely minced onion (optional)
• 1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook noodles according to directions on package. When finished cooking, drain.
3. Meanwhile, open the cans of soup, tuna, and water chestnuts. Drain the tuna and water chestnuts; roughly chop the water chestnuts if there's large pieces.
4. In a very large bowl, mix together cooked pasta, cream of chicken soup, tuna, water chestnuts, frozen peas, onion (optional) and 1 cup of the cheese. Mix until everything is combined.
5. Spread casserole mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese or top with optional topping (see notes).
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. If noodles are getting too crispy for your liking, cover with foil.

Notes

Optional toppings: Instead of shredded cheese, top the tuna casserole with crushed potato chips, canned fried onions, crushed Ritz crackers or bread crumbs mixed with melted butter and cheese. Top casserole with desired topping before baking, bake as directed. (If you don’t add a topping at all, cover the pan with foil when you bake it so the top of the casserole doesn’t dry out.)

Make ahead: Bake one now, freeze one to eat later. Divide the mixture evenly between two baking dishes. Bake one today, and freeze the other casserole, wrapped and labeled, to eat later. For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed.

Troubleshooting: Try stirring a half cup of milk into the mixture before baking if your casserole consistently turns out dry. If you prefer, cover the casserole with foil to prevent the top from drying out. If you added toppings, uncover the casserole for the last 10 minutes of baking.