Tuna Casserole
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Tuna casserole recipe is what comfort food eats when it’s sad. Creamy pasta with flaky tuna, noodles, and bright peas is the perfect pick-me-up dish!
Tuna Casserole
Tuna Casserole
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Ingredient Notes for Tuna Casserole
- Egg noodles – Wide egg noodles.
- Peas – We use frozen, but canned works too. Frozen peas will be firmer and have a brighter green color.
- Tuna – Canned/drained.
- Condensed soup – We like cream of mushroom or cream of celery for this recipe.
- Milk – Preferably whole milk, but low fat or fat free will also work.
- Cheddar cheese – Shredded. Mexican or fiesta blend is good too.
- Bread crumbs – Panko. Traditional or Italian seasoned are also yummy.
- Butter – Salted/melted.
- Salt & pepper – To taste.
How to prepare the best tuna casserole
Can you make tuna casserole ahead of time?
Yes! I love to prep this a day or two in advance and then pop it in the oven when we’re ready to eat it. This is a perfect meal planning dish.
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Do I have to cook the noodles before baking?
In this recipe the noodles should be boiled first. You can do them al dente (slightly firm) because they will continue to cook in the casserole, but you do not want to add them dry.
What kind of condensed soup for tuna noodle casserole recipe?
We typically use cream of mushroom or cream of celery, but any of the “cream of” soups will work.
Storing your leftovers
How long does tuna casserole with noodles last?
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days or in the freezer for several weeks.
Can you freeze tuna noodle casserole?
Yes, you can freeze it before or after baking. When freezing before baking it’s best to use a disposable pan (so your baking dish isn’t stuck in the freezer for months!).
Cover tightly with at least two layers of foil. If freezing for an especially long time it helps to also wrap the entire dish in saran wrap. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Can you cook tuna casserole from frozen?
Yes, to cook the casserole from frozen add 45 – 60 minutes to the baked time. Bake covered with foil for the extra initial cook time, uncover during the last 20 minutes.
Tuna casserole tips
🧅 Try topping the casserole with crunchy onions like we do in our green bean casserole recipe.
🔥 Add some heat by stirring in a tablespoon or two of sriracha or Frank’s Red Hot sauce.
🥶 Make your future self happy by whipping up a double batch and freezing one pan for later.
🥕 Try it with mixed vegetables instead of peas, or canned chicken instead of tuna!
More noodle casserole recipes to enjoy
- Baked spaghetti casserole recipe
- Meatball noodle casserole recipe
- Taco noodle casserole recipe
- Pizza casserole recipe
- See all our easy casserole recipes
Other tuna recipes you’ll love
- Tuna pasta salad recipe
- Tuna patties recipe
- Tuna stuffed tomatoes recipe
- See all our recipes with seafood
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How to Make Tuna Casserole
Tuna Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 10 ounces canned tuna drained (2 small cans)
- 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup* 10.5 ounces, each
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil egg noodles according to package directions, drain and return to pot.
- To the noodles, add the peas, tuna, soup, milk, and shredded cheddar. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Press noodles into a 9×13 inch buttered casserole dish.
- Mix together the panko crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over the noodle mixture.
- Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling and browned on top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Tuna Casserole
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Tools we love
- Glass casserole dish with lid – I love this dish, it can go from freezer to oven!
- Metal spatula – We like a metal spatula for getting heavy piles of noodles out easily.
Originally published: 1/11/2021, Updated: 5/15/2025
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thank you for telling me i have never tryed to send mail to one of you good cooks
Almost the same recipe my Mom made for us when we were growing up except she used canned evaporated milk. I think it makes the casserole even creamier. Same amount just evaporated instead
I use canned peas and carrot mix in mine
Panko bread crumbs
I have used cheese soup and mushroom soup together with frozen diced vegetable mix (store brand mix, onions, celery, green peppers, red peppers and carrots) along with Italian blend shredded cheese. Of course frozen peas, or any other veg on hand will work, as long as they’re frozen. Canned veggies go mushy I find. On top I put Italian seasoned bread crumbs with a little Parmesan and butter. Oh yeah and the noodles are broad egg noodles. Yummy 😋
I like to use frozen vegetables, either peas or mixed.
I like evaporated milk and extra frozen English peas in mine. Come to think of it, I haven’t made it in ages…I think it is about time to do it again!
My made hers much like this, she didn’t do the crumb topping, just cheese. I would omit the peas, I really do not like them. Panko sounds great for topping.
I use frozen peas and carrot mix.
I would use a combination of half Italian seasoned bread crumbs and half Panko break crumbs. That way you get both the flavor and the crunch.
The 7 of us love this recipe, I double or triple it and use extra soup for creaminess and extra cheese because everyone loves cheese!
I like using Frozen Peas & Panko Crumbs. I think adding some Pepper-Jack cheese would be a great addition.
I ran out of egg noodles so substituted with elbow noodles. Kids loved it! Also crushed up Ritz crackers sautéed in butter as the topping which gave it a wonderful flavor!
Looking forward to making this as it sounds yummy, especially with the Panko topping and the extra soup for the creamiest.
Thanks for the recipe. Heading to the store now.
My husband and I love this! Just wrote it down in my recipe book! He adds a little buffalo to his and I mix in unsweetened applesauce. (I’ve done that since a kid, delish)
Added 2 cans of mushrooms- absolutely delicious!
Delish, added my own seasonings and a bit more milk.
It was a huge hit with the fam.
I only had 1 can of condensed soup so I halved the recipe but added extra cheese because, you know, cheese. Otherwise I stuck to the recipe verbatim. We used to make this in college but added sautéed onions and then crushed potato chips for topping. This is a solid recipe and perfect for making small changes to make it your own. Thank you!
This was the first tuna casserole that I made, I ended up having to use the sea shell noodles, which I won’t do again. I added in an extra cup of shredded harp cheddar cheese, because we are massive cheese lovers in the house, but everyone LOVED the recipe and it will be going in our recipe book for future use. Thank you so much!