Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole is definitely a throwback weeknight dinner. It’s a comfort food classic for me for sure! Egg noodles, cream soup and tuna are the main ingredients to a quick dinner on the table in 30 minutes!
What You Will ❤️ About Tuna Noodle Casserole
We had this casserole once a week growing up – because it was easy and I could make it – which was essential in a single parent household. Boil some noodles, mix it all together and pop it in the oven! It all comes together for a perfect comforting dinner.
What ingredients are in Tuna Casserole recipe?
- Egg noodles – I like to use the No Yolks Dumpling Noodles because I like the wide egg noodles – but any egg noodles you prefer will work!
- Egg noodles are a lighter texture than something like elbow macaroni – which works well with this casserole.
- tuna – I bought a “good” can of solid white albacore tuna packed in water but grew up using the cheaper chunk light tuna packed in oil – but anything will work!
- This recipe uses one can of tuna – but you can make it meatier by using two cans tuna if you like
- cream of mushroom soup – you can swap cream of celery soup or cream of chicken if you’re not a mushroom fan. I could eat the cream of mushroom cold right out of the can! It’s so salty!
- peas – in my house – we never added vegetables – but you can add frozen peas, carrots, green beans – or saute fresh vegetables like onions, celery and mushrooms and add in
- milk – This combines with the soup to make a creamy sauce – we always measured by using the soup can – 1/2 can is about 1/2 cup milk
- salt & pepper – the soup is quite salty – but give it a taste before you pop it in the oven and add a little salt & pepper as needed. If you’re feeling crazy, add a little garlic powder too.
- crispy fried onions – the topping! Our house was all about the crispy fried onions but many folks used crushed potato chips
How to Make Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
A dish so easy, even a 12 year old can make it! How do I know? Because I did it! I was in charge of having dinner on the table and this was one of my staples every week.
- Preheat oven to 400º and spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray
- In a large pot, add water and bring to a boil on stove. Add 1 tbsp salt to water. When water is boiling, add egg noodles and cook according to package instructions.
- While pasta cooks, drain can of tuna and use a fork to flake into bite-sized pieces
- Once noodles are done, drain water from pot.
- To the pot with the noodles, add tuna, cream of mushroom soup, peas, milk, salt and pepper and stir until combined.
- Pour noodle mixture into casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the top with crispy fried onions
- Place casserole dish in oven and bake for 20 minutes
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
You need more liquid than just the cream soup. I add about 1/2 can of milk but you could also add 1/2 cup of sour cream so it will be even creamier!
Yes! There’s not enough liquid to cook them in the recipe. Some recipes will add chicken broth and that can cook the noodles while baking – but not this one.
That’s a pretty good question! It depends. For this casserole – you’re only baking 20 minutes just to heat up the soup – so you don’t really need to undercook the pasta. But if you’re baking a casserole for a while (macaroni and cheese) – then yes – it’s a good idea to cook it to “al dente” so it’s got some bite left as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Uh – hot. Ya weirdos!
Yes – you can make this casserole the night before – but wait to put your onions/chips on top until you’re ready to bake. You can also pre-make this casserole, cover it with foil and freeze it. Then, thaw in the refrigerator and bake when you need a quick dinner!
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate up to a week – or freeze up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Toppings – Our house was a crispy fried onions house – but you can also crush up potato chips or Ritz crackers. If using crackers, you also want to melt 2-3 tablespoons melted butter and pour over the crackers. You could even sprinkle with panko bread crumbs for a quick and easy crunch on top.
- Canned Meat – You can swap out and use canned ham (my favorite) or even canned chicken or salmon
- Vegetables – Feel free to add more frozen vegetables like carrots or green beans. You could also saute mushrooms and add those to the casserole. You can also just leave the vegetables out all together!
- Shredded Cheese – we NEVER added cheese but cheese does make everything better – feel free to add some grated cheddar cheese into the mixture if you like.
- Soup – If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you could use Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken soup.
What to serve with Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ok – my house ALWAYS had blueberry muffins with Tuna Casserole. I thought everybody did this!!! Then, I made it for my ex-husband and he was like, “Uh blueberry muffins?” And that’s when I found out – we were the only household in America that ate them together. So- if you’re normal – here are some other ideas to serve with Old Fashioned Tuna Noodles:
More Casserole Recipes
More Tuna Recipes
Old Fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups wide egg noodles
- 5 oz can tuna
- 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º and spray a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray
- In a large pot, add water and bring to a boil on stove. Add 1 tbsp salt to water. When water is boiling, add egg noodles and cook according to package instructions.3 cups wide egg noodles
- While pasta cooks, drain can of tuna and use a fork to flake into bite-sized pieces5 oz can tuna
- Once noodles are done, drain water from pot.
- To the pot with the noodles, add tuna, cream of mushroom soup, peas, milk, salt and pepper and stir until combined.10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup frozen peas, 1/2 cup 2% milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Pour noodle mixture into casserole dish and top with crispy fried onions.1/2 cup crispy fried onions
- Place casserole dish in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
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