Homemade classic tuna noodle casserole, the quintessential American dish made from scratch and under $10 to make, the kids love it!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuna casserole is classic comfort food! The ingredients are simple – canned tuna, mushrooms, peas, noodles in a homemade creamy sauce (without canned soup) finished with toasted breadcrumbs. Keeping canned tuna on hand is a great way to whip up quick lunches and dinners like the classic Tuna Melt or Tuna Macaroni Salad.
I love a bowl of this healthier tuna noodle recipe. Lots of recipes call for canned cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup. This recipe is made from scratch, with real ingredients, no canned soups and it’s so good.
Ingredients:
- Noodles – for the noodles you can use no-yolk noodles, elbow pasta, penne pasta or brown rice pasta for gluten free
- White Sauce – butter, onion, all purpose flour or gluten free flour mix, chicken broth and milk, plus optional sherry, for more flavor
- Mushrooms – sliced baby bella mushrooms or white button mushrooms
- Vegetables – Frozen petite peas or use peas and carrots
- Canned Tuna – canned albacore or chunk light tuna in water, drained
- Cheese – reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
- Topping – whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese
- Fresh Parsley – for garnish
How to make homemade tuna casserole from scratch
- Cook noodles in a large pot if boiling salted water until al dente, or slightly under cooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a deep, large skillet. Add onions to the melted butter and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat
- Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with cooking spray.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil.
- When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 7 to 9 minutes).
- Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.
- Remove from heat and add the reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated.
- Pour the mixture into casserole and top with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).
Variations
- Veggies: You can easily adapt this with different vegetables, try it with frozen peas and carrots, broccoli, etc
- Swap out canned tuna: If you don’t like tuna fish, you can use leftover chicken breast or salmon.
- Noodles: Use whole wheat noodles or gluten-free in place of white noodles
- Pasta: Elbow macaroni can be used in place of egg noodles
- Add some minced garlic or garlic powder with the onions. Feel free to adjust salt and black pepper to your taste.
- Optional Topping Ideas: Top with baked, crushed potato chips, french-fried onions or crushed ritz crackers in place of parmesan and panko.
Can you freeze a tuna casserole?
Yes, there’s two ways to freeze it. A make-ahead method which is great for a busy weeknight meal, or you can freeze the leftovers.
For the make-ahead method, prepare everything up to the point of baking in the baking dish. Once you’ve combined everything with the exception of the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, cover tight with plastic wrap, then foil and label it with the name and date. To cook, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, top with Parmesan and bread crumbs and bake.
Leftover, oven-baked tuna casserole can also be frozen. To do so transfer the leftovers to an airtight container then freeze. To cook, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat.
Is Tuna Casserole good the next day?
Yes, you can reheat tuna casserole the next day. For storage, refrigerate in an airtight containter up to 4 days.
More Canned Tuna Recipes:
- Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Tuna Lettuce Wraps with Avocado Yogurt Dressing
- Canned Tuna Ceviche
- Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Italian Tuna and Brown Rice Salad
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 ounces no-yolk noodles, or egg noodles of choice
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, minced fine
- 3 tbsp flour, or gluten free flour
- 1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 1 ounce sherry, optional
- 10 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
- 2 5 oz cans tuna in water, drained (I used albacore)
- 4 ounces 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar, such as Cabot
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
- fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat
- Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil.
- When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 7 to 9 minutes).
- Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.
- Remove from heat and add the reduced fat sharp cheddar and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated.
- Pour into casserole and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).
I messed this up about 7 different ways and it was still *delicious*. I’ve tried probably 5 different “top rated” tuna noodle recipes and this is boss.
Thanks Jess!
Very nice! It was an excellent tradeoff between flavor and calories. I halved the recipe and was worried that 3oz of noodles wasn’t going to be enough, so bumped it up to 4oz. There was absolutely no need for that. For me, half a recipe made three large portions, and I would not have missed that extra 1oz.
I love this and make it all the time. It’s great as written but also good substituting rotisserie chicken for the tuna for a chicken noodle casserole. All the nostalgic Midwest vibes without the dreaded canned cream soups. Thanks, Gina!
The recipe is truly delicious but definitely requires some tweaking! If you’re planning to use gluten free flour beware that you may have a hard time getting it to thicken. I also adjusted seasonings so it wasn’t quite as bland. And I would plan on doubling the recipe if you’re making it for your family! The recipe really doesn’t make that much. If I don’t double it then I at least always add an extra can of tuna, more noodles and peas to make it more substantial.
Easy to put together. My family enjoys it. Brings back fond memories of when I was little!
One of our favorite recipes! We make this regularly and it’s great as leftovers.
Just adding to the accolades as I’ve made this numerous times. I grew up eating cream of whatever soup recipes and made Tuna Helper as a newlywed. It’s not as quick as Tuna helper, but this is fresh, healthy, ecomical, and delicious. Thank you for sharing!!
Excellent. Threw a bit more cheese in, and extra seasoned salt. Will definitely make again. Love that it is from scratch!!
Love this yummie recipe!
FANTASTIC!!! I cut back the broth to 1&1/4 cups and added tarragon, which went oh so well with the sherry!!! Will definitely make again. This is a great base you could change up i. so many ways for example chicken & broccoli or kidney beans & greens.
Ohhhh tuna noddle casserole for 2023 😍I used to eat TNC as a kid. It was pretty much just okay. Definitely not my favorite. I probably wouldn’t have considered it again if not for SkinnyTaste.
I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe as did my hubby! Cooked with all ingredients as instructed. I will say – at the point of cooking the mushrooms and peas and sherry – mine didn’t seem to be thickening so I cooked a bit more. I don’t think I needed to though because when I added the tuna it actually immediately thickened right up. And I had no watery issues with the finished product.
I am going to freeze half since I have some left over pasta for lunch tomorrow already and I’m excited to see how it tastes after!
I’ve made this particular recipe several times— and it’s always delicious! My husband begs me to make it when a couple of weeks go by without it!
Lunch for the week! So easy and soooo good.
Not a big mushroom fan but made recipe as written and I actually loved it, mushrooms and all! I will be making this again.
This recipe brought me back to my childhood when it was a staple in my house! Very good! I used regular cheese since I can’t get reduced fat version.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is such a great recipe… I used regular shrooms and you couldn’t tell the difference.. make it !!!
This is the second time this month I’m making this tuna fish casserole. My husband loves it! I did not have Sherry in the house so I used sake and it’s delicious! passed the recipe onto my four kids thinking their families will enjoy it as much as we did.
Very tasty. I added fresh thyme to the sauce mix and a little dried thyme and parsley to the bread crumbs / parm mixture on the top.
So so so good! I’ve never been a fan of tuna noodle casserole but gave this a try and it is now a family favorite. We double the batch every time so we have one on hand to freeze.
This really isn’t very good. My husband, who loves tuna casserole, could not eat this. It has an odd taste and is very watery. It was a waste of ingredients to make this. Sorry folks.
Really good. No artificial taste.
This is so good I’m not sure 1 serving is gonna be enough😳
Definitely a healthier version of tuna casserole. Loved how easy it was and it didn’t disappoint.
Love this!!! The only TNC I make now. I stopped using the can soups years ago because of all the junk in them. Making this tonight with veggie broth because of lent. Thank you!!
Made this.
Used Velveeta shreds as it’s less calories and melts better.
Also used “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light” since it’s less calories than butter.
I ate a quarter of the total casserole for only 423 calories.
And it tasted rich and creamy and way better than grandmas.
Can not remember the last time I made a tuna noodle casserole. I am gluten free and so may recipes call for canned soup. We really enjoyed the casserole. Used gluten free noodles and I did sauté the mushrooms in the butter, added in the onions and gluten free flour to brown before adding other ingredients. Something I will be making again.
Made this tonight. We followed the recipe exactly. It really turned out great. Our 16 year-old liked it too. It will be in our “winners” rotation.
I have made this several times and it is delicious! My husband also loves it!
Could I make this with shredded chicken instead of tuna?
Yes!
that was what i was thinking! i can’t eat fish, soooooooo
This is in my regular rotation along with your chicken enchilada zucchini boats! This one feels like home but is completely from scratch which makes me feel good about what I’m putting into my body. Thanks for this!!
Where and when do you add the milk? I didnt see it.
Direction #5- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil.
I made this last night with Monterey Jack cheese (all I had on hand). It was wonderful!
DELICIOUS!! I’m making it again tonight because I loved it so much when I made it a couple weeks ago! I added 2 cans of tuna instead of one, because I felt there wasn’t enough tuna last time but I love this recipe
The recipe does call for two cans. I was thinking the same, and then noticed it calls for 2 anyway 🙂
I made this BUT I used cauliflower rice instead of pasta. Followed the recipe exactly but that and let me tell you, it’s FANTASTIC.
I loved this! It reminded me a lot of tuna helper but healthier.
Is this cooking sherry ir sherry vinegar ?
It’s sherry, the alcohol. Tip – get a better quality sherry from the liquor store. Much better than cooking sherry from the grocery store.
Really great recipe! Prepared exactly as written. Kids and husband all liked it. Cannot wait to make this one again!
I’m kind of a foodie and would normally not even think to make a tuna casserole but I was looking for ways to use canned tuna and came across this recipe.
I basically made it exactly as directed but added a bit more fresh-grated Parmesan to the breadcrumbs than was called for. It was truly delicious and I will definitely make it again.
If you follow the recipe properly, there is the exact right amount of liquid. I let it sit on the stovetop and cool for about 15 minutes after it came out of the oven and it was perfect 😊😋
I am so happy you liked it!!
Yummy casserole! Followed recipe exactly, came out perfect. The only thing I did different is I add the juice and zest of a small lemon and fresh Italian parsley when I make tuna casseroles. It brightens and enhances tuna. This will be my forever Tuna Casserole recipe!
I made this today as my meal prep for the week!!! I added a few chopped up carrots, thyme, garlic, and another can of tuna. The sauce was perfect, not runny at all. AND very flavorful!!! I ate some tonight and it is delicious!!! I look forward to having it this week again. I always love your recipes!! You are one of my go to sites when meal planning.Thank you!!!
I sautéed the mushrooms along with the onions and some salt, pepper and thyme. I think this adds a lot of flavor compared to tossing the mushrooms in with the liquid later on. I also used fresh grated parmesan cheese instead of cheddar (maybe about 1/3 cup). With these modifications, it came out great. Even the baby liked it!
I’m from the midwest so this is a comfort meal from my childhood. My husband thinks tuna casserole is an abomination. I made this anyway for myself- guess who ate it and liked it? The husband and the kids all enjoyed this. I loved that it was packed with flavor despite being a healthy remix. Also so happy to have a meal with leftovers for lunchs!
This was NOT a casserole, it was soup!! Way too much liquid as written. I followed the measurements and instructions to a T but I was very disappointed. Next time I will make my own version – with a lot less liquids.
Really delicious! Added some thyme, cracked pepper, and red pepper flakes to the sauce to add some oomph. Excited to have half this week and freeze half for later.
Love this modernized throwback recipe. Everyone enjoyed it!
This was so yummy! The fresh mushrooms are such a nice touch. So much better than the canned soup!
This is the perfect tuna casserole. No guilt in enjoying every single bite. My husband loves this dish and he is not a huge tuna fan! Prepare it just the way the recipe is written. It will not fail you!
As written, this is not exactly a recipe I enjoy. When I substitute the gluten-free and low-fat items with full gluten, full fat items this recipe is very delicious (minus any mushrooms – I don’t do fungus at all). I do use a low salt reduced fat chicken broth. I also add in Le Sueur brand canned baby peas (drained and rinsed), but only add just prior to baking at step 8 for example, The no-yolk noodles as suggested are not too bad at all. I just use general bread crumbs as I have never run across whole wheat bread crumbs.
HELP!! I have everything ready to mix this casserole but there seem to be so so much cheddar cheese. Is it supposed to be 4 ounces in weight? Or is it half a cup? I have to have dinner on the table in less than one hour 😩😩😩
I WANT TO MAKE THIS TUNA CASSEROLE, IF I WANT IT TO YIELD 3 SERVINGS HOW DO I CALCULATE FOR 3 PORTIONS . THIS IS TO HAVE A BIT LEFT OVER. THANK YOU
This recipe is for 6 servings… cut it in half to have 3 servings (using common sense, not common core math).
Use a 6×6 casserole dish as well to cook in since the amount is less.
This was super delicious! This is a nice healthy twist to Tuna Helper.
Delicious! I followed the recipe and use Chickpea rotini noodles and arrowroot for the flour. I have saved this for next time!
This is a great recipe. I love it as written. I recently underwent bariatric surgery and unfortunately the noodles are a no go. I decided to try with spaghetti squash instead of the egg noodles (along with a couple of other small tweaks to comply with my post surgery diet). It is delicious. Your recipes are great, easy to make, and really appreciated when I struggle to find recipes with enough protein in them!
My family loves when I make this. They have no idea it’s a “skinny” recipe.
Such a great recipe! Everyone had seconds! I did add diced celery and diced red pepper which meant I added 2 more tablespoons of butter to sauté with the diced onion. 😋
Yum, keeper recipe!
I used 1c raw rice instead of noodles and added a few shakes of smoked paprika and chili powder after trying the sauce. Then hot sauce after plating.
People that complain about the flavor are ungrateful, the author provided an amazing recipe that can be tweaked to ones liking.
Thank you for this wonderful comfort food recipe, we devoured it w/o guilt.
This was a major fail for me. I made it last night just as written and it was completely tasteless. I even included dry sherry . I was very disappointed
jane, i always taste sauces when i start to cook them after everything is added. it was bland to me so i added about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, garlic powder to taste, and some fresh herbs from my garden. it was delicious! the recipe is really good, for me it definitely needed salt, pepper and spices, but the bread crumbs i had were not seasoned—perhaps that was the difference. cooking is an art, sometimes you have to add a pop of color!
This is a yummy tuna noodle casserole just right for a cold winter night. I love the mushrooms in it. The sherry is a must… gives a great flavor. The only thing I changed is I sauteed the mushrooms before adding them to the sauce..
Delicious! Used veggie broth and oat milk because that’s what I had on hand. Added garlic powder and ground thyme as well. Was so good I couldn’t stop eating it before I put it in the oven!
Love this recipe. My family and friends love it – Even the ones that thought they hated tuna casserole. I make it all the time. It is so easy to make. I actually use brown rice tagliatelle noodles instead of egg noodles and it is just amazing.
It was easy, but way too much onion which ruined the final results. I might try it again with half the amount of onion or just onion powder. To be fair, I omitted the sherry which affected the final product. LOVED the mushrooms and the saucey parts.
Followed the recipe exactly and as my husband said, this is tasty! Great recipe, Gina. Thanks so much
So sorry but this was tasteless.
This recipe was soooooo good! Making it weekly now 🙂 I subbed peas for chopped spinach, worked just fine!
Good recipe – here’s my modifications. First, I needed to slightly up the quantity in order to get two full meals for my wife & me. (casseroles = work + cleanup). I used 9 ounces of noodles, 14 ounces of mushrooms, 4 tablespoons of flour, 2 cups of low sodium veggie broth and 1 1/4 cup of unsweetened soy milk (silk). Instead of the sherry I used 1 tbsp premium light soy sauce & 1/2 tbsp of Worcestershire. I cooked the noodles in advance and drizzled in some olive oil to prevent sticking and stored them in the fridge. For the tinned fish I used a 5 oz can of “Safe Catch” wild yellow fin tuna, and a 7 oz can of Whole Foods 365 Salmon with skin & bones. I also substituted part skim shredded mozzarella (4 1/2 oz) for the cheddar. As mentioned by other posters I added frozen peas toward the end of the sauce reduction to prevent them from over cooking. Finally, I used a good 1/2 cup of panko and drizzled some good olive oil over the Parmesan & panko. Do broil the top a bit at the end – makes for a great crispy crust. Result was great, and we had enough left over for a 2nd meal.
Thank you for this recipe Gina! Super yummy! I sometimes make tuna casserole from the hamburger helper box and I thought hmm, I know Skinnytaste must have a better version of tuna casserole. & indeed she does! Our family doesn’t like mushrooms, so I subbed it with broccoli and it was still perfect. I will return to this recipe again in the future for an easy night’s meal.
Does this call for 6 oz of cooked noodles or 6 oz dry?
dry
Gina do I change anything if I use chicken instead of tuna?
Should be fine! 🙂
I used red bell pepper instead of mushrooms (since I didn’t have any on hand) and it turned out delicious. My 8 year old loved it as well. Thank you for the recipe.
Made this tonight…so delicious! I used 3 cans of tuna, a cup of cooked brown rice, and white wine instead of sherry. My husband was amazed at how flavourful it was and announced it is definitely a “do again”. Thank you so much.
This was awesome. I used to make it cream of mushroom soup. Never again. Next time I’ll have mushrooms.
An amazing recipe to channel your inner child! Everyone loved it!!!! I did 15 oz of tuna for extra protein!
Delicious light recipe but not light on flavor. This is definitely a keeper for me. I used 1/2 the amount of noodles to have more sauce and ensure leftovers were not dry. Didn’t use Sherry or bread crumbs. And used regular cheese instead of reduced fat. Baked at 350 for 35 minutes. Excellent recipe.
This was delicious! I also added pimentos !
This is by far one of the best recipes I have ever had. In my house we have a mushroom allergy but we substituted broccoli instead. Absolutely amazing. We will be making this again!
Thank you for this suggestion! I was just about to ask if taking out the mushrooms made a difference in the taste. Allergy in my house as well 🙂
This was so delicious!! I love tuna casserole and this is the best recipe I’ve tried yet. So flavorful and good for you too! I used whole wheat rotini and added carrots instead of mushrooms.
Love this, a favorite as a kid. I change it a bit, only two of us and with some adaptations I make it for 4 servings rather then 6. I only used 2.5 ounce dry Dellalo fettuccine noodles, added 3 ounces celery too and about 6 ounces steamed broccoli. I left the peas out and just cook them as a side. Cutting way back on noodle amount is fine with us and adding extra veggies helps make up for volume. Used just two wedges laughing cow white cheddar (70 calorie) to sub for shredded cheese. Another lower calorie trick I do is to boil water and pour over the noodles onion mushrooms and celery and cook length of time for cooking noodles and drain. Every thing cooks at once. Saw this method in another recipe and it works just fine. This is a great comfort food dish.
Anyone ever made this with canned clams??
Made this tonight. It was so good!
So good! My husband and 5 year old loved it too…
Excellent. Will make this on a regular basis
So so so good. I could have eaten the whole casserole by myself.
This is a great recipe. Even my extremely picky husband loves this. Thank you for all your delicious, healthy recipes
I wouldn’t think so- you have to make a sauce
Fantastic. Made exactly as written except I used 2% milk and full fat sharp cheese because both were in my fridge. Will try with Cabot’s reduced fat sharp cheddar next time. (You can’t go wrong with Cabot). This meal will become a staple. Thank you!
This recipe is delicious? I always double it for leftovers the next day.
Great casserole. Now having to adjust to using low sodium diet for my husband and me. Are there any suggestions to lower the sodium amount and still have great tasting meal.
Maybe use unsalted butter and low or no sodium broth? Or make your own broth ahead of time so you know what’s exactly in it.
Made this using gluten free rotini and cup for cup gluten free flour. It was excellent, husband and non-picky kid loved it. Perfect comfort food.
Easy to make, and really good!
Always a favorite! Instead of flour, I decided to add a 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum on step 5 after the boil. Worked great with a lower net carb pasta carb too.
Absolutely fabulous and delicious. The preparation easy. Also have made the shrimp and sausage sheet pan dinner. Again amazing.
Thank you.
S
Absolutely fabulous and delicious. The preparation easy. Also have made the shrimp and sausage sheet pan dinner. Again amazing.
Thank you.
S
Can you make this in a slow cooker? If so how long?
I couldn’t find frozen peas by themselves so I got peas and shredded carrots. The rest I did exactly as directed. Love this recipe! It’s even better as leftovers. 🥰
Question: 6 ounces of pasta: dry or wet?
Also: how many cups of cooked pasta is that equivalent to?
(I have some already cooked pasta and I don’t know how many ounces it is.)
This is the best tuna noodle I’ve made! The. Only change is I chop the mushrooms because my husband doesn’t like whole mushrooms but doesn’t mind chopped ones? He’s weird, either way I give this one a 10!!! This is my go to recipe from now on!
Made this exactly as stated except only had canned peas. It was very good and even better heated up the next day!
What if I don’t have mushrooms what could I use ?
So delicious!! Big hit! Thanks Gina
P.S. – the Sherry makes a difference that can’t be beat!!!
This is one of my and my husband’s favorite recipes! Since recently learning I have a dairy allergy, I’ve made some modifications to the recipe that I wanted to share in case anyone could also benefit. I have 1:1 substituted Earth Balance in place of butter and almond milk in place of milk. I have used almond milk several times to reduce the WW points and it works really well, I honestly can’t tell the difference in cooking or in taste.
My other substitute is to replace the cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast. This gives that cheesy flavor and, although not as strong and delicious as the cheddar cheese, tastes really good. I was really happy to find these substitutions worked so I can still enjoy one of our favorite recipes!
Thanks Emily!! I am also dairy free so this was very helpful 🙂
I’m dairy free as well so I appreciate the notes. Do you know how much nutritional yeast you used?
I’m also interested in the quantity of nutritional yeast 🙂
I add nutritional yeast to many things just because it’s good for you. Especially soups and stews. High in protein, fiber and B vitamins. I add 3 TBSP to a recipe or 2 TBSP to a smoothie or my oatmeal. Also, very good sprinkled on popcorn and in tomato juice. 0.5Gg of fat. 30mg sodium. I will definitely be putting it in this recipe! Sounds great!
I can’t remember exactly what year it was when I first made this recipe, but it was at least 7.5 years ago. It is still a fall favorite for me, and such a great recipe. I don’t really make any other casseroles, so that says something? 😀 I make this recipe without sherry- only because I’m too lazy to buy it for just this one thing. Otherwise, everything else is exact, and you can’t go wrong!
When I hit the WW Personal Points on this recipe and all the others, it takes me to a blank page. Are you going to link up WW w your recipes again? You’re my go to! I love your recipes!
Hi. Just trying this recipe tonight – with a few tweaks in seasoning based on other reviewer’s questions. I entered all of the ingredients into the Recipe Builder individually, and I come up with 7 points per serving (1/6 of casserole) on the Purple Plan. Not sure how you came up with 4 points . . . but I wish that were the calculation I came up with! I’m sure it will be really tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I have made many versions of tuna noodle casserole but this one my hubby raved about!
I didn’t have mushrooms but it was great without them. The only other ingredient I added was 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to give it extra creaminess. Delicious!
Is it really only 6 oz of noodles? Not 16oz?
Yes. I just cooked this recipe and I only had 5 oz recipe and it worked well. Additionally, Since I didn’t have noodles, I used Penne pasta. I also didn’t have the cheddar cheese listed, so I substituted Lacey Swiss cheese and a couple of Laughing Cow Swiss cheese wedges. My husband and I liked the outcome. I baked it for about 20 minutes and didn’t broil the top of the casserole
So good, just made again using 7 oz canned chicken and 16 oz browned mushrooms, amazing! Will use chicken from now on. Thank you Gina so love your recipes!
This was SO DELICIOUS!! I take liberties with seasoning when cooking so I added generous amounts of black pepper and garlic powder (highly recommend!), but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Will definitely be making this again!
This is amazing!
Loved it! So tasty and good and quick to make. No fake ingredients.
Best EVER tuna casserole. Loved learning to make my own cream of mushroom soup, and the Sherry was a heavenly addition!
We made this last week and making it again tonight. It’s soooo good. The only downside is limiting yourself to one serving.
I made this last night and found it to be delicious! Also quite easy to make. But the entire time I was eating it all I could think of is how delicious it would be made with crab meat. Yes, like my beloved Deviled Crab that I don’t make anymore because POINTS!! But I will be trying this with crab meat instead of tuna, and maybe do 1/2 cup peas and 1/2 cup celery. It is a GREAT recipe that I can see how I can change up with other seafood (shrimp maybe?) or chicken for a change. But don’t get me wrong, it’s GREAT (and economical!) with the tuna!
Glad you enjoyed it! Let me know how it comes out if you try the crab!
We didn’t even get 2 bites in and my husband and I both said this is a keeper. It is so tasty!
This tuna casserole recipe is really yummy. I added sautéed asparagus, 3 stalks of celery, tarragon, sage and a half cup of sour cream.
All those ingredients do not belong in traditional tuna noodle casserole such as mushrooms, peas, etc!
Recipes like this are just interchangeable with various ingredients. Use your imagination and do not insult the author
What are you talking about I’ve always have peas in tuna casserols!
We love this recipe. Clarification please. Recipe calls for 4 ozs cheddar and then in instructions, it says 1 cup. Don’t really care because we love cheese!
4 oz is 2 cups
Gina can you clarify though? The ingredients list says 4 oz, the instructions say add one cup. 4oz by weight is 2 cups.
I have updated this, but add all 4oz at the same time. 🙂
Has anyone tried making this w shiratake noodles or similar to cut the carbs a bit? Curious how it turned out.
Yes, I’ve tried your recipe as is. I like the basics of this recipe, however I think you’re way off the mark with the peas. You add them far too early and yields shriveled and gray peas for presentation. They should be added in step 8 not step 6 and I wouldn’t bother defrosting them.. Also, this seems extremely bland. Maybe people want it bland but the only mention of even the basic salt and pepper is in step 6 and very vague. There’s also no mention of the use of parsley as garnish which is shown in your photos and would add more flavor. I would included garlic with the onions or added as garlic powder into the bread crumbs along with some paprika. Even a splash or Worcestershire Sause would be a nice addition for flavor. You’re really missing a layered flavor profile with the ingredients you’ve selected and the sequence that they’re added, in my opinion. Flavor doesn’t equate to calories. Excellent base but needs adjustments in my home.
Sounds like maybe you should make your own tuna noodle casserole and that this variation simply isn’t for you 🙂
This is better than my mother’s version and much healthier. Big hit with family fresh and reheated from frozen.
I have made this numerous times during our Lenten quarantine, and it is the bomb! So delicious! On the menu for this upcoming Friday. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe, it looks great! What are your thoughts about range hoods? I’m trying to decide if I should get one.
https://prolinerangehoods.com/blog/average-range-hood-installation-time-and-cost/
Can you use canned chicken?
I’ve done both ways and prefer the canned chicken.
This recipe made my 90’s kid heart happy! My kids thought it was the best macaroni with white sauce in a long time. 🙂
Best comment!
Loved It! True comfort food. Made it with the gluten free options.
This is a really delicious recipe. So much better than the “old school” versions! I followed it as written except I had a different shape pasta (small elbows, they worked just fine) and a used a little less cheese. We will make this again.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times and have learned a few things. The biggest thing is that it takes me a bit longer than 7-9 minutes to get the sauce to thicken. I don’t know if it needs more heat or it’s just my house. I’ll probably give it a good 15-20 minutes each time. And I use skim milk every time because that’s what I drink. I also just omit the stuff that I don’t prefer like mushrooms. Finally, I have to mix the cheese in super gradually or else it all clumps together. Definitely a favorite that I pop out anytime I want to make something homey for guests!!
The lower milk fat will always take longer to thicken sauces. It’s why so many recipes call for whole milk or whipping cream. They thicken in a snap.
This has become a favorite in our house! Even my husband who is no big fan of tuna casserole made with canned soups will request this. Thanks Gina for remaking a family favorite so deliciously!
Made the dish for Easter Sunday. Everyone kept asking what I did different as it was so good & the sauce wasn’t like paste. Told them I made the sauce homemade & not a can of soup. Everyone cleaned their plate & several had 2nd helpings & when I stood up to start cleaning off the table they all started clapping & told me to take a bow.
Thank you for such a great recipe.
That’s awesome!!! Standing ovation!!