The Best Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
One of the most classic casserole dishes of all time is Tuna Noodle Casserole. It’s an easy recipe, inexpensive, and feeds a hungry crowd. A classic comfort food, this is the best tuna noodle casserole recipe. This recipe takes it up a notch by using some fresh ingredients and traditional canned soup. But don’t worry, it doesn’t go too far from the original classic dish. And what makes it so popular is how easy it is for a weeknight meal: one baking dish on the dinner table, and you are done. So give this easy tuna casserole recipe a try; it’s sure to be a family favorite.
What You Need For The Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
This recipe has less than ten simple ingredients, so it’s easy to make. And what is nice is that many of the ingredients are pantry staples, making it the perfect meal for a busy night. Here is what goes into it:
- Tuna — You can’t make tuna casserole without tuna. You will need 18 oz of canned or packaged tuna (that’s usually three cans of tuna). I personally like solid white albacore tuna, but any will do. But look for water-packed tuna and not oil-packed for this recipe.
- Condensed Soup: Like mom used to make, this recipe uses two cans of condensed soup. It can be either cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom soup, whichever you prefer or have on hand. This is what creates the creamy sauce.
- Fresh Mushrooms, Onion, and Celery: Here is where it gets ramped up a bit; use two cups of fresh mushrooms, two medium onions, and 1 cup of celery. The fresh ingredients improve the overall flavor.
- Fusilli Pasta — Either fusilli or rotini work great in a dense tuna casserole. Sometimes, people use wide egg noodles, but the cream sauce doesn’t stick to the pasta. The shape of your pasta impacts how the other ingredients stick to it, so the corkscrew shape works best.
- Cheddar Cheese: Cheddar cheese works great with tuna casserole. Look for a sharp cheddar and shred to add flavor to the dish. If you want a cheese tuna casserole, double the amount and stir half of the cheese into the casserole.
- Fresh Peas: Adding the fresh peas brings color and brightness to the dish. You can use frozen peas if fresh is not available. Either way, I like to add them to the pot of pasta about 2 minutes before it is done cooking.
- Potato Chips: This is one I never really got: putting potato chips on the top of a tuna casserole. Growing up, my mom topped it with bread crumbs (Italian or panko bread crumbs) and cheese, which is still a great option. But so many people think the potato chip topping makes the dish. It does bring a salty crunch to the top if done correctly. I have also seen crushed Ritz crackers as a topping as well.
Step-By-Step How-To Guide
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Step 2: Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente and drain.
- Step 3: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and add the onions and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes—season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Step 4: In a large bowl, combine the tuna, condensed soup, a little garlic powder, sauteed mushrooms, onion and celery, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the pasta and peas, stirring to combine again.
- Step 5: Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese. Then, on top of the casserole, add the crushed potato chips.
- Step 6: Bake for 35-40 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and the chips are crispy.
Tips For Success
Tip 1 — You can make this dish ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. But don’t add the crushed chips until you are ready to put it in the oven; that way, you will get the crunchy topping.
Tip 2 — Leftover tuna casserole is just as good the next day. Just store in an airtight container, and when you reheat, add some fresh chips.
Tip 3 — You can take some liberties with this recipe. Add a little parmesan cheese or some sour cream to the soup mixture for added flavor.
For more casserole recipes, check out my A New Take On Top Classic Winter Casserole Recipes.
Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 oz of fusilli pasta
- 1 cup of celery chopped
- 2 medium onions roughly chopped
- 18 oz of water-packed tuna drained
- 2 cups of sliced mushroom
- 1 cup of peas fresh or frozen
- 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 cup of sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups of crushed potato chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente and drain. Add the peas to the pot of boiling water about 2 minutes before it’s done.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and add the onions and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes—season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the tuna, condensed soup, garlic powder, sauteed mushrooms, onion and celery, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the pasta and peas, stirring to combine again.
- Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese. Then, on top of the casserole, add the crushed potato chips.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and the chips are crispy.
