Minimal ingredients and time help make this classic Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe an easy and tasty weeknight meal that the whole family enjoys.
We are a casserole family over here, or shall I say hotdish for my other Minnesotan friends? As much as I want to call this a hotdish, casserole it will be.
This Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe has been a staple in our household since I was a child, it was something quick and easy that my mom threw together for my dad and I.
Now being a married mom of 4, it is a quick and easy recipe that we throw together for our family, which thank goodness they all love.
I know some people are real tuna haters, but we love it around here and this casserole is on our menu at least monthly, and there is never any left!
We love that this Tuna Noodle Casserole is so easy to put together and bakes in around 30 minutes! So it is a reliable and easy dinnertime meal that takes minimal effort.
I feel like this is one recipe you either love or you hate, thankfully we are on the love side! I could eat the whole thing by myself if I could!
If you’ve been looking for that comfort food to warm you up this winter (or any time of the year) then you need to make this Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe.
Some of my other favorite casserole/hotdish recipes that we have on our site include: Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole, Tater Tot Hotdish and Spaghetti Casserole!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Super easy ingredients help this come together quickly.
- You can double this to feed a large family or for a potluck.
- You can add or take away any ingredients you are not a fan of.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):
Egg noodles
Cream of mushroom soup
Sour cream
Milk
Salt
Black pepper
Tuna
Frozen peas and carrots
Ritz crackers
Unsalted butter, melted
Parsley, optional
HOW TO MAKE A TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE RECIPE, STEP BY STEP:
- Cook the egg noodles per the directions on the package, drain.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11×17-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Place the noodles, tuna, peas and carrots in a large bowl.
- Add the sauce and mix everything together until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
- In a small bag add the crackers and crush them, place them in a small bowl and mix with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle this mixture on top of the casserole.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until warmed through and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, top with optional parsley and serve.
WHAT CAN I TOP THIS TUNA CASSEROLE WITH?
We like to top ours with crushed ritz crackers and melted butter but there are so many variations of this Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe out there.
Some other things that you could top this with would be breadcrumbs, potato chips, cornflakes and french fried onions.
People also like to add cheese to this on the top as well, so that is another idea that you can do. We have made it with and without cheese and like it both ways.
DO I HAVE TO USE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP?
If you are not a fan of cream of mushroom soup, you can also use cream of celery, cream of chicken, cream of broccoli or pretty much any other cream of soup type.
If you wan’t to make the soup base from scratch and not a can you can do that as well, this Condensed Cream Soup Substitute is a great recipe for making this homemade.
OPTIONAL RECIPE ADDITIONS:
There are other things that you can add to this Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe if you would like. Some include adding cheese into the noodle mixture.
Use different soups to switch up the flavor. You can use fresh vegetables as long as you sauté then first and you can add to the vegetables like onions, etc.
Use canned chicken or even shredded cooked chicken in place of the tuna and make a Chicken Noodle Casserole.
Alternative seasonings to be added to amp it up.
There is so much more that you can do to this basic recipe, where you can truly make it your own! We usually keep it the way it is, but feel free to experiment!
DO I HAVE TO USE EGG NOODLES?
While this is the traditional way to make Tuna Noodle Casserole you can use any smaller pasta as well.
Some other pastas that you can use include:
- Rotini
- Penne
- Elbows
- Bowties
You will just want to make sure that you are swapping the pasta out for the same amount called for in the recipe.
HOW TO STORE:
This can be stored in the baking dish wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will last for up to 2-3 days.
This can also be frozen, place in a freezer container and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove to the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, place the casserole in the oven, covered at 350 degrees if you are storing it in the baking dish, for about 20 minutes. Or heat servings in the microwave for about 1 minute.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- We like to use egg noodles in this recipe, but you can use any small pasta that you like, see above for ideas.
- We use cream of mushroom soup, but any cream of soups will work, I also have a soup substitute recipe above.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do this.
- There is so much that can be added to this recipe, above I name some substitutions, additions and other optional toppings.
- This can be doubled to serve a larger family or for a potluck.
- Chicken can be added instead of tuna to make this a Chicken Noodle Casserole.
Want a classic comforting dish that the whole family will enjoy and is super easy to put together, then you have to make my Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
- Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
If you’ve tried this TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE RECIPE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups dried egg noodles
- 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounces tuna in water drained
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 10 Ritz crackers
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Cook the egg noodles per the directions on the package, drain.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11×17-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Place the noodles, tuna, peas and carrots in a large bowl.
- Add the sauce and mix everything together until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
- In a small bag add the crackers and crush them, place them in a small bowl and mix with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle this mixture on top of the casserole.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until warmed through and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, top with optional parsley and serve.
Notes
- We like to use egg noodles in this recipe, but you can use any small pasta that you like, see above for ideas.
- We use cream of mushroom soup, but any cream of soups will work, I also have a soup substitute recipe above.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do this.
- There is so much that can be added to this recipe, above I name some substitutions, additions and other optional toppings.
- This can be doubled to serve a larger family or for a potluck.
- Chicken can be added instead of tuna to make this a Chicken Noodle Casserole.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
ORIGINALLY POSTED SEPTEMBER, 2021
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