Tuna Casserole Recipe

A spatula lifting up a cheesy serving of tuna casserole from the baking dish. Hostess At Heart

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This easy tuna noodle casserole recipe is ready in 35 minutes! Creamy, comforting & topped with crispy panko. One-pan casserole quick enough for a weeknight dinner!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Author Julie Menghini

Ingredients

1 tbsp salted butter
1 small onion diced
2 ribs celery diced
12 oz egg noodles (3 cups of cooked pasta) cooked to al-dente (according to the package you use)
⅔ cup peas (3oz) fresh or frozen, thawed
5 oz canned tuna drained
10.5 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup (298g, 284ml) can
⅓ cup whole milk
1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
2 tsp dried parsley divided
½ cup panko crumbs
2 tbsp salted butter melted

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 °F.
In a small skillet, fry the onion and celery in one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Cook, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until the vegetables are tender, about 5-6 minutes.
Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked noodles, peas, tuna, cream of mushroom soup, milk, 1 cup of cheddar cheese and 1 teaspoon of dried parsley. Mix all of the ingredients well.
Pour the mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish (or really any 2qt dish that is oven-safe) and spread it evenly in the pan. Set it aside for just a second.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the panko crumbs, the remaining teaspoon of parsley and the melted butter. The panko will be slightly damp but still crumbly.
Sprinkle the top the casserole with the last 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
Top evenly with the panko mixture.
Bake for 17-20 minutes. The casserole will be bubbling and the panko will be browned.
Cool for 5 minutes to set and serve hot. Enjoy!

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat in the microwave at 50% power until it is heated through.

You can freeze this casserole in an airtight container or in the casserole dish for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge the day before you want to serve it. Reheat in the microwave at 50% power or in a preheated oven that has been set to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Not ready to bake now? You can freeze this casserole prior to baking. If you are planning on doing this, do NOT make the topping. Cover the casserole with 2 layers of plastic wrap then wrap a layer of tinfoil over that. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, thaw in the fridge the day before, make the panko topping and bake as usual.

This is a great make-ahead meal. You can make this casserole a day before and pop it in the oven when you are ready to serve. Keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake. If the casserole is cold when you put it in the oven, you may need to add a few minutes of cooking time to make sure it is heated through.

Cambell’s Soup is measured in weight in the United States however, in Canada and the UK, it is measured in volume. That is why there are two different measurements in the ingredient list.

It takes approximately 6oz of dry pasta to make 3 cups cooked pasta. The egg noodles that I used had to be cooked for 9 minutes to get it to al-dente. You want to stop cooking at this point because the noodles will continue to cook in the oven and you don’t want the noodles to be mushy.

If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the onion and celery when frying them.

Nutrition

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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