This simple tuna noodle casserole recipe combines tender egg noodles with creamy sauce, flaky tuna, inexperienced peas, and melty mozzarella cheese. Baked below a golden, buttery cracker topping, it’s traditional consolation meals for a cold day.
This isn’t your grandmother’s tuna noodle casserole. That’s, except hers was wealthy, creamy, tacky, and completely DELICIOUS! At the moment’s tuna casserole recipe is a type of comfort-food dinners from my childhood that I discover myself craving within the colder months. A bit like hamburger stroganoff, this recipe makes use of a can of condensed soup tossed with tender egg noodles and canned tuna as a substitute of floor beef. All the pieces will get baked like a pasta casserole beneath a blanket of crunchy crackers and melted mozzarella cheese.
Causes You Ought to Make This Tuna Casserole Tonight
- Prepared in below an hour. This casserole comes collectively shortly on a weeknight. Put together the sauce whilst you prepare dinner the noodles, then add the whole lot collectively and bake.
- Creamy, tacky goodness. Layers of tender noodles, tuna, and creamy sauce bake collectively beneath a crunchy cracker topping. It’s wealthy, savory, and comforting.
- Scrumptious leftovers. This casserole shops and reheats effectively, and leftovers style even higher the following day.
Collect Your Elements
This old-school tuna casserole is fast to tug along with frequent pantry substances. Listed here are the necessary ones, and you’ll discover the printable recipe particulars within the recipe card under the put up.
- Egg Noodles – Any sort, together with broad, extra-wide, or medium egg noodles. Asian noodles, or Italian pasta like fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle, may also work.
- Cream of Hen Soup – Decide up a can of low-sodium cream of rooster soup from the shop. In case you have a favourite do-it-yourself recipe, go forward and use it!
- Milk – Entire milk, 2%, or any milk you’d like. For a fair richer sauce, use half-and-half.
- Bitter Cream – Plain Greek yogurt makes substitute if you happen to want one.
- Canned Tuna – I like to recommend canned tuna that is available in water or brine, and never oil. Drain the tuna effectively beforehand.
- Frozen Peas – Make certain to thaw them first. Be at liberty to make use of contemporary peas when you’ve got them.
- Shredded Mozzarella – Freshly grated mozzarella melts extra easily than pre-grated mozzarella. Provolone cheese or cheddar are good substitutes.
- Crackers – You may make a crushed Ritz cracker topping just like the one I take advantage of in my Ritz rooster casserole recipe. Or, any crackers you’d like. You can additionally use Panko breadcrumbs, cornflakes cereal, or crushed potato chips.
- Butter – Melted and cooled, to mix with the crackers and extra shredded cheese for the casserole topping.
Suggestions for a Excellent Casserole
- For one of the best outcomes, use tuna packed in water. Tuna in oil might make the general casserole too oily.
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Because you’ll bake the casserole afterward, take care to not overcook the egg noodles. In the event that they’re overcooked, they’ll turn out to be mushy.
- Swap the soup. As an alternative of cream of rooster soup, use cream of vegetable or mushroom soup (or do-it-yourself cream of mushroom soup).
Regularly Requested Questions
Positive factor. If canned tuna isn’t your factor, you may substitute cooked shredded rooster, floor beef, or pulled pork. Attempt cooked mushrooms or broccoli for a meat-free model.
Sure! I like to recommend assembling the casserole and refrigerating it the day earlier than you intend to bake it, however go away off the crunchy topping. Once you’re able to bake, combine the cracker topping, add it to the casserole, and bake as directed.
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Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray and put aside.
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Prepare dinner your noodles. Prepare dinner the noodles in accordance with package deal instructions. Drain the noodles as soon as cooked and put aside.
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Make the bottom. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the cream of rooster soup, milk, bitter cream, salt, and pepper.
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Add the primary substances. Stir within the tuna and peas. Add the cooked egg noodles and ¾ cup of mozzarella and stir effectively to mix. Switch the combination to the baking dish.
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Put together the topping. Mix the crushed crackers with the melted butter and ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella, then add the combination over the casserole.
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Bake. Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, or till bubbly.
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Cool and serve. Take away the tuna casserole from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes earlier than serving.
- Noodle choices: For this recipe, you need to use any form of egg noodles, together with skinny or flat Asian noodles, or fettuccine.
- Topping: As an alternative of crackers, you need to use panko breadcrumbs.
- Tuna selections: For this recipe, I like tuna packed in water. The one packed in oil could also be too oily for the recipe general.
- Canned soups: As an alternative of cream of rooster soup, you need to use cream of vegetable or mushroom soup.
Energy: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 31g | Fats: 27g | Saturated Fats: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Trans Fats: 0.3g | Ldl cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 461mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1051IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values might differ in accordance with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
How you can Make Tuna Noodle Casserole
See the recipe card above for the complete recipe, and observe the step-by-step photographs under so what to anticipate when making this creamy tuna casserole.
- Prepare dinner the noodles. Boil the egg noodles in accordance with the package deal instructions, then drain them. If you happen to’d like, toss the noodles with just a little olive oil to maintain them from sticking whilst you set them apart. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400ºF whilst you put together the casserole.
- Make the sauce. Mix cream of rooster soup with milk and bitter cream. Season to style with salt and pepper, then add the drained tuna and peas.
- Add the primary substances. Stir within the cooked egg noodles and shredded mozzarella. As soon as that’s well-combined, unfold the combination right into a greased baking dish.
- Add the topping. Combine the crushed crackers with melted butter and extra mozzarella. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole.
- Bake. Bake the casserole at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Let it relaxation for a couple of minutes earlier than serving.
Storing and Reheating Tuna Casserole
- Refrigerate. Cowl the baked and cooled casserole hermetic and preserve it refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
- Reheat. Heat the tuna casserole within the oven at 350ºF till it’s sizzling all through. It’s also possible to reheat particular person servings within the microwave.
- Freeze. Wrap the baked tuna casserole in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. Freeze it for as much as 2 months. Thaw the casserole within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
