Homemade Tuna Noodle Casserole made from scratch with shell noodles, peas, tuna, celery, a delicious creamy white sauce, and crushed crackers on top. This easy recipe is always a hit at our dinner table; my kids love it!
Tuna Casserole
Let me start off by saying this is not you average “hamburger helper” style or grandma’s style tuna casserole. Yes, it’s a casserole, and yes, it has crushed crackers on top. But the similarities end there!
Let’s talk FLAVOR. This casserole is leaps and bounds tastier than any old memories you have of tuna casserole.
Rather than a canned “cream of soup” we make a really simple white sauce from scratch with just flour, butter and chicken broth and milk. Peas, celery and onion are sautéed to give them a boost of flavor as well. I used medium shell pasta for the noodles because I think they’re fun and I love how each shell fills with creamy sauce. You could substitute egg noodles or another type of bite-size pasta.
It also really makes a flavor difference to use high-quality tuna in this recipe. Go for a good quality solid white albacore white tuna; it may cost a dollar more than the cheaper brands, but trust me, your tastebuds will thank you!
How to make homemade tuna casserole:
First cook the noodles. While the noodles are cooking, melt the butter in a skillet and add celery, onion, peas and garlic and saute. Set them aside. Add a little more butter to the pan and once it’s melted, add flour and stir. Then whisk in the chicken broth and milk.
Bring the mixture to a low simmer and stir it constantly until it thickens and is bubble. Add salt, dill, lemon juice, parsley, and parmesan cheese. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the pasta, vegetables, and tuna.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle the top with cheese, crushed ritz crackers. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
We like tuna casserole with crushed crackers on top, but you could also try it with crushed potato chips, cornflakes, or breadcrumbs.
My family likes this casserole best served warm, right from the oven. I think the cold leftovers from the fridge are also yummy, but the sauce wont be as creamy as when it’s just been baked.
Some sides to serve with this Noodle Casserole include:
- A green salad
- Vegetables
- Fresh Fruit
- Homemade rolls
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Homemade Tuna Noodles Casserole made from scratch with real ingredients. This easy recipe is a crowd pleaser!
- 8 ounces medium-size shell pasta
- 4 Tablespoons butter , divided
- 1 rib celery , diced
- 1/4 cup onion , diced
- 3/4 cup frozen peas 1
- 1 clove garlic , miced
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 14.5 ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth (just under 2 cups), warmed
- 1 cup milk , warmed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice , more if desired
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves , minced
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , divided
- 5 ounces canned albacore white tuna, packed in water , more if desired
- 1/2 cup Ritz crackers , crushed
- 1 Tablespoon butter , melted
Cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package instructions.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Add celery, onion, peas and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the pan. Once melted and the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Bring mixture to a low simmer.
Stir constantly until thickened and bubbly, 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add salt, dill, lemon juice, parsley, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Taste sauce and season with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice, to taste.
Remove from heat and stir in the pasta, vegetables and tuna. Pour mixture into a 9x13’’ or similar size baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.
Crush ritz crackers and add melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over the casserole.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes
Recipe Video
*Adapted from Our Best Bites
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Loretta Owens says
I can’t wait to try this. I think my kids will love it!
I have a question though. I’ve been saving recipes to the meal plan, but when I try to open it, it says I haven’t added any recipes yet. There is a #4 on the tab though.
Lauren Allen says
Hi Loretta, I’m so sorry, this issue should be fixed! Also, be sure to clear the cache and cookies on your computer if you’re still having a problem. 🙂 Thanks for following!
Liz says
YUM! Everyone loved it! Another great keeper from TBFS
Steven Mickels says
Tried this tonight. My wife made it while I washed her car. I got the good end of the deal as this is no doubt the best I have tasted, and I have tasted multiple variations of this type of casserole.
What a great twist on a traditional comfort meal. Bravo!!!!!
Thanks for sharing,
Steve & Lori
Lauren Allen says
I’m so pleased to hear that and thrilled you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting–I hope you get to try more recipes here soon!
Laurie says
I made this last night and we loved it. The only change I’d make when I make it again is I’ll bump the chicken stock up to 3 cups and the milk (I used heavy cream) up to 1 1/2 cups. I like it just a little creamier than it was. The flavor was so good, I can’t wait for lunch to eat left overs. I added a couple of chopped mushrooms. Thank you!
Molly says
Yuuuuum!! Excellent recipe. I increased dill, lemon and salt and topped with French fried onions instead of butter and crackers. Going in my recipe book!
Mim says
Thank you so much for this delish recipe! I am probably a lot older than your typical commenter as I grew up on the Campbells Soup recipe in the 1960’s. It’s holiday time and I was feeling kind of low, missing my mom who passed away a few years ago, and when I feel like that I usually try to find some of her comfort food recipes. But I really wanted to make something fresher than the soup recipe. This was fantastic! I especially loved the addition of the dill and lemon. So comforting! Thanks again.
Julia says
A few tips – when I’m making the roux, I let the butter/flour cook for a few minutes, almost like I’m toasting it. I also add ground thyme, a pinch of cayenne, a hint of cumin (believe me, it works), and onion and/or garlic powder at that point. After I whisk in the milk, I add a little mustard (Dijon is great, honey mustard fine, not yellow or brown) for depth, and a little light Hellman’s for sweetness. After the sauce is off-heat, I add the splash of lemon juice and dill. Then I toss in the peas, mushrooms, and tuna.
For those who are dairy free, this is a great recipe with plain (not vanilla) soy or nut milk – but not coconut milk (too thin). I prefer to put the parm in the topping, then spray it with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray or butter-flavored Pam rather than mix more melted butter. I’m able to trim the whole thing down to 1 t olive oil, Pam, and 3T butter.
Jamie Henson says
Your review should be about THIS recipe – not your own. How can you give THIS recipe 5 stars when you totally changed the entire recipe. 🙄
Alicia says
it was so good and so tasty!
Heidi says
Fabulous! Kids ate it all 🙂 would this be something that would freeze well for later?
Lauren Allen says
Thanks Heidi! I haven’t experimented with freezing this one, but I’m pretty confidant it would work great. Be sure to undercook the noodles.
Catherine Coulter says
I just made this for the first time. It is really good! Not being a fan of peas, I used diced carrots instead. And adjusted/varied the seasonings as suggested. A word of warning though, if looking for a quick weeknight meal. This took a LOT longer than 15 minutes to prep. Knowing this, I will definitely make it again allowing more time, and for sure will make it for the next group potluck at work. It is a great versatile recipe that can be tweaked to suit anyone’s taste!
Nic says
Made this in preparation for a snow storm thinking I’d eat it all myself because my toddler is super picky and my husband hates tuna noodle. They both loved it and there are barely any leftovers. I made this exactly as written only increasing the lemon juice a bit. Fantastic!
Lauren Allen says
I love to hear that–I’m so happy your family enjoyed it. Stay safe in the storm!
Catherine says
I made this one night last week when it was very cold outside. My husband raved about it and had a big second helping. Leftovers the next day were just as delicious! Thank you.
Linda says
Your recipe is ah-mazing.. it is -r degrees here today and perfect for a nice, cozy meal by candlelight and a fire. I followed your directions. They were very easy. Thank you so much for posting this.
Lauren Allen says
I’m really glad to hear that! It’s perfect for a cold day!
Patti Harshey says
I am anxious to try this recipe, but can freshly grated cheddar be substituted for the parmesan?
Lauren Allen says
Sure, that would be fine 🙂 Enjoy!
Janet says
Best Tuna Noodle Casserole I have ever had. Easy to make. None of that canned soup taste. My family loved it. Followed the recipe as posted. Wouldn’t change a thing. This recipe is a keeper!
Diane Griggs says
I haven’t made tuna casserole in years. I came across your updated recipe last week while searching for something else. It sounded so much better than the canned soup one I was taught so I had to try it.First off I doubled the recipe because both my husband and Son-in-Law have hollow legs and I wanted leftovers for lunch the next day. LOL!!!! There was very little left and now they asked when I was making it again? Needless to say it is delicious and I will be making it often.
Joy says
I was craving tuna noodle casserole, for some weird reason…hadn’t had any in many, many years. Just made this recipe tonight. I left out the peas (yick), and I doubled the tuna and added a little more pasta (I used mini bow-tie pasta). I used Panko on top, instead of Ritz crackers, and I had to substitute celery seed for celery. It was AMAZING!!! I’ll have lots of leftovers, but it’ll be just as good for lunches over the next few days. Thank you for the great recipe! It definitely satisfied my craving.
Lauren Allen says
I’m sp glad you liked it! I hope you get to try more recipes here soon 🙂
Susan Z. says
I made this tonight, and everyone agreed it was absolutely delicious! I will never make it with canned soup ever again! Thank you for this recipe!!