This delicious Tuna Noodle Casserole is made from scratch with a delicious creamy white sauce, pasta, peas, tuna, celery, and crushed crackers on top. It’s always a hit at our dinner table!
This tuna noodle casserole is leaps and bounds tastier than memories you have of old-fashioned tuna casserole.
Rather than using canned “cream of soup” it’s made with a simple white sauce from scratch using flour, butter, chicken broth and milk. Peas, celery and onion are sautéed to give a boost of flavor. I used medium shell pasta for the noodles because I like the size and how each shell can fill with creamy sauce. You could substitute egg noodles or another type of bite-size pasta.
Be sure to use high-quality tuna as it will really makes a flavor difference. Choose good quality solid white albacore tuna; it may cost a dollar more than the cheaper brands, but trust me, your tastebuds will thank you!
How to make Tuna Noodle Casserole:
- Cook the noodles.
- Sauté the veggies. Sauté celery, onion, peas and garlic in melted butter.
- Make the sauce. Melt butter, add flour and stir. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk. Stir constantly until it thickens and is bubble. Add salt, dill, lemon juice, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
- Combine. Add pasta, vegetables, and tuna to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
- Top with cheese and crushed crackers.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Topping Variations:
- Ritz crackers or your favorite butter or saltine crackers
- Potato chips
- Cornflakes
- Breadcrumbs
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Cook the noodles, sauté the vegetables, and make the sauce. Store everything separately until ready to assemble, and bake.
To Freeze: Undercook the noodles slightly. Assemble the dish in a freezer-safe container (I like to use a disposable aluminum pan) but don’t top with crushed crackers. Allow to cool completely then cover tightly with and freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Top with crushed crackers and cheese before baking. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve with:
- A green salad
- Vegetables
- Fresh Fruit
- Homemade rolls
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Tuna Noodle Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 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 clove garlic , miced
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 14.5 ounce can low-sodium chicken broth (just under 2 cups), warmed
- 1 cup milk , warmed
- 1/4 teaspoon 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
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup Ritz crackers* , crushed
- 1 Tablespoon butter , melted
Instructions
- Cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package instructions.
- Sauté the veggies: 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.
- Make Sauce: 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.
- Combine: 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.
- Add topping: Crush ritz crackers and add melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over the casserole.
- Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Serve with:
- A green salad
- Vegetables
- Fresh Fruit
- Homemade rolls
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated April 2021.
pindapoo says
I can’t wait to eat this again. It is outrageously good! I didn’t mess with the recipe at all except to substitute panko bread crumbs instead of Ritz that I didn’t have.
Susie says
My husband was impatient to get the food on the table so it barely got the crackers on top and never made it to the oven BUT, it was delicious! It was still delicious as leftovers for 2 more meals. We’re thrilled with this recipe. I had to use broken up spaghetti and it worked fine. I look forward to making it again and sharing it with friends and family once we can get together again. I think it would make a great “pot luck” dish!
Jamie Nora says
Just curious, but what counts as one serving? I’m trying to count my calorie intake..
G says
If you follow the recipe exactly, 1/6th of the cooked meal is a serving.
Yvonne says
Made this tonight for supper. The only changes I made was to use vegetable broth and dried parsley. Very good!
Michelle (MT) says
Enjoyed. Notes to future self – used two cans tuna. Wish I had sautéed onions longer. More peas would be good too. Added about a cup of pasta water at end. Used fresh dill instead of dill weed. Loved the dill and lemon. Will make again and hopefully double batch with one for freezer.
Beth Everetts says
This is DEVINE! We have this at least once a month. Comfort food at its best Thank you so much for sharing.
Lise says
I made this last night and it was so good! I used 8oz of wide egg noodles and substituted crushed corn flakes for the topping. One technical change I made was to add the peas at the end. So when the remaining butter and flour went in, no need to remove veggies from pan first. I will definitely keep this in my comfort food rotation.
Mo says
In an attempt to get in some veggies, I diced and sauteed a green pepper and small zucchini with the onions. Also, I substituted the crackers with 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Made once with tuna, once with canned salmon. Both were pretty good. And kids ate it!
Ruth Scott says
I added fresh mushrooms and skipped the dill (not a fan of dill). We follow a low sodium diet and found it missing something – so added some Old Bay seasoning and a little more cheese – Also large can of tuna – I will try again.
Bette says
Love this recipe and so does my husband! I was wondering how you think it would work with shredded chicken breast instead of the tuna for a change?
Lauren Allen says
Sure, that would work great!