This post contains affiliate links.
Our old-fashioned Tuna Casserole recipe is simply the best, made with noodles, a creamy white sauce, tuna, peas, and celery, and baked with crushed crackers on top.
I promise this Tuna Casserole is better than Grandma's.
I promise this Tuna Casserole is better than Grandma's.This recipe is proof that you can elevate even the most old-fashioned casserole recipes by making them with better ingredients, and from scratch.
Instead of using canned soups, we make a quick creamy white sauce. We boost the flavor with sautéed peas, celery, and onion, and don't forget to use good quality white albacore tuna. It may cost a bit more, but the quality really makes a difference in taste! You can use egg noodles for tuna noodle casserole, but we prefer medium shells since each one fills with the creamy sauce.
How to make Tuna Noodle Casserole:
Cook noodles according to package instructions.
Sauté Veggies: Melt butter in pan. Add celery, onion, peas, and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
Make Sauce: In a separate pot, make a roux by melting the butter and then whisking in the flour. Cook for a minute or two. Gradually pour in the chicken broth and milk, whisking until smooth. Keep stirring constantly until it bubbles and thickens. Add lemon juice, salt, dill, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
Combine: Add cooked pasta, sautéed vegetables, and tuna to the sauce and mix to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with cheese and crushed crackers.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Sauté the veggies, make the sauce, and cook the noodles. Store everything in separate containers in the fridge until ready to assemble the tuna casserole.
To Freeze: Cook the noodles so they are slightly undercooked. Follow the recipe and assemble casserole (don't add cracker topping) in a freezer-safe container or disposable aluminum pan. Cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then sprinkle with crushed crackers and bake until hot and bubbly.
Sides for Tuna Casserole:
- Roasted Vegetables
- Salad
- Balsamic Roasted Carrots
- French Green Beans
- Broccoli Salad
- Garlic Rolls
- Artisan Bread
- Fresh Fruit Salad
More Casserole Recipes:
- Pizza Casserole
- American Goulash
- Chicken Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Overnight Breakfast Casserole
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Hawaiian French Toast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole
- One Pan Meatball Casserole
- Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Browse all of our easy pasta recipes
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium-size shell pasta
- 5 Tablespoons butter, , divided
- 2 ribs celery, , diced
- 1/4 cup onion, , diced
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 clove garlic, , miced
- 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk, , warmed
- 1/2 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 chopped parsley, , minced
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, , divided
- 5 ounces canned albacore white tuna, packed in water, , or more if desired
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 sauté for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Make Sauce: Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the pan. Once melted, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly, until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and add salt, dill, lemon juice, parsley, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Taste and add additional seasoning, if needed.
- Combine: Remove from heat and stir in the pasta, vegetables and tuna. Pour mixture into a 9×13’’ or similar size baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining ½ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
Original recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated April 2021 and December 2024.
This was fantastic! Quick and easy. Didn’t have crackers, so crushed Ruffles potato chips on top and was super yummy! My husband even asked if we could have leftovers for breakfast !
OMG! This is so good! I am gluten free and dairy free, so I made adjustments for that and this was beyond fabulous! My entire family loves it! I have made it again and again. Here are my adjustments if you need to make it gluten free and/or dairy free. I substituted olive oil for butter, used Banza chickpea pasta, subbed chickpea flour for all-purpose; used Oatly oat milk in place of regular milk; used gf lance cracker for the ritz and omitted the Parmesan cheese.
Crushed cheddar potato chips on top.
Do you know if almond milk or lactaid would work similarly for a dairy free option?
Yes that should work fine!
I love the fact that this recipe did not use sodium-laden canned soup. This by far is the best recipe that I have found for this dish. My husband wants it every week now!! I look forward to trying other recipes from Lauren.
It is an inexpensive, but filling option and easy
-to-find ingredients. I love being able to make the sauce instead of using some sort of processed soup. Thanks for the recipe!
This.Was.Outstanding!!! I’ve never made tuna noodle casserole before but my husband has been asking for it so I searched for something that would be as far from the one my mom used to make, haha! I’m so glad I found this – my picky teenager and even pickier ten year old loved it! My husband asked me not to ever lose the recipe and I had seconds!!! The best part? I didn’t have lemon juice so I had to sub vinegar and I accidentally put waaaay too much in and had to fix it with a pinch of baking soda. Even with that it was awesome. I can’t wait to try this without any mistakes!!!
Absolutely delicious .. everyone was extremely happy at dinner!!! Thank You. Making Lemon Zucchini bread tomorrow morning .. so excited.
I also made this under the pandemic situation, and let me tell you – for anyone looking for comfort food right now, well, look no further. So delicious, perfect, yummmmmmmmmmy. I didn’t change one. single. thing. Thank you so much Lauren for sharing your recipe!
I have never commented on a recipe before and I’m an avid cook / online recipe hunter…. this is that good!
Delicious!! We’re in the midst of this pandemic so I used ingredients I already had on hand. It turned out excellent! I made it hoping to last for lunch for a few days, but it might not make it that long. Here are the changes I made since I didn’t have the called out ingredients: egg noodles, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, kraft grated parmesan, omitted the celery, and used club crackers + italian bread crumbs instead of ritz. Even with these changes it is still delicious and I’ll be saving this recipe to make again in the future, and maybe I can make it with the actual specified ingredients. 🙂