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
- 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
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Recipe
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
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Original recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated April 2021 and December 2024.
This post contains affiliate links.
This recipe gave me a good base to work from, then I made some changes: eliminated chicken broth, cheese; used saute mushrooms for the veg; used onion and garlic powder to honor my “lazy” side. Finally, added whole milk yogurt to the milk; gave it that tang.
This was delicious! Thank you for this recipe! Can I ask how many cups is one serving?
Creamy, packed with flavor and filling — this dish was a total hit with my kids and family. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I too found this a little dry. Simple fix for next time is to reduce the noodles to 6 oz, or increase the liquid. The former being the easiest accommodation.
Im a teen living at home. Learning to cook for the family. This was pretty easy, a little too dry though.
Really delicious, stirred in Boursin cheese into sauce, instead of cheddar. Sautéed mushrooms added
Love this recipe…and so do my kids! No icky canned cream soup plopping into the pan. I’ll also share that I keep a sandwich-sized zipper bag in my pantry, and dump the crumbs from crackers, chips, pretzels, etc. in there when a bag or carton is essentially empty (just watch that you don’t end up with too much salt, which is also often left at the bottom of those containers!). The resulting combo can make an amazing topper for casseroles like this and no additional effort is required!
I decided to try this recipe. Excellent! Would not change anything!
Great recipe as written. however, instead of butter I added 3 ounces of Philly Cream Cheese because that is how my grandma made it back in the early 1960’s. I am thrilled to find a recipe not using canned mushroom soup which is just way to salty for my taste. thank you for sharing your recipe.
This recipe, as written, is excellent. I have made it several times using the oroginal ingredients and also with saiteed mushrooms. Thank you for sharing it! ❤️