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
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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.
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I made it with a few adjustments. I used a whole onion, several cloves of garlic, chopped mushrooms and a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs. I also used fresh herbs, and added some spicy paprika. It was good.
The only thing I would do differently is use heavy cream or half n half to give it a creamier consistency. If I lived in the States, I would use cream of mushroom soup, but where I live it’s hard to find.
That said, it was a good base recipe and everyone loved it.
My family and I love this recipe – thank you for sharing! I usually add more veggies (like carrot, broccoli, or frozen corn) and it’s great! Wondering if anyone has ever made a cauliflower version of this? To cut the carb from the noodle?
This recipe is delicious! I’ve been making it for a few years and my family looks forward to it when they see my preparing it! My teenage son requests it often.
This is my go to tuna casserole. The best. So delish. I probably triple it and add frozen corn and canned sliced mushrooms. It’s in the oven right now and can’t wait for dinner with homemade dinner rolls.
I’ve always done the basic TNC using canned soup, wide noodles, etc. My family always “thought” they loved it…until I served them THIS!! When I tell you there is no comparison, I mean, NO. COMPARISON. I’ve never had a “from scratch” TNC, and it is night & day. Switching from egg noodles to medium shell? Genius! Using all fresh ingredients vs processed? CRAZY good! I can’t begin to describe the difference,but trust me – it’s SO worth the little extra bit of prep.
I doubled everything bc I like to make extra for leftovers. It’s a good thing since everyone heaped their plates. I used garlic butter Ritz & added a little heavy cream to the sauce. Other than that, I went step-by-step. This is now in my rotation & has been added to the coveted “Mom’s recipes” box which my 3 boys plan to fight over when I’m gone. Thanks, Lauren!
Delish. Loved the sauce. Had some mushrooms and added them. Esp appreciated I could use my Lose It app and find the recipe there to log my calories.
Best tuna noodle casserole (and no salty soup).
Hello Lauren!
I have just recently discovered your site and this is the first recipe I have tried from your repertoire. It is delicious! So easy to put together and definitely a keeper.
I didn’t serve it right away, but I did save some of the pasta water to loosen up the dish after it had sat for a short time, and the pasta had soaked up all of the sauce! (I used Gigli pasta as the shape is so pretty and it holds sauce beautifully!) That worked perfectly without compromising the taste at all!
You have a wonderful site that is so full of information and instruction . . . I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you again Lauren for giving new life to an old time favourite and comforting dish!
“Cheers” from the Canadian Prairies!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it 3 times now and it’s better every time. It’s very adaptable to whatever veggies you have in your kitchen. I don’t want to buy a whole celery bunch just to use one rib so I substitute a green or red bell pepper for the celery. I don’t like peas so I use diced zucchini instead of peas. If you don’t over-saute the veggies they have a nice texture to them in the casserole. I have added 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce and 1 tsp siracha before, I just forgot to tonight but it was still delicious. Tonight I used red bell pepper and zucchini and red onion, so the dish had really pretty color. What makes it is the home-made sauce. Definitely try this recipe and tweak it to your liking. You can’t go wrong.
I tweaked this recipe as I’m on an anti-candida diet due to a systemic infection and it came out very good! I was honestly trying to find a recipe similar to one my ex used to make (I was skeptical of tuna casserole before then, but fell in love) that omitted the mushroom soup and I have to say the flavors in this one are quite different—-to me, it altogether tastes like a mild, baked white fish. Different, but very delicious nonetheless. Here are the tweaks I made:
-I used a mix of different rice noodles that I had on hand instead of semolina/shells (God I miss them…)
-I didn’t have any celery on hand, so I added extra peas (ended up using pretty much a whole bag of frozen peas)
-I ground my own “oat flour” using quick oats + my Ninja blender for the roux using the same ratio; it worked out great
-The recipe my ex made was similar to homemade mac & cheese, so instead of just parmesan, I added about 1-1.5 c. of shredded cheddar, more butter/flour to the roux, and a bit more milk to the bechamel
-I saw a couple other recipes that used lemon rind instead of juice, so I did that instead (about 2/3 a tablespoon or so—which made it very lemony still! I would probably reduce or omit lemon altogether next time…just a personal preference but it was still very nice)
-another recipe added a 2 tsp of dijon mustard, I added 1 tsp
-I added a tiny pinch of nutmeg to the bechamel
-Instead of breadcrumbs (due to my diet), I blended quick oats in my Ninja into a breadcrumb-like consistency, then mixed with Italian seasoning, garlic powder & onion powder, and before sprinkling on top I toasted/lightly browned them them in a pan to give them a bit more crunch. First time I tried something like that and it worked out well!