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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.
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Original recipe adapted from Our Best Bites.
I originally shared this recipe October 2018. Updated April 2021 and December 2024.
I don’t eat seafood, do you think canned chicken would work well as a substitute?
Yes, should work fine.
This is now my go-to Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe. I did add some “Better than Bullion” to the base as I thought it needed a little more Umph! Also added mushrooms…just wouldn’t be the same without mushrooms. Thanks!
I made this with gluten free pasta, gluten free flour and gluten free panko bread crumbs for the topping. It was absolutely delicious and so much healthier than the kind you just dump cans of soup into. Loved it! I will absolutely make this again for the family.
I’m happy to hear it worked so well gluten free! Thank you for sharing.
This was so delicious! I loved the pop of lemon and dill flavors and the parmesan as opposed to cheddar makes it super savory and nutty. I substituted the milk for unsweetened plain cashew milk and added fresh mushrooms to the veggie saute. Definitely a recipe for the roledex 😉👍🏻😍 Thank you!
Thanks for the great feedback!
made this tonight it was very good
It was perfect. Substituted all wheat pasta, while wheat flour for the roux, and whole wheat breadcrumbs. Thank you for the recipe. It’s perfect.
I can’t eat parmesan cheese (burns my mouth). What is cheese would be a good substituted?
Thank you!
You can substitute what ever type you like–mozzarella would work well, or leave it out.
Gross sounding, I know, but Velveeta is pretty yummy in it.
If you can’t have cheese at all, you can substitute “nutritional yeast,” to taste, instead. Nutritional yeast can be found in health food stores like Whole Foods. I would start with 1/4 of the amount of nutritional yeast as Parmesan and then add more to taste, if necessary. For other dairy substitutions, use cashew milk in place of milk, Earth Balance spread in place of butter.
Can I substitute all purpose flour? Recommendations? I need a gluten free option.
Gluten free flour would be fine!
Great recipe. This grandma loved that it didn’t use soup as a base. The few extra steps was worth it. My husband loves tuna casserole – the one his grandma made, and he loved this one.
I agree totally. My husband went for seconds, having grown up on the traditional recipe. (I did add 4oz mushrooms to get a closer match to the canned recipe)
Can this be made with vegetable broth instead of chicken? Need to have meatless during Lent.
Sure!